How do I get the GRUB menu to display?

I've been having this issue with my hp dv7t laptop. I fixed it using the recommended option: set GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash radeon.modeset=0" and run update-grub.

However, that caused a different problem. Before, even though ubuntu would go into a blank screen, the grub menu would always show. Now, GRUB loads (I know that since switching the "beep on load" option works), but I don't see the menu, or anything else, until the timeout is hit and the default option boots. This makes the system workable, but I don't like not having a recovery option and not having a grub menu in general.

There are no other OSs on the system, it's a clean install of Ubuntu Natty 64 bit.

Hitting shift after GRUB loads doesn't help.

How do I get the GRUB menu to show up?

Hold down the Shift key while your computer is booting up, and don't let go until it actually shows. (I have to do this on my desktop computer because the latest kernel breaks my graphics and I have to pick 2.6.38-10 manually).