I remember the good old days when tech support would just tell me to reinstall Windows.
Now I have to install a Linux build too?
Since most people don't do backups, it's good to try and see if it's Windows' at fault or not before you reinstall. The purpose of the linux CD (or USB drive) is to test something else and see if it fixes the problem.
In the instance I recommend, you don't actually install linux to your hard drive, you just "borrow" it for a while. This is called a "liveCD". Unless you tell it to, it won't touch the files on your harddrive at all.
Ofcourse not using a USB hub at all when testing, or trying another computer will be useful, too.