Hardware :: Can't Install After Changing Boot Order

I may be in the wrong section here (hardware) but I do believe this is a hardware issue. If indeed it is not, I welcome any admins to move this post to the correct section. That said, here's the issue:After years of frustration and problems with Windows XP, my parents finally asked me to install a Linux distro onto their machine. Taking their needs and lack of experience outside Windows in mind, I suggested Ubuntu and Linux Mint to them (as I do to pretty much anyone who wants an easy and beginner-friendly distro). Running first Mint's live session and then Ubuntu's on my own machine to give them an idea of how their new desktop would look, they picked Ubuntu and I grabbed the disk, my external hard drive, and proceeded to back up all their pics, music, docs, etc onto the external.

Once finished, I popped Ubuntu (10.04 LTS) into their machine for a reboot. Realizing when the Windows XP logo came up that the boot order is set to boot from the hard drive first, I went into BIOS and changed the boot order to check the appropriate DVD drive first (they have two DVD drives, both can and have burned onto DVDs without issue), and then the hard drive. Saving my changes and exiting, I did another reboot.I got as far as the splash screen where the dots under the Ubuntu logo lit up as normal, and then after a bit of a wait on my part, suddenly exits to a screen with a prompt telling me a boot device could not be found. Trying again with Linux Mint proved similar.Next I tried simply letting it boot into Windows as normal where I could then use Wubi to install Ubuntu beside Windows but again, the screen got as far as the Windows logo with the blue "loading bar" underneath and then would simply reboot. Having to focus my attention elsewhere for a couple minutes I found out upon return that the system was stuck in an endless loop of rebooting, asking to select between a safe mode, normal boot and last known configuration for Windows, then to the logo and starting over again.I went back into the BIOS and returned the settings to booting from the hard drive first as before (nothing else had been changed), and attempted another reboot. Same loop.I had made a boot "stick" for Ubuntu some time ago, and I've used it once when installing Ubuntu on a friend's laptop which had a broken CD drive. After it wouldn't boot from the USB device I looked in BIOS and selected "look for other devices to boot from" as there was not option to boot from USB in the standard option list (just hard drive, DC/DVD, and disabled). Still no luck.

Calling up my self-proclaimed computer expert uncle, he assured me that returning the BIOS to its default settings would allow it to boot normally back into Windows, probably after performing a disk check.Taking his advice I returned the BIOS to its default settings and reboot. No change, same loop! Frustrated I called him up again, and he said he'd have a look at it when he next gets a chance. heh. That may not be for a while as he is known for taking on projects he can't (or won't) finish.Anyway, tired and now uncertain, I thought perhaps it's something to do with a live disk. I tried an openSUSE installation disk and ended up with "please insert disk 1 into drive" prompt after selecting "install" from the first menu on the disk.