BSOD for me

Your .dmp file shows a corrupted ntfs.sys file..This stop error means that your ntfs file system is corrupt (damage in the file system, bad hard drive data, corrupt SCSI or IDE drivers or a corrupt ntfs.sys file). You can do several things, but a re-install may be necessary..

1. from an elevated command prompt, run sfc /scannow to see if this will repair the faulty .sys file.
2. do a repair install from the install DVD.
3. if none of the above work, back up your data and do a clean install...

Hope this helps.....

Well, i ran the system file check, and it found nothing wrong. >.< After running that, though, Windows did gracefully restart without bluescreening during the shutdown phase...

Holding off on a repair/reinstall for the time being...

Sounds like the thing to do for right now... just be ready...

H/W Diagnostics:
Please start by running these hardware diagnostics:
Memory Diagnostics (read the details at the link)
HD Diagnostic (read the details at the link)

Also, please run one of these free, independent online malware scans to ensure that your current protection hasn't been compromised: Malware (read the details at the link)

CHKDSK /R:
Run CHKDSK /R from an elevated (Run as adminstrator) Command Prompt.
When it tells you it can't do it right now - and asks you if you'd like to do it at the next reboot - answer Y (for Yes) and press Enter. Then reboot and let the test run. It may take a while for it to run, but keep an occasional eye on it to see if it generates any errors. See "CHKDSK LogFile" below in order to check the results of the test.

Elevated Command Prompt:
Go to Start and type in "cmd.exe" (without the quotes)
At the top of the Search Box, right click on Cmd.exe and select "Run as administrator"

CHKDSK LogFile:
Go to Start and type in "eventvwr.msc" (without the quotes) and press Enter
Expand the Windows logs heading, then select the Application log file entry.
Double click on the Source column header.
Scroll down the list until you find the Chkdsk entry.
Copy/paste the results into your next post.

Freezing on the BIOS splash screen changes everything!
I would seriously suspect a hardware issue - and would run the H/W diagnostics listed above.
Asus has nice BIOS/Hardware Information screens - check these for issues with system components.

If you can get into Windows...
Check the temps on the processor also (Speedfan/CPU-Z)
Check the video card with this stress test: FurMark: Graphics Card Stability and Stress Test, OpenGL Benchmark and GPU Temperature | oZone3D.Net

The chkdsk showed no problems (and it's not significantly different from what I suggested) - so the file system (NTFS.SYS) isn't the problem.

I can't recall when I wrote the canned speech about chkdsk - but I suspect that the CHKDSK column was for Vista (wininit is for 7, and winlogon is for XP). I've gotta get a Vista system to check this on....

CMOS battery is always worth replacing. They're less than $5 US and will save a lot of time troubleshooting.
A sometimes clue is the time on the system clock changing - but that's not always reliable.

As for a BIOS flash, what version do you have? Do any of the later versions have changes that seem to apply to your situation? If you're way out of date, don't change more than 2 versions at a time (if you're at A1 and the current is A10, go to A3, A5, A7, A9, then A10). Yes, it's a PITA, but there's enough stories on the web about BIOS flash disasters that it's worth the trouble.

Thanks for letting us know!
Good luck!