For those of you who understand some technology, this might be a somewhat interesting read.

so I go turn on my computer.

Legacy Message: Missing Operating system

oh great, windows dicked up my MFT(Master file table) again. Damn, now I have to reformat and all that fun stuff.

so I think to myself, alright, I'll use my Ubuntu live CD to try to recover some files.

Boot it up(attempt 1)
Error: blah blah blah try disabling ACPI BIOS functions

Restarts, performs request.

Attempt 2:
Gets a little farther....Language options...Error: Ubuntu server 'X' has failed to initialize(the UI component of ubuntu)

would you like to view the error log for more information? Yes
Error: cannot access entry at '0x000000whatever)

*restart*

Attempt 3:
Same thing

So the live CD won't work, I say, well, an install on my secondary HD couldn't hurt could it?

Pop in the install CD.

Everything goes fine until:
Specify volume for instalation
*garbled information* (0,0,0) 500
okay, I guess this is my 500 gig drive *selects*

options:
1. Format entire drive
2. something else
3. Create new partition

*3*
Specify new partition size:

Now, and normal person would think this is the size for the NEW partition I was creating just for linux....

Recommended size: 342.1GB

okay, well either linux is a stuck up disk space hungry bastard, or its asking for the size of the other piece of the 500GB.

I try 10 GB...enter
Error: Size too small

alright must be the other drive *enters default, enter*

*begins installing*

*finishes*

*restarts*

Boots into linux:
Error: Ubuntu server 'X' has failed to initialize(the UI component of ubuntu)

So great, forcibly raping my 500GB drive into a drive with all my downloads and backups on one sector and the devil operating system linux on the other gets me nowhere.

so I go into my bios and realize that the BIOS doesn't even recognize my 250GB(the thing I was trying to recover) drive.

So, I tell myself, could it be? a hardware problem?

thats right, a freak hardware incident. I unplug my hard drive's data cable, and plug it into a different port. restart, my computer boots into windows perfectly, just like nothing has happened.

Now I look in my computer and I see 3 drives:
1. C:\ 250GB
2. D:\ 8GB
3. E:\ (no space given)

well great.

Not only have the tables completely turned and I am now trying to rescue data from my D:\ drive, but the D:\ drive contains files I have never seen before. I literally have no Idea where they came from or how they got there, and they're not linux files.

so, for those of you who read this and get the odd sense of irony present in the story.....

FUCK LINUXhttp://i6.tinypic.com/89qjn0j.jpg
I rest my case bitches.

*points* Awww, look at the cute Nazi.

*points* Awww, look at the cute Nazi.I think you're missing the point.

Linux and some unknown source are conspiring against you.

works fine for me

Linux necromancer 2.6.22-vs2.2.0.5-gentoo #1 SMP Sun Dec 2 11:15:35 MST 2007 i686 Pentium III (Coppermine) GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

works fine for me

Linux necromancer 2.6.22-vs2.2.0.5-gentoo #1 SMP Sun Dec 2 11:15:35 MST 2007 i686 Pentium III (Coppermine) GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

Thats great, you're lucky it didn't rape your hard drive into submission.

Why did you even get Linux in the first place?

How come my dad got Ubuntu working?

Why did you even get Linux in the first place?

so I go turn on my computer.

Legacy Message: Missing Operating system

oh great, windows dicked up my MFT(Master file table) again. Damn, now I have to reformat and all that fun stuff.

so I think to myself, alright, I'll use my Ubuntu live CD to try to recover some files.
.

Yeah... I'm starting to wonder why i even posted when I knew the answer.

Never liked Linux. I guess because I only use my computer to play games and use the internet so theres really no need but I do understand why people like it.

I do still run win32 on my main desktop, but neither one of my servers do. Gentoo Linux on one and OpenBSD on the other.

and back on topic with the OP, the first step should have been booting from a windows cd and using fdisk /fixmbr. If that doesn't work, you do a repair installation of windows. No need to reformat and lose everything.

The grocery store I work in uses Linux for all its cashier programs and for filing receipts into the main corporate database and all that crap. The computers are ancient, and if Linux decided to fuck up for the store they would experience some serious loss of profit. Well...I guess it wouldn't be so significant if it only crashed on one of the registers, but still...