Incomplete Boot

I'm working on an XP Home Dell. I can get into the BIOS but I can't save
settings. "Esc" doesn't work. I have to hard reset to get out of the BIOS. I
can't get to the desktop. I get the wallpaper but not to the Icons and no
start button or taskbar or tray. When I hard reset and hold F8, just before
I get the boot menu screen it hangs and gives "keyboard error". So I can't
get to go back to the last known good configuration. It is PS/2. I changed
keyboards. Another PS/2...same deal. I haven't tried a USB keyboard. Is the
PS/2 port dead? Or the whole board? In the BIOS I read the event
log...keyboard error numerous times.
I have seen Dells lose ports before and not the whole board. For
example: The onboard NIC went south and I had to drop in a PCI NIC
(different box). It doesn't sound like the HDD. Anyone?

TIA,
DTV


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