MBP Startup Issue

So, I just got a brand-new 15' MBP, which shipped with the Leopard Upgrade DVD. Everything went fine in terms of installation, but I've noticed a problem two times now.

For one thing, shutting down takes a bit of time--but starting up is a whole other issue. It takes forever, often times it never gets past the white screen, and it just sits there. It did it once, and after waiting a bit it finally got to the Apple logo and took a bit of time to load, but then worked fine. Just recently I shut it down (to be nice) and decided to start it back up again. Went through the same problem, but this time, after a while, a blinking Earth appeared on the screen where the Apple logo normally is. Only thing that I can think is that its some sort of network symbol, as my network cable was unplugged once it finally started up.

I figured that I'd better ask now while the computer's still under warranty and in case its a sign of a bigger problem. I do have an external HD, and I have a Tiger install DVD so I could easily do a fresh install/upgrade if needed. Any help would be appreciated.

 

As far as I know the startup disk is correct, so next time I do a restart I might try booting from the CD and checking things out. Always good to know what buttons to push and such. Besides, I'd rather try some things out first before panicking and rushing to the Apple Store for a tiny problem.