Cannot start 10.04 installation

[Weaselpants]

I downloaded the 10.04 iso, burnt the disk, stick it in the drive, boot the system . . . and . . . I get two small icons centered in the bottom of the screen. That is all. Nothing else happens. The CD drive (also tried on a DVD) rattles for a bit, then stops. The system just sits there. The hardware is a bit old but not ancient - 2.4GHz P4, 2GB, 80GB + 30GB IDE drives. It has been running Debian for over a year with zero problems so I think it is OK. The 9.10 install CD works just fine. This is really annoying. I need some ideas . . .

[Tylerjd]

If you downloaded the desktop edition, you can try one of two options. One, try downloading from different source and re-burning, or two, try the alternative install CD, if you need help with the alternative install cd, repost here and I'll try and help.