Novel KSoD

I have found nothing specific on the net regarding the issues I am trying to deal with on a friends computer. Here's the back story: Machine was not being responsive to the shut down command, so he used the power button. When he tried to turn the computer back on, he got the Black Screen of Death and calls me.
So I try and boot the computer and get the expected black screen with movable white cursor. The pretty blue Vista loading screen never appeared and neither did any login screen, but I did see the black screen with the moving progress bar.
Next I try F8 and get the expected options, however ALL options lead back to the moving progress bar then KSoD. (Except Safe Mode which lists drivers being loaded, then KSoD.) It will not provide a recovery console!
So I try the Install DVD and this is where it gets weird. I get the expected "Press any key to boot from CD/DVD..." but after pressing it, it takes me back to the Vista boot options from the HD and reacts the same. I have also tried a USB disk loaded with Vista Recovery ISO and again, takes me back to the same screen I got with F8 and the same failed options. None of these 3 options, all from different sources will allow a recovery console or command prompt. It seems that perhaps the Vista recovery software on the removable media is recognizing that Vista is installed and forces Vista to boot from the HD even when starting from the removable media. I have tried removing the HD from the Boot sequence completely and still get the same results.

So, am I missing something? I mean I literally can not even perform a format and reinstall using microsoft software. I have not yet tried to boot ubuntu live and it may work, but this just seems ridiculous.

Welcome
While booting hit f10 rapidly and many times
If that does not work try f11.
You will lose your stuff. If you want to try and save your stuff, post.

Hey Richard, hes having the same problem as my HP laptop that needed a new hard drive, but his is even worse.

Try to get him to install Ubuntu and see if his hard drive is intact.

Im trying the restoration partition, if that does not work, Ubuntu to test. If he cannot install Ubuntu, then its hardware, most likely hard drive. Going easy way first.

Im not with the computer now, but I did call and walk him through the steps using F11. He said that it brought him to a blue screen with a dialog box saying that we needed to run chkdsk, but there was only one OK option, no way to run chkdsk from the dialog. After clicking OK, the dialog went away and nothing else came up.

Im sorry, but not good. If you had those problems after F11, sounds like a hard drive problem as was even suggested by Windows8.
To be sure, try to install, Ubuntu, if you can back up your stuff, if you cant, I go with a bad hard drive.
Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer - How-To Geek

Well alright. Ill try ubuntu to see if I can rescue any data. I was worries that I had a corrupted bios due to the inability for the Install disks to even offer the option to format/install. Thanks for your help Rich and Win8. Ill be sure and update this thread when I know for sure.