I seriously, SERIOUSLY doubt it's software/driver related. If you're having problems before you get to the desktop, that's typically a sign of failing hardware. The bios may be a good place to start as they can screw up, but it's pretty rare... I'd try updating/reloading the bios first if possible. If not, maybe try some LiveCD (some Linux disk or BartPE) to see how the system works with another OS. Eh, at least if you have one handy, it'd save you the time and trouble of having to reload the system and it still fail.
Video card could also be a problem, but I'm wondering if it's otherwise if the characters aren't displaying correctly. If you have access to some other card to test it, that may be a good thing to check as well.
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Desktop * Athlon X2 4200 | 2G RAM | 160G HD | 7600GT
Laptop1 * C2D T5550 | 3G RAM | 120G HD | Intel x3100
Laptop2 * C2D T5250 | 2G RAM | 160G HD | Intel x3100
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