startup hangs

[Guest]

When cold-starting using XP, after my "Compaq" logo, a screen appears listing
my internal components, keyboard detected, software version, ect.. It prompts
me to press F1 to continue, and then finishes a normal startup. I have
checked and updated the BIOS, and installed a new battery. I used System
Restore, and the problem still persists. My system was upgraded from Me to XP
Home. I had the problem with Me, and upgrading to XP seemed to fix it, but it
just started again on it's own. It's more annoying than critical, but I would
like to fix it just the same. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[Test User]

When cold-starting using XP, after my "Compaq" logo, a screen appears listing
my internal components, keyboard detected, software version, ect.. It prompts
me to press F1 to continue, and then finishes a normal startup. I have
checked and updated the BIOS, and installed a new battery. I used System
Restore, and the problem still persists. My system was upgraded from Me to XP
Home. I had the problem with Me, and upgrading to XP seemed to fix it, but it
just started again on it's own. It's more annoying than critical, but I would
like to fix it just the same. Any ideas? Thanks

IIRC, F1 on Compaqs allows the system to continue past the POST. At this
point, the machine doesn't even know (or care) whether or not there IS an
installed operating system, so ME or XP don't actually influence this.

Pay very close attention to the BIOS messages. You should find the reason
for the halt listed there. For example, you may see a SMART failure
message. That message can indicate imminent hard disk failure.

Otherwise, look at the boot settings in the BIOS, for any Pause On Error
settings.

Compaq will be better equipped to help you with this question, as it relates
to the hardware, not the OS.

HTH
-pk