I would try it with your old keyboard if that works, you may need to ensure your BIOS enables the use of USB devises at boot and not wait for windows to load. You will probably have to use your old keyboard to interrupt the boot (keep pecking the delete or F1 keys during boot) and get into the BIOS set-up, sorry I can' say where this option is, but I would look at the Peripherals section first.
Although having said that even without USB keyboard support you should still see the boot scan in progress but be unable to use the keyboard to select any option. Also your mention of using the escape key, might indicate the keyboard is supported at boot.