Boot from DVD fails on Dell Inspiron 8000

[CT]

Hi folks,

I'm trying to do a fresh install on a quite old Dell Laptop Inspiron
8000. No matter what boot option I choose, the startup stops.

If I choose option #5 verbose logging, I'm able to see a message
reading:  fdc0: output ready timeout

There isn't even a floppy installed in the modular bay. I have a fix
installed CD/RW drive and a modular DVD drive from which I boot the
installation DVD.

I tried to boot from a CD as well, but the effect is the same, so it
looks like there is some problem in hardware probing.

Any suggestions ?

Regards, Chris