WinCE 2.0 timebase (dispatcher?) question

Greetings,

I apologize for my ignorance regarding the architecture of
Windows CE 2.0 but hope that my question has a short list
of likely answers.

I have a WinCE 2.0 device (just acquired -- Philips VELO
500 HPC) which I would like to use as a portable data
terminal and GPS display among other field data collection
possibilities, which won't accept keystrokes or do screen
draws without a power-cycle between each input or update.
When cold booting, the device freezes with only the
'VELO' logo on screen (and won't power off) until unstuck
by doing glissandos on the keyboard. Thereafter, the power
switch will work, and after each power cycle, more of the
boot and screen draws will occur until after perhaps
several dozen power cycles a complete desktop will appear.
At one point during this process, the startup 'song' will
be properly played.  The time-of-day clock keeps time
but is only updated in the task bar after a power cycle.
All functions work, for example text entry into a dialog
box works but requires a power cycle for each character
input.

What drives the I/O timing in this architecture (MIPS 4000,
WinCE 2.0)? Should I be looking for a defective system
timer or an external timebase problem or since the audio
is working is this symptom perhaps unrelated to hardware
issues (ROM corruption? -- yet isn't the ROM checksummed
before booting?)

All speculation is much appreciated!

Michael

msg wrote:

> Greetings,
> 
> I apologize for my ignorance regarding the architecture of
> Windows CE 2.0 but hope that my question has a short list
> of likely answers.
> 
> I have a WinCE 2.0 device (just acquired -- Philips VELO
> 500 HPC) which I would like to use as a portable data
> terminal and GPS display among other field data collection
> possibilities, which won't accept keystrokes or do screen
> draws without a power-cycle between each input or update.

<snip>

Here is the reason:
    http://www.cybertheque.org/tmp/velo500/damage1.jpg

Michael