XP: Boot stuck on splash screen

Put harddisk in question as slave on another PC

Run chkdsk /f

Reboot:
Able to log on to Windows but many programs no longer work properly

Run System Restore:
How to start the System Restore tool by using the safe mode option with the Command prompt in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304449

Reboot:
Menus on Start Menu are lost

Restore shortcuts to the Accessories group
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Accessories.htm

Issue:
Administrative Tools folder is empty

Solution:
Perform Search for *.msc on \Windows\System32 then create shortcut in Administrative Tools for each file found