I had the same problem as many users but believe I found the cause. My new laptop would hang on startup at the "Windows is starting up" blue screen. I did a system restore thinking it would solve the issue by removing the recently installed software. It did resolve the problem but then as I went through the steps to customise settings etc the problem reappeared. I tested each step by rebooting successfully as I made minor changes to the start menu etc, then I changed the screen resolution. BINGO - the laptop hung at the usual spot when I rebooted. Starting in Safe Mode and changing the resolution did not work, but restoring the system again did and now I will leave the resolution alone. Now of course this doesn't alter the fact that IT SHOULD WORK, but at least I can avoid the problem for now!

Very strange problem! If it's under warranty, why not get it fixed or replaced? It sounds like a video adapter problem.

Yep, i agree. does your motherboard support your video adapter?

It might, just might be possible that you don't have enough memory. If the 512 indicates the amount of memory you have, it might be worth adding another 512megs. The onboard graphics uses system memory, the higher the resolution, the more memory is required. 512megs is not really enough to run XP efficiently. Just a thought, but well done for finding this problem! Computers... designed to entertain,help with work but most of all to frustrate you!