Windows freezes shortly after booting into Normal Mode #

and even in Safe Mode under heavy I/O. Assuming crash dumps and event logs do not avail:

Launch msconfig
Click "General" > "Selective startup"
Uncheck "Load system services" and "Load startup items" (screenshot)
Restart in Normal Mode. If Windows is no longer freezing, begin adding back desired services and startup items until the culprit is found.

/windows | Feb 11, 2013