Recommended partition size for Ubuntu

[Einsteinium]

I need to install Linux on my laptop and am planning to install Ubuntu. I'd like to use windows as my primary os and don't know how large partition I should give to Ubuntu. I would also like to be able to save my work I do on Ubuntu onto the windows partition. Is it a good idea, or should I save the work from Ubuntu onto its own partition?

I will be programming on Ubuntu.

Lenovo G500, 1Tb hard drive.

 

[Chaos2Theory]

Now im not sure for Ubuntu in particular, however i know that a lot of times different OS's will not let you access the opposite OS's partition while on theirs. Therefore, i would suggest making a seperate partition that is just for saved data, however large you think you would want, and then you saved everything from windows and ubuntu on the same drive. I use a similar structure because i have 2 ssd's, one just a 64gb one that holds my os and the other is a 480gb one that holds everything else. Therefore, when on ocassion when i do run linux(from a flash drive or something similar for testing/fixing reasons.) i know i can access all my windows files and vice versa because the drive isnt actually holding the os. So since you have a terabyte, i would go 100gb for windows, 100gb for linus and then 800mb for overall storage space. But then again thats just my take on things. Other people may have different suggestions that sound more like a HDD structure you would run. Time to sit back and see what happens.

 

[Einsteinium]

I have decided on 100Gb for Ubuntu, but now I'm struggling to install it. I am installing it from a CD but I cannot get the laptop to boot from the disk. Even when I choose F12 and then select DVD drive, it still boots into Windows. The recovery button doesn't work as well. Are there any tips you have for booting from a disk on a Lenovo G500? I have Windows 8.1 installed.

The university usesa virtual machine for their linux,but I prefer to install it directly onto the hard drive.

 

[smordarski]

You probably have to change the boot mode in the bios from EFI to BIOS. The CD most likely doesn't have the needed EFI boot files.