Ubuntu won't boot

[Elenril]

I have both Ubuntu and Windows installed on my PC, and I've been using Ubuntu for a little while. I needed to get into Windows to do my tax return because the program is only compatible with Windows, but I had to activate it. So I activated it, all fine and dandy, but when I tried to boot back into Ubuntu, it never got further than the loading screen with the orange bar about a quarter way through.

Anyone know what happened, and how to fix it?

If I can't fix it, and have to uninstall Ubuntu, is there some way I can retrieve the files I saved to the home folder?

Thanks.

[dgrmkrp]

well.. I don't have muck experience with ubuntu (I used only the live cd version of it.. and failed to install it..) but that brings me to your second question: download the fully working cd/dvd version and use that to save your stuff to another partition or a flash :) surely ubuntu knows how to access ubuntu file systems :)

[.Maleficus.]

You could do what dgrmkrp said and pop in the install CD, but there is an easier way. Install this. (http://www.fs-driver.org/) It's a driver that allows you to read and write to and from Ubuntu from or to an NTFS drive. ie, you can open your XP drive in Ubuntu, or open Ubuntu drives from XP. Copy the important stuff and save it to XP. I'm not sure about the loading issue, so I'd say that the NTFS-3G driver to get your files, then reinstall is the best way to go.