It could be the old drive is taking too long to spin up so you need to first save your files on your backups then look in your Dell Docs to see if there is a HDD test category.
I would also reset the BIOS to defaults and re-test. Be sure no USB devices are plugged in.
I have a Dell Inspiron 530 with Intel E4600 CPU 2.4GHz and 3.5 GB RAM running Windows XP SP3.
Recently on boot up I got a flashing cursor only on the screen. I restarted the computer holding F8 and got a screen with all the boot options. I selected the C Drive where Windows is located and the computer started normally. I now have to do this every time to avoid the flashing cursor.
I tried System Restore and selected the earliest date available but think I left this action too late because this did not fix the problem.
While this has now fallen into the annoyance category is there anything I could do to avoid the F8 start up requirement?

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