I fired up a laptop which had been dormant a year or more. After showing the Windows XP logo, it says Windows is starting up, and the message never changes.

What is the exact make and model?

Did you try Safe Mode options?

Press F8 on boot ... choose "Last known good configuration" or if that does not work try "Safe Mode / System Restore".

When booting up in safe mode, if it still doesn't boot up please note and tell us the last driver listed.

Thanks for your input. Trying either safe mode, "directory service restore mode - windows domaine controllers only", or debugging mode, I get only the XP logo, then eventrually (slowly) "windows is starting up", which never changes. Without a Windows screen, I can't (don't know how to) determine drivers installed.
This is a 5 or 6 year old Averatec 3120 V. (gift to daughter - she upgraded when she got her Masters.) Again, I don't know how do get to the gizzard in a blank screen.

Your options indicate a very proprietary version of XP.



If you did not receive an XP CD there should be a Recovery Partition activated be a hotkey in order to reinstall XP.


http://compreviews.about.com/od/support/p/Averatec.htm



...

There isn't a "safe mode" or "safe mode with networking"?