Trying to boot for installation

Mon Apr 8 16:59:28 UTC 2013

On 2013-04-08 12:31 (GMT-0400) George Reinhart composed:

>  I clicked on the link "PC (Intel x86) desktop CD
> <http://releases.ubuntu.com/precise/ubuntu-12.04.2-desktop-i386.iso>",
> which led to an ISO file.  My current "main" machine (a Dell OptiPlex
> GX1 running Win2000Pro)  has no idea what to do with that file.

Liam Proven in another response to your OP gave a URL to what you need to do. 
It recommends you install the program from http://infrarecorder.org/ to use 
to make the CD from the .iso you downloaded. "No idea what to do with that 
file" sounds like you have no CD writing software installed on your GX1. If 
the CD writer in your GX1 was installed by Dell, there should have been some 
kind of CD writing software installed originally. If you added the CD writer 
yourself or someone else did it later, it should have come with software to 
add to W2K for the purpose.

CD writing software is not a standard W2K component, so would have to be 
added separately after any reinstallation of W2K from the Windows 2000 CD 
that used to ship with Dell Optiplex machines.

How much RAM does your GX1 have installed? What speed is its CPU? You're 
virtually certain not to be pleased with a standard Ubuntu installation if 
RAM is only 256M and/or the CPU is only 800MHz or less. The SDRAM in those 
machines is only 100MHz, so they are very slow by modern standards. IIRC, my 
only GX1 is only 600MHz. It's very sluggish, running X. You may be OK with 
Xubuntu or a genuinely lightweight distro made for old machines with low 
installed RAM. How slow is slow is a rather personal thing.
-- 
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

  Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/