Need to install Ubuntu via USB

[Scott]

The CD drive in my wife's laptop is broken, so I only have the option to 
install through USB and I have had nothing but severe problems.  I tried 
with both a 8.04.1 disk and a iso with "create a usb startup disk" and 
got the same outcome, a busybox shell prompt when trying to boot on the 
USB drive.

I tried using unetbootin and it never even got to the first menu on the 
USB drive and gave me an error saying it could not find a kernel.

I lastly tried the isotostick.sh script and I got the same busybox shell 
when trying to boot into Ubuntu on the USB drive.

Help!!  If I can't do this my wife's laptop will become nothing but a 
very expensive paper weight.

-- 
Your friend,
Scott
http://sgaming.org

Sent to you from a Linux computer using Ubuntu Version 8.10