I recently installed ubuntu to my vm workstation and keep getting a blinking cursor
i know its the server version and thats the norm but how do i install the web and file servers

If you are just seeing a blinking cursor, something went wrong with the install. It should boot to a login prompt.

If your install did work then to install Apache you will need to type something likeHopefully it goes without saying that if you are asking this the machine should not be exposed to the internet.
For Debian-based distributions, of which Ubuntu is one, you use apt-get or aptitude to install and remove packages as well as to upgrade existing packages. You can also use apt-cache to search for packages. I suggest you read up on these commands if you want to use Ubuntu in future as they are used regularly. (I have to confess that I always use apt-get and have not used aptitude so I don't know the differences between the two but suffice it to say that you should endeavour to use one or the other and not both)

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okay thanks I just started a class and its only four weeks long
which distro would be better for someone who only works with win 2008 R2

I would say use whatever your class is using as an example. Ubuntu is a perfectly good distribution to use but if your class is about Red Hat, for example, then it would not be a good choice.

If you installed Ubuntu Server then there should have been an option to install several different servers
including LAMP which encompasses apache, mysql, PHP and others.

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Hi. Aptitude is a front-end friendly for dpkg or apt-get.
Is easy to use (not at the begining) and really versatile.
It may take some time to understand how to work (if you use other commands like dpkg or apt-get, during years), but is a good tool for package management.

Try it.

Have you a nice day.