XP doesn't finish booting after logon

After the logon, XP gets to the point of displaying the screen wallpaper, but doesn't show icons or the Start menu. Is there a way to Startup in safe mode? Or any other suggestions for diagnosing the problem?

 

If you can logon, then XP has "booted" ... sounds like you've managed to corrupt your profile.

You could try booting XP in safe mode ...

 

Thanks, Joe, but that was part of my question: how to Safe Boot XP? Tried fn-F8.