XP Pro Laptop Boot Stall?

[Jack Barrett]

I have a Dell Latitude Laptop running XP pro with all updates.

Here is my problem:
When I start a normal boot up it stalls/stops at a blank screen with a
cursor flashing in upper left hand corner. Does nothing at this point.

The solution I found:
I remove battery and ac power, then hold down power button to bleed bios
power. This takes about 5 minutes to accomplish. Then it will start in normal
boot mode.

I know this is only a bandade for a much bigger issue. What issue or fix can
I get to fix this?
Is there any changes I can makle manually in the bios settings to fix this?

Many Thanks in Advance. Jack Barrett

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

Test your battery, it's probably dead.

 

[Jack Barrett]

Hi Mark....the laptop is only 18 months old. Can the battery die that quickly?

Thanks...jack

 

[Mount_Dreamer]

Hardware can go bad at any time.

But try booting without the Battery.