> Well I've got reboot into Windows now anyway so why bother sifting through Stack Overflow for hours trying to fix Ubuntu.
For the rare occasions I wanted to wipe clean my Linux install without inflicting any pain on myself, I keep everything that lives under my home folder on a separate filesystem. This way, I can easily wipe the OS clean and not worry about my data.
A similar setup for dual booting can be handy, provided the other OS can use the filesystem I keep my important data in.
Having said that, the only times I experienced problems like the ones you describe was when I was so bored I decided Debian Sid would be a fine work OS. In other words, I was asking for it. What have you been doing to your machine?