Hey guys I built the following rig (parts listed below), and would like to run windows, and Ubuntu off different drives. I tried this once, but it failed horribly. For some reason everything works in windows.

Here's what I did:
I first had to remove the GTX 590, and install Ubuntu 12.10, then download graphics drivers, and finally reinstall the 590, and connect monitors.
It was never stable despite trying out all nvidia, and open source drivers.
I couldn't figure out Xinerama either.
Often the unity menus would disappear after driver updates as well.
It has since become unusable, and I have wiped the drive, and want to start over.

Here's my questions: (I don't need full descriptions just links to detailed documentation concerning these issues would be greatly appreciated)
1) Which version of Ubuntu is most stable for this build?
2) How do I set up the bootloader?
3) Is Unity stable?
4) How do I get the video cards working properly, and can they be run in SLI?
5) How do I use Xinerama, and Compiz?
6) Is this going to be a time consuming project? (i.e. can i do this in one day)
7) Can I get my programmable keys on my keyboard, and mouse programmable keys to work on Ubuntu?

I'm really looking forward to hearing your responses. I have been trying to get this working in a while.

Custom built computer:
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD55
CPU: i7 2600k overclocked to 4.2 GHZ (watercooled)
RAM: 16 GB DDR3 1600
HDDs: 256 GB OCZ Agility 4 running windows
1 TB WD Green that I will be installing Ubuntu on
Various other drives that I only want to use as file storage, and I want them to be accessible from both systems.
Video Cards: Nvidia GeForce GTX 590, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti
Monitors: Three 1080p LED monitors connected via dvi
Keyboard: Logitech G110
Mouse: Cyborg RAT 7