Hello k1john, welcome to NST.
Reboot, and when you get to the first splash screen at startup of your computer, you should see (if only briefly) what key you need to press to enter your BIOS (generally it is F2 or Del). So, right away, press that key to enter your BIOS. Now look around, and you should see something in your BIOS called "boot sequence", "boot order", or the likes. So go to that section, and move your CD/DVD drive up in the boot order, so it is first. Now, insert the recovery disk, save the changes you made the BIOS, and when you get a message saying "Press any key to boot from CD" press a key, and you will be able to boot from the CD to attempt repairs for whatever the problem is that you're having.
Jake