teddyt, yup tried that, it doesn't work.
bigrigdriver, will try your suggestion
additional info:
got my download from
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download. In that same page, there's a note for an option that is given to users who want the alternate desktop CD instead. However, the CD does not include the Live CD, instead it uses a text-based installer. Could it be that what I downloaded did not include the Live CD as well? If so where do I get it.
Or is it possible that my earlier repartitioning the hard drive using a dos based Partition Magic have anything to do with it?