No. That just makes things a little simpler.

Defragment D: using the tools inside Windows.

Then resize it smaller using the GUI partitioning program on any Linux liveCD (such as the Ubuntu install CD).

That leaves your "unpartitioned" space exactly where you want it, inside the existing extended partition.

The "unpartitioned" space can that be split into two or more additional logical partitions either manually in the GUI partitioning tool or automatically by the Linux installer, and used for / and swap and (if you don't follow my advice) any additional partitions you want for Linux subdirectories.

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Before you do anything irremittable...

Do you have a linux live-cd with which you can open a terminal and, with root privileges, execute the command "fdisk -l" and post?

johnsfine likes D, but you might verify that linux sees D as an extended partition it can use.

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Have you burned a Ubuntu install CD yet?

If so do you know how to get it to boot up in liveCD mode rather than installer mode? I'm not 100% sure of that myself. On many occasions booting a Ubuntu install CD, I've seen two levels (IsoLinux and later) at which you get that choice, but neither level is always there. Sometimes one or both gets skipped. But don't worry, you need to get fairly far into the Ubuntu installer before it can destroy anything. So if you get into the installer when you wanted liveCD mode, you can reboot.

At the moment right after the BIOS gives control to code loaded from the CD, pressing any key will get you into an IsoLinux menu (or sometimes a submenu of it that you can ESC out of). That lets you select the installer or the liveCD mode or some other choices and lets you customize the booting of any of the choices. I can use that myself without problems, but I'm not sure an ordinary user would recognize the moment during booting that the BIOS gives control to software on the CD.

I don't disagree with a "look before you leap" approach.

Anyone answering you so far is making assumptions about the details of your partitioning based on what you say about C: and D:. But anything you might say about C: and D: is at best an indirect indication of what is in your partition table.

Posting the actual partition table (output from fdisk -l) would eliminate some possible bad advice based on bad assumptions about your current partitions).

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On the bootsplash screen, you can choose install, or run as live with an install icon on the desktop.

I got it, thanks for clearing that up.

To answer your questions, though I didn't burn the ISO into a CD, I have it on my flash disk. Before I first posted here, I was able to test Ubuntu on my pc without installing it.

I'm at the office at the moment, I'll post the results from that command when I get home. While using Ubuntu, it was able to see my current partitions, C: and D:, though I don't know if that tells Ubuntu shows D: as an extended partition.

Sorry for only replying now, I'll post the "fdisk -l" results asap. Thanks again.

Well, here's what fdisk says:

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xed03ed03

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 9728 78140128+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 9729 38912 234420480 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 9729 38912 234420448+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 1007 MB, 1007681536 bytes
16 heads, 32 sectors/track, 3844 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 512 * 512 = 262144 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

I presume sda1 is my flash disk.

No. sda1 is your C: partition.

I think sdb is your flash drive.

sda2 is the extended partition containing the logical partitions.

sda5 is your D: partition.

So you want to resize sda5 to be smaller, so there is space to create new logical partitions for Linux.

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Alrighty then. I guess I'm all set. Thanks for the help guys.

Just in case...

In case it is not clear, to you and to Ubuntu, the partitions you make in the space that you created from "D" are logical partitions. You are still within sda2, the extended partition.

The partitioning proposal that Ubuntu makes at the time of installation may not want to place Ubuntu where you want it. Look at the proposal carefully and remember that you can set Ubuntu partitions manually. Good Luck.

Yep, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again.