Can you post the specific grub error your wife's computer is showing?

she updated using update manager then its come up with a gnu grub version 1.98
ubuntu 9 then its awaiting a command line to be input ??

GRUB's too complicated for me.
If there's enough space
I'd back everything up to external hard drive,
install ubuntu 10.04 LTS to a new partition,
copy all her data over from the old HOME partition.

Every version of Ubuntu uses GRUB. It would be easier for you to learn
the basics than to do what you are contemplating.

Sounds like a failed upgrade - maybe she accepted the upgrade to 10.04
or 10.10 ? When at the command line there are a couple of things to
try...

startx

Should fire up the GUI or provide an error message which will give
more clues.

sudo dpkg --configure -a

Should re-start the latest updates and overwrite any failed ones.
Again, error messages here would be useful.

Did you try booting into your live disc.and reloading your grub, or grub2

You might look into the Grub Live CD:

en.kioskea.net/faq/2677-super-grub-disk-live-cd

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/

Sounds like you will have to reload grub. If you google it there are tutorials
on how to accomplish such task. I would do that, since the update manager isnt
retrieving anything.

I wonder what more information is on this problem. Is this a dual boot
system, I have one
that is dual boot and have seen the grub be out of sync because of the
grub.cfg file not
getting set correctly. I have another system that is only Linux and it
doesn't get messed
up.

dual boot god no way is windows getting in .

version 1.98 Ubuntu 9 then its awaiting a command line to be input
it was awaiting a command but It didnt make sense to me so I wiped the harddrive
and did a fresh install I know there's probably a better way but not one that
doesn't entail the Mrs breathing down your neck wanting instant results.

we do have a vista laptop but that's to burn avi's to DVD if I could find a
Ubuntu program to do this then it would be asta la vista and get rid of windows
totally.

Either Brasario (Ubuntu) or K3B (Kubuntu) does a fine job of burning any
data files including .avi's. I've done hundreds myself.

Spend 20 minutes with the help file and you'll love it.

I shoot a little video, and it's great to be able to give people a DVD they can
play on their TV sets.