Issue After Office 2003 Upgrade

[J Cope At Stratis]

Working on an XP machine with the latest service packs as of 2/21/06. Had
Office 2000, bought the Office 2003 Pro Upgrade.
The installation seemed to go normally, all programs and most options
selected for installation. Immediately after install, went to Office Update
website and downloaded/installed all updates. Restarted after the install,
and after the XP splash screen, the screen goes blank.
No amount of waiting solves the problem, however idly tapping on a keyboard
Sleep key brought the login screen back.
This was never an issue before the Office 2003 upgrade, but now it happens
every time the PC is restarted. "Log Off" works normally, but Restart and
Shut Down both produce the blank screen.
Has anyone seen this problem before, and is there a solution available?
Thanks for any assistance!

 

[J Cope At Stratis]

This issue has been solved. The problem (unsurprisingly) was with an
improperly-installed, intermittently-functioning external USB drive.
I'm not sure how to close or delete a thread, but if someone else can or
knows how, feel free.