uninstalling windows
 

:newbie:
just loaded ubuntu to my laptop how can i remove windows to gain valuble disc space

Using fdisk (in a terminal), you can simply delete the Windows partition, and then create a new Linux partition. (I am assuming that you did a "normal" Linux install--with GRUB in the MBR and nothing installed into the Windows partition.)

First, do "fdisk -l" to confirm what partitions you have. If you have any doubt as to how to interpret it, post the results here.

sorry not sure how to open a terminal and all i did was to put the cd in

Do you mean that you booted from the Linux CD, but did not actually install it to the harddrive?

When you are installing Linux, you can tell it to take over the whole drive (or any portion). This will remove Windows in the process.

Whenever you are running Linux, a terminal is available in at least 2 ways:
1. Look in the menus--eg under "system"--on my Ubuntu, the terminal is called "Konsole", but there are various other names.

2. Type ctrl-alt-F1 (or maybe F2). This will put you in terminal mode. To go back to the GUI: ctrl-alt-F7

i did install it on the hard drive because when it boots it asks windows or ubuntu

OK---great. Let us know when you have the fdisk -l output.....

somewhere on the toolbar or in the menus should be an option that looks like 'Terminal' or 'Xterm' or something like that.
Just click on that and you should get a cmd line environment, then run
fdisk -l
as requested.
You may need to be root to do that, so eithwer login as root in the GUI, or, when you get the cmd line, use the cmd

su -

thats
<su><space><hyphen><enter>
and it'll ask for the root password.