Windows Wont Automatically Restart

[orcutt989]

For some reason lately, Windows will not boot Windows XP unless I tell it to do so. When I restart my computer, my Dell screen comes up and loads just fine, but then there is just a black screen with a flashing underscore as if it is waiting for me to type something. I wait and wait and wait and nothing happens, until I have to hit F8 and tell it to boot regularly, or hit F12 and tell it to boot the HDD. I dont know why it is doing this can any of you guys help me?

EDIT: And I just wanted to make sure to say that I am getting this screen BEFORE the XP Screen. Actually I am not getting the XP Screen at all, unless I tell the computer to boot it.

[Chewie]

Do you have a USB card reader or memory stick plugged in? I've seen this where the mobo's BIOS was trying to boot from a card reader instead of the hard drive.
If this is the case, have a look in the BIOS settings for the ability to change the boot order; turning off the BIOS option to 'boot other devices' can help as well.

[orcutt989]

Ohh okay. Do you think maybe it is my iPod? I have had it plugged in before, but maybe I have done something... hmm. I noticed when I hit F12, I think it said USB Device was before HDD. So I will try changing that. Thanks! I will post back with results!

[racer0509]

Yes, it is possible the iPOD is interfering with the boot process, so your BIOS is trying to load from IPOD HD. If re-arranging the boot order doesnt work, try re-installing windows (not necessarily a clean install) to restore any drivers that may have gone bad.