Help with new computer

Okay, so here's the deal. I've just put together a new computer - Shuttle SN27P2, X2 5000+, Gig of XMS2 etc. I've been trying to install an OS on it for hours, and finally ended up with XP x64, a place where i don't want to be. Thing is, it wouldn't let me boot XP x86, Media Centre, Vista - none of them. Just came up with "Could not read from CD-Rom, error code 80800279" everytime. It has an nvidia 570 Ultra motherboard, and it's not the cd drive that's at fault because i managed to install x64. Does anyone have any ideas why this might be happening? I'd really appreciate any input you can give,

Thanks,

Tim

P.S. I thought it might be something to do with the boot program not liking/being too new (!), or maybe a wrong setting in DOS that doesn't like 32-bit. Who knows?