start up gets as far as htc screen...

[ahahaha]

my phone was working fine but at some point wouldnt turn its screen on so i removed the battery and when i attempted to turn it back on it got as far as the verizon screen and became stuck again... not in loading like usually because i waited more than it usually takes so again i attempted to remove the battery and it now gets stuck at the htc screen and even a factory reset does not work... any ideas to help fix the problem? unrooted htc merge phone