Hp Pavilion help!

Okay, so i got a free laptop from a friend. Hp Pavilion with windows vista on it. Around 2-3 years old i'm guessing. The big problem with the laptop is that it turns on, goes past the Hp sign when it turns on, then it comes up to that bar that goes from side to side and it freezes up on me. Whenever i turn it on it always stops at that same exact spot. After maybe 20 times of turning it on and off, it will boot up all the way so i can use it. I was just wondering if there are any suggestions on how to fix my problem? My friend installed a new hard drive recently but it still has the same problem. Any Suggestions?

P.S whenever the computer does turn on, out of the 40 times of turning it on and off, the mouse gets stuck on the screen. I can move it from side to side but not up and down. It goes crazy moving from side to side also sometimes. I normally use the laptop mouse pad, would using a mouse help the problem? thanks again.