Please help me install ubuntu 7.10

I tried to install 7.04 on a friend's brand spanking new machine but have come across an error message that means the square root of nothing to me. I have tried using a downloaded copy of the installation as well as the official CD that came in the post, but just get the same message:

Busybox v1.1.3 (Debian 1:1.1.3-3 ubuntu3) Built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands
/bin/sh: can't access tty; job control turned off(initramfs)

I used the downloaded copy to install on my own machine and had no problems.

My pc is P4 3.GHz, 768MB memory, Gigabyte Motherboard.300GB hard disk and ATI graphics card.
My laptop is Sony vaio S54 Laptop.

Many thanks