My computer crashed when I logged out.

Hello.

Seems likely that your xserver is wrongly edited/corrupted..

Since you can boot into recovery mode successfully in recovery mode type

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

and reconfigure your xserver

Hope it helps

Bhavani Shankar.

I'm sorry, I didn't make myself clear. I could not boot in the recovery mode. That's when I inserted the installation disc but nothing happened to change anything. I can't boot in any way. I have to shut down manually. Everytime I start up I get the same pink screen with lines.

Howdy Mike-d. here,
Disclaimer: I mostly just file bug and crash reports.
I have come across this type of thing a few times and had a few different ways to overcome it.
what type of installation disc do you have? it is probably not a live cd right?(a cd that you could use to run ubuntu off of with out installing it first.

o.k. if your in your pick window thing, what happens when you press:
<Ctrl>+<Alt>+<F1> (I think this may be called a console)
do you get text about Login: ?
and then Prompt for Password: ?
if not try the next consoles <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<F2>.....<F12> you can switch back and forth anytime in and order.
if you get the text then type in the command Bhavani Shankar gave you.
sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
If no text we would need to try something else.

miked
I downloaded the disc from the internet. I can run it without installing but it takes so long to do anything. And, as far as I can tell, it don't have anything to do with what is already installed on my computer.
The only screen I get is when I boot up and the black screen comes up for me to pick the program (ubuntu or windows) to log on with. I did try typing in the commands that Bhavani suggested on the ubuntu kernel and the recovery mode. Both commands were unrecognized. When it goes to the pink screen (desktop), there are no options for me to do anything.

did you try the <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<F1> while in the Pink screen?
I spell pink wrong before.,
I asked about the Live cd because If it worked ok in live cd mode we could found the file to edit on your hard drive on edit it thru a text editor.
more in a few

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Feisty#Boot_Menu
there is a few things to try here in the Ubuntu Guide at this link, you can use the installation CD or not to get to a root login. so you can type your command, but before you load the Graphical User Interface.(GUI). some of the kernel numbers will be different, but the commands should be the same.
I will go get my cd and try this in a little bit, I have done it before but it's been a year or so.

Anyone else feel free to jump in, if you think you got a better way to get it done.

I did try the keys. It did go to a black screen and say that it was loading but when ask for my user name and password, it would not take anything for a password. I put the cd in and run an error check and nothing was found.

That did it. Thank you very much.