can't get to login screen at normal boot

Hello!
I am using Ubuntu 7.10 on a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo L6825 laptop, with an intel 82845GV graphics card. After installing Gutsy I couldn't see any graphics using the new "intel" driver (it is a bug listed in launchpad), so I did "sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg" and chose the i810, which worked in feisty.

I have a problem though, that I also had in feisty.
When I turn on the laptop, I see the grub loading, then the "ubuntu" with the loading bar. After that, the screen flickers 2-3 times and I can see the mouse pointer. After 2-3 seconds the pointer freezes, with a small garbage screen around it, and I cannot do anything. Alt+F2 doesn't do anything, neither Ctrl+Alt+Backspace, nor Ctrl+Alt+Del, so I have to forcefully turn off the laptop.

If, after turning on the laptop, I get into the grub menu instead of simply waiting, and press Enter at the first option (the current kernel) I get normally to the login screen, and I'm writing this from the same Fujitsu Siemens.

Generally, after rebooting the login screen appears normally.
I do not have this problem in Kubuntu 7.10. I do not have it either if I use the KDM in Ubuntu.
I do not have this problem when dual-booting Ubuntu with Windows XP.

I think that if the Grub menu was visible on boot (like when dual-booting), I wouldn't have an issue. I do not know, however, how to change that.

What do you think should be done in order to boot normally? It is quite irritating to always have to enter the Grub menu in order to use the laptop, especially in front of Windoze-users! Thanks ;)