I was on my kubuntu earlier and apparently it doesn't want to display correctly earlier, its working at like 640/400 or something crappy like that, where i normally run 1280x1024

why did linux eat my display?

i tried redownloading the nvidia settings and driver in the package manager, but still nothing, maybe a fresh install of kubuntu will teach it

and while we're on it, anyone recommend any other distros over k/ubuntu?

don't reinstall, edit your xorg.conf first. I know the reinstall is tempting, but you're never going to learn if that is how you deal with your linux problems.

Check your dmesg for anything obvious, make sure you have the correct display modules installed (unless you don't need 3d acceleration, then you can probably just do vesa), and make sure your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file is correct for you devices.

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Dapper#How_to_install_Graphics_Driver_.28NVIDIA.29