Trouble with startup after installing Maya Xfce
 

For a little background, I just completed building a new computer and wanted to use Linux on it. I completed the build and made an install disc. The only part I salvaged from my old computer was the HDD which I had just recently purchased and installed. It contains Windows XP. I booted the computer up using the disc and Linux worked great running from the disc. I selected to install and decided to leave XP and partion the drive. Linux installed with no problems during installation. After installing I rebooted and the computer booted fine till the background (wallpaper) came up. The computer stopped at that point. I didn't get the start button or desktop icons, just the Maya background screen. The only way to get out is to hold the power button.
I then rebooted the computer and ran Linux off the boot disc again. I used an external hard drive to transfer some files from the HDD, because I wanted to do a reinstall and this time get rid of everything on the HDD. I had no problems transferring the files. I then reinstalled Linux, selected this time to erase the HDD and reinstalled. Again, no problems during installation, but when I try to boot from the HDD it still hangs on the background screen.

Here are my computer specs.
ASUS M5A97 R2.0 Socket AM3+ ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD FX 4100 Black Edition 3.6GHz Quad-Core Socket AM3+ Boxed Processor
Cooler Master Elite Power 400W ATX Power Supply
Corsair XMS3 Series 4GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Desktop Memory Module
Nvidia GeForce GT 510 Video Card

Any Suggestions or ideas?

Please ignore this thread. I got it to start working.