@r4mond, you're describing a corruption, either in the MBR or in one of the boot files (typically MUP.sys). The IBM logo is the system manufacturer logo, which normally appears before the OS boots and hides all the complexities of the POST screen that nobody inexperienced liked to look at. There's normally a button you can press to hide the logo and look at POST, but it's different from system to system (usually one of the F keys). If 67birdman had such a problem (i.e. with the OS MBR instead of the MoBo BIOS), it would be far easier to fix than the one he describes, which is most likely a dead MoBo and/or BIOS.
@67birdman, USB ports failing is actually a fairly common problem, resulting from worn contacts, foreign substance/dirt, damaged connections (from too many aggressive insertions) or simply not enough power supplied (which could be a weak 5V rail or the Southbridge growing old). It could also be a problem with the USB device itself (which, of all possible causes, is by far the most common).
On a side note, failing components can often be interpreted as the God of Technology's way of telling you that it's time to upgrade ;p