G4 will power on, but is stuck on gray Apple screen

I've read several posts regarding starting-up the G4 but can't seem to find anyone with a similar issue. Before I had this problem, I installed a DVD to Mp4 converter program. I suspect that this could be the culprit but am not sure. And I'm not sure how to get back to my main operating system. On start-up the gray Apple logo appears, but no circle to indicate continued booting. Any ideas?
Thanks!
PowerMac G4   Mac OS X (10.4.2)   Added USB 2.0 PCI Card

I'm having the same issue in that I get the gray apple. If I wait long enough, the screen eventually turns pale blue and then freezes.
I am unable to boot up in Safe Mode by holding the Shift key down, and when I use the DVD, the system boots up in OS-9 format making OSX unaccessible.
Could it be that I need to reinstall OSX software? If so,do I need to remove any existing programs first, and if so, how do I get "at" it, since I can't boot up into OSX.
Thanks in advance.
PowerMac G-4   Mac OS X (10.2.x)  
PowerMac G-4   Mac OS X (10.2.x)  
PowerMac G-4   Mac OS X (10.2.x)  

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