You might check the Dell site to see if they will send you replacement CDs. I managed to get a set for my HP laptop.

If you can, plug the CD into another computer and see that the computer can read it (you should be able to see a list of files on it).

Also have a look at the 'boot order' again - some BIOSes try to be 'helpful' and if a boot device can't be accessed at boot time they will automatically shuffle the boot order list. (Unfortunately that's more dumb than helpful.)

The only other thing I can think of is that the laptop didn't fully support booting from CD. Do you remember if you needed a floppy disk to help start the Linux installation?

Oh, and you do have the shiny side of the CD down, right?

Maybe time to eliminate some variables....

First--as already mentioned--make sure the Windows CD will boot up in another computer.

Next, try some other bootable CD in your computer. Since you may be needing a utility disk to delete the partitions, I would go ahead and get something like GParted Live CD. You can download the .iso here. The .iso file is used to burn a CD, which you can then boot. Another option is just about any "LiveCD" version of Linux. If nothing else, you can get one from a Linux magazine.

Before or after the above, you can also try cleaning the CD drive. There are cleaning disks available, but you can also do it by hand. Simply open the drive and carefully brush away any dust, and wipe off the laser lens with a soft cloth.

Dress uip, drop down to Best Buy . . .

Good Luck, Michael