Kubuntu stopped working, now my computer isn't functioning correctly

[Guest]

I recently started developing with ruby, so I installed kubuntu. "haven't used linux in years". It was working great for a couple of hours, and then I closed my laptop lid and it went to sleep. After I reopened my laptop kubuntu crashed, and it had me send me a crash report. Then it froze completely, so i shut it down. After i restarted it wouldn't boot past the login screen, I tried many times. So I erased my hard drive and tried to install again. This time my wifi wasn't working, to download updates. After I finished installing kubuntu it wouldn't even get to the login screen. I tried reinstalling 3 times! So I wiped the hd again, and installed Windows 7. Now i'm up and running on windows, but my wifi drivers won't work. I installed the correct drivers and I can't get any wifi after kubuntu crashed on me. Any help please I have a dell latitude 3540. I would like to solve my wifi problem before I try to go back to linux. The first time I installed my wifi was working during installation.

[GreyGeek]

Which release version of Kubuntu?

Can you connect to your AP with an ethernet cable? If so, then install Kubuntu 14.04 (might as well get a jump on the upgrade!) using it, so that you will have a network connection. When you say YOU installed the "correct drivers", how did you determine that? Are you saying that the automatic detection and installation of the wifi driver while installing Kubuntu failed?

Also, make sure that you haven't turned off the wifi chip (hardware switch and/or software switch). I generally set my lid closing to shutting down, not sleeping.
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=323686
Or, I don't shut it down at all.