Dual Boot Windows 8 on SSD and Ubuntu on HDD

[squishysquashy]

oldfred, is there any alternative to what you've said? Going to "device > create partition table > advanced" warns me that I'll erase my whole disk, but I've got 208GB of music and games there already!

[fantab]

Okay, your Windows 8 is NOT installed in UEFI mode. We don't have to change anything. However, your HDD /sdb partitioning is confusing.

3 577GB 682GB 105GB primary linux-swap(v1)
4 682GB 750GB 68.2GB extended lba
5 682GB 750GB 68.2GB logical ntfs

Why do you have a 105GB SWAP?
What is the 5th partition for?

[squishysquashy]

So I can go right ahead and install it?

Was hoping to install a third OS on that partition in the future, given up on that idea for now though!

[fantab]

You have fix those partitions first.

Delete the partitions 3,4 and 5 with Gparted from Ubuntu LiveDVD/USb. Go to windows and 'shrink' the /dev/sdb2 and create some more GB if its possible.

Recreate them as:
/dev/sdb3 25GB Primary formatted with EXT4 for Ubuntu main mountpoint=/
/dev/sdb4 All the Remaing GB EXTENDED
/dev/sdb5 4GB LOGICAL SWAP
/dev/sdb6 25GB LOGICAL for third future OS
/dev/sdb7 all the remaining GB Logical /home (to store your Ubuntu DATA like Documents, Music etc.)

[squishysquashy]

I quit halfway through something, then came back to it, had somehow created a 105GB swap. In reality it will be 10GB swap, 95GB ext4, and I am partitioning using the Ubuntu installer/

[squishysquashy]

And just to confirm, am I ok to install boot loader at /dev/sdb7 or does it need to be something else, e.g. /dev/sdb?

[fantab]

See post #14, I edited it.

You have to install Boot Loader Grub on /dev/sdb only not on /dev/sdb7.

[squishysquashy]

Thank you so much, fantab! Everything is now installed and appears to be working perfectly