I'll try again, and no I didn't click on the words boot menu/order. Also, I had the Dell on a stool and as I knelt before it I found another optical drive. So now I have two avenues to work. Unfortunately I'm weakest when it comes to software. It is possible I'm not making a bootable CD properly, or that the iso I have are not in proper form. I've tried DSL a couple of times. I did get anti-X on a jump, yet that is a terminal program, and too much for me on a daily basis. So I'll try again to make a bootable CD or DVD for Linux Lite, as well as test the CD player to make sure it works. I think it does as I got a terminal screen when I put the DSL disk in, but I didn't know what to do with it. It showed the two optical drive names, one being slave and one master. I don't know which is which. Haven't opened this Dell yet. It gives a command line "A:\>" I tried using sudo and root with some variations of boot CD/DSL. No luck. So I will report on the next experiments. Thank you all for your time and expertise. I used 'Burnaware' to make the CD. Not sure it works. Will try it on the xpmachine.
Looks like the functioning OD in the front of machine is the slave labeled USB20FD, and the other is labeled CD drive.