In linux we can make it output bootstrap instructions,
what about windows?
When you boot in safe mode (Press F8) you can see the output.
You can also you procmon from Sysinternals to log everything as the machine boots.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx
Hope this helps
This link shows you how to select "Enable Boot Logging" when you press F8 during boot up. It also shows how you can edit c:\boot.ini
and add a /bootlog
option.