This is a new HP DV-7 laptop. When you turn it on SOMETIMES it will wait at 15 minutes on the press escape for menu and sometimes it will boot correctly.
IS this a hardware failure issue or is this a new for a BIOS update?
this sounds like a hardware problem -- i'd first try going into the bios, and reset it to default config. Save and reboot and see if the problem presists. It's possible that some setting is causing the hangup.
Also, often times, a failing harddrive or storage device (USB thumb drive, external hard drive, memory card, etc) can cause the POST process to hang while the BIOS attempts to enumerate all devices. Try unplugging any external devices if any are plugged in. Reboot and see what happens.
If your hard drive is starting to fail, it will cause the hung post process. if this is a new laptop, i'd send it in under warranty (after making a backup of everything! - they will likely just throw in a new drive).