I screwed up someone's computer... Shoot me. Please?

[gymophett]

Okay. My friend wanted to try Ubuntu, and I am not able to be with her to install it. She has no CDs but she had a USB device. So I got her to install Ubuntu on it via Unetbootin.
So she appeared to have one of those complicated BIOS.
So we kept turning on and off her computer, and tried to boot from all the USB's. Then after trying them all, one of the system files of Windows XP got messed up. We weren't able to boot from the USB, because it kept saying 'boot error', and we formatted it to FAT32 and everything. She didn't have an XP disk either, and we were talking international the whole time I was guiding her through it.
So I got off the phone and left her with a high phone bill, and a crashed computer.
Is there anyway I can fix this?
I feel SO guilty right now.

EDIT:
CRAP! Again, can I not post something without getting sarcasm and smart alec remarks, If you can't help, don't have anything nice to say, or are just looking for trouble. Please, just leave this thread alone.

[ElSlunko]

Hmm. Well the computer is formatted now so that didn't solve your initial problem. Without more info it's hard to say what she's looking at as far as her BIOS goes but I know that my USB devices shows up under Hard Disks sometimes and sometimes under External Devices. /shrug. Not sure why it changes but that's the way it has happened to me.

She can either get it on a CD and boot from CD-ROM or try looking under the hard drive priority to find the USB drive.

[Islington]

I am sorry to hear this happened to you. For future situations like this may I suggest suggesting WUBI?

Edit after rereading the story I hate to point out that unetbootin does the "boot error" that all the time, never have I gotten it to do a usb right.

[Icehuck]

Does she have a windows xp cd? She can boot to that and select repair windows.

Advice - Don't walk people through installing an OS over the phone.

[moongia]

what does it say at boot?

[KiwiNZ]

Unwarranted posts removed

[gymophett]

I am sorry to hear this happened to you. For future situations like this may I suggest suggesting WUBI?

I suggested WUBI, and Virtualbox.
She said she wanted a complete new install of Ubuntu on her computer.
I told her how it wasn't Windows, and how she can't just go to the store and pick something up off the shelf that would work on it.
I highly recommended to her try in in VB before going all out like this, but she insisted.
I still feel as though it is my fault.

[gymophett]

Advice - Don't walk people through installing an OS over the phone.

True, but I gave her tutorials online and everything. I was just there to help out, not give a completely walk her through. She couldn't do it alone though.

[Icehuck]

I suggested WUBI, and Virtualbox.
She said she wanted a complete new install of Ubuntu on her computer.
I told her how it wasn't Windows, and how she can't just go to the store and pick something up off the shelf that would work on it.
I highly recommended to her try in in VB before going all out like this, but she insisted.
I still feel as though it is my fault.

It is your fault because she obviously isn't an experienced computer user and doesn't belong trying to install an operating system. If she doesn't even know how to manipulate her own bios for booting, then she shouldn't be installing it.

Again, the best bet would be to find out if she has any recovery media for Windows. She needs a working PC first and that will be the quickest way at this point.

True, but I gave her tutorials online and everything. I was just there to help out, not give a completely walk her through. She couldn't do it alone though.

I don't want to lecture you, but you weren't physically there and that's a no no. I've been working with computers for 25 years and been managing enterprises for the last eight years. I still would never walk a user through installing an OS over the phone. Too many things can go wrong and you are easily the target for the blame.

Users say they are doing one thing, and in reality they are doing something completely different.

[Sand & Mercury]

Eh, I wouldn't feel too horrible, as long as she hasn't lost any of her data, no damage is irreparable. Burn an ISO and mail it out if you have to.

-shrug-