Maximum PC

what? could someone help me here? what id the difference.

Using Nero SmartStart, you want to select the option "Burn Image to CD". I believe it's under the extras selection.

The main difference:
when you burn the image to cd, it's bootable...if you burn just the file...then well, it won't boot.

If I recall correctly, selecting the bootable option in Nero, you still needed to point it to some sort of binary file that would kick off your boot process

And ISO file, for a lack of terms, is nothing more then a HD image file (although it's from an CD) and as Koby said, should already be bootable.

I'm not familiar enough with the smartstart options, but you can launch the main app, cancel the wizard that starts and just do a file, open and select the ISO file. The only option that's available there at that point is just burn.

i used the "burn image to cd". It burned fine. i put the disc in, and restarted my computer, it still didn't work. i tried several cd's but nothing has worked.

Have you verified the contents of what's actually on the CD?

and I assume you have the CD listed first in your boot sequence?

i cant access the cd. my computer hangs, requiring me to either eject the dick, ot restart my computer.

Are you sure it's a good bootable CD? Can / have you tried to boot to it in another computer? I have tried to use Nero Smartstart with no good results. I now use ImgBurn. I have successfully made several bootable CD's and DVD's ranging from Linux .iso CD's to a bootable Memtest CD.

found what was wrong. the ubuntu iso image doesn't like cd-rw's. instead i found a cd-r lying around the house and burned the iso to that. it kinda worked, it was all scratched and stuff, so it said the burn failed. ignoring that, i restarted my computer and whaddu know, the ubuntu splash srenn showed up. it couldn't get past that, but i cant blam it for it was scratched like hell.

looks like im off to a trip to staples.