<snip>
...whenever I try to boot from CD I get two error messages...
</snip>

You MAY have a memory problem. Go to

http://www.memtest86.com

and download the FREE program -- there are versions that create a bootable floppy and a bootable CD, pick which is appropriate to your needs. Some memory problems will never be seen by Windows, but will clobber Linux.

Another possibility is an incompatible chipset -- what'cha got?