I'm embarrassed coz this question is probably stupid...
 

I have mandrake linux 9.1. I installed it and all went well but when i boot the system i cant load any os. All that I get is a message that says L 40 40 40 etc. Eventually it comes up with a message that says press any key to reboot. Then it just happens all over again. I am a linux newbie (never even used it before) so please help me because I really want to be able to use it.

hey, it's the same question!!!!
DON'T DO THAT!!!

Where did you install LILO or GRUB?
If you have installed it on the Linux partition and not on MBR, then you can try this command - fdisk/mbr from your Windows bootdisk, so that you can use it to boot Windows atleast! If you installed it on MBR, then don't try it, wait for sometime, someone might help. Another option is reinstalling Linux. I assume you didn't go for automatic installation. If you did, it would have removed your Windows!