Corrupt Windows, don't have a XP CD...

[Snake_Griffin]

...like I said my Windows XP is corrupt real bad (I'm given a black screen at boot up 3 safe mode options, last known working mode and a normal mode boot up but none of these get me anywhere just return me back to this screen) and I've read around that to repair this you need to plop in a XP CD into the CD drive and try to repair.  I don't have a XP CD, which is my big problem.

So I want to flush my hard drive (to get rid of the problematic windows) and start anew with Linux (most likely Ubuntu).  I've read around this site and came to this page: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000186.htm
but it doesn't exactly help me because I don't know how to get out of the aforementioned screen I'm getting (or how to use this bootdisk) and into MS-DOS to erase my hard drive.  
Can someone please help me, I want to have this fixed by next week as I'll need my computer then and don't really have money to spend on paying someone to do this for me.
Thank you in advance for all the replies.

[GX1_Man]

You do not need to blank the hard drive first. Just stick the Ubuntu CD in there and restart the machine. YOu will soon be Window free. Just take the default settings or modify if you want, but all of your partitions will be removed and new ones installed!  

[Snake_Griffin]

Thank you so much.  This is what I looked like when I read your reply  

[GX1_Man]

Let us know how it goes.  

[Snake_Griffin]

You do not need to blank the hard drive first. Just stick the Ubuntu CD in there and restart the machine. YOu will soon be Window free. Just take the default settings or modify if you want, but all of your partitions will be removed and new ones installed!  

I tried this with Ubuntu Live CD (to try and back up any data just in case) and I have tried this with an Ubuntu install CD.  I know both work fine because I've tried booting them up on my brother's computer but when I do this on my desktop I still get the Windows screen.  It's not letting me do anything essentially.  This is really frustrating.

[Fed]

Go into your bios & set your cdrom as 1st boot device.

[Snake_Griffin]

How do I exactly do that?

[GX1_Man]

There will be some key or key combination shown before the Windows logo that will tell you how to get to BIOS or setup. What computer or motherboard make/model?

[Snake_Griffin]

There will be some key or key combination shown before the Windows logo that will tell you how to get to BIOS or setup. What computer or motherboard make/model?

It's an IBM.  Not sure what motherboard, is there any spot on the unit itself that should have markings that indicate make/model of the motherboard?

[Fed]

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000192.htm

[GX1_Man]

Press F1 several times as the machine boots before the Windows logo.  

[Snake_Griffin]

Ubuntu is up and running.  Thanks for all the help  

[GX1_Man]

Glad you are fixed and windows free.  

They have a great support site and forum too.