can't boot/install Ubuntu 7.10 desktop i386

This is my last hope/attempt to try Ubuntu 7.10 desktop i386. Please note that I am literate as a computer user but,
beyond using 1 or 2 DOS commands, I have no programming knowledge.
After a week and a stack of wasted cd's I finally got a perfect burn of Ubuntu. I checked for errors and flaws, so I am convinced my cd is fine. Attempted to do a fresh install on an old IBM Aptiva P4 desktop with plenty of RAM.
Ubuntu menu will not execute any option beyond the “F” keys which work perfectly. Options 1-7 will spin the cd, causing it to loop, but beyond that nothing.
Downloaded and attempted to use super Grub, but don't know if I (repeatedly) used it properly. That program seems to work fine, but again Ubuntu won't boot.
After many attempts which included installing XP to rule out problems with memory etc, I decided to try Ubuntu on my other machines. A home build with an ASUS mother board running XP, and a HP Pavilion, again running XP. In each case, the cd acts and sounds exactly as it does on the IBM.
It still sounds like a defective burn but I don't understand how that can be?
Thanks,
Rick
processes: downloaded from several university sites and alt source using vuze azeureus, burned with infrarecorder. ran winMd5Sum. ran super grub. boot order set to cd first.