Yes, 5.04 is on the HD, and in the
CD I have the iso file just downloaded yesterday from Ubuntu. Now . .
. is the image faulty? Could be. I know that I'm telling the machine
to boot from the CD and not the HD, and the CD does spin for a while.
But it seems like at some point the HD takes over.

I will see if I can verify the iso file is good. I read something
about checking the hash values, but don't know if I have enough
reference material to let me do that right -- I *DO* know I don't have
the knowledge in my head.

The machine I have the system installed on is an old Toshiba laptop
that used to run WinME. Thankfully that is gone now. The HD is
probably 12 Gig, and the processor is a Pentium III -- don't remember
how fast, but not too. So, Wade, I'm not keen on unplugging the power
from the HD!! I've never cracked the case of this machine.

I'll do another download of the iso file and report back! Thanks again
for your suggestions.