[NCLUG] Mandrake kills MS

[Person Who Asked To Have Her Name Removed From The Internet]

just when I thought I had it working,
 I tried to switch to Windows since mozilla doesn't support java 1.2 runtime,
 and i need to view a ppt file,

and now WIndows won't load!  I think Mandrake's install of 10.0
overwrote on the windows partition to perhaps install lilo?

Now i get:
"File is missing or corrupt
<Windows root>\system32\hal.dll
Please re-install a copy of the above file.


I tried to boot from the CD, but (and i noticed this with
the Mandrake cd 1 install disk too),
my system doesn't seem to recognize a boot cd disk anymore!
(and of course I don't make floppy boot disks, blech)

SO NOW can someone help me figure this one out.
Anyone explain what happened? 
What would then happen if i try to reinstall Windows XP?
and how do i make a windows xp boot disk from linux?

that was so Micro$oft of Mandrake to overwrite someone else's partition!!!!!!
ARGH!!!!!

thanks,
-lost and confuzzled