Windows XP installed on a multi-disc-system, Ubuntu installed, but can't get it to work from the windows boot-loader

Dear reader,

I have a problem with Ubuntu. I can't get it to load from Windows' bootloader. First, I need to tell I tried setting up a dual-boot-system according to the guide that can be found following this link:

http://www.matthewjmiller.net/howtos/dual-boot-linux-and-windows/

At a certain point, it tells to create a binary file like this:

"dd if=/dev/hda2 of=/mnt/osshare/ubuntu.bin bs=512 count=1"

where "/dev/hda2" is the partition containing Linux Ubuntu and "/mnt/osshare/ubuntu.bin" is the location/file where the boot record should be written to. I got this file to be made using the "Linux System Rescue CD" ( http://www.sysresccd.org/ ), copied it to the right location so I could write a referring line in the "boot.ini"-file. But when I choose the option from Windows' bootloader to boot Ubuntu, the screen goes black (like an empty DOS-screen), just saying "GRUB _" with the cursor blinking where the underscore-character is. Nothing further happens, the system hangs.

Now this is my configuration (data generated from running "Everest"):

Processor: Pentium D 3,2 GHz 2 Mb L2 Cache
Memory: 1024 Mb PC5300 DDR2 SDRAM
Video-adapter: NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache(TM) (512 MB)
Harddrives:

(1) --- WDC WD3200JD-22KLB0 (298 GB, IDE) (supposed some setting thinks it's an IDE-drive, it's actually a SATA-drive)
  Partitions (order as shown):

  (1.1) SWAP XP OFFICE (2 Gb, primary, bootable, NTFS)
    Contains:
    - Windows XP bootloader
    - Pagefile for Windows XP (office config) (min: 1 Gb max: 1 Gb)
    - Binary file "ubuntu.bin" for booting Ubuntu

  (1.2) SWAP XP GAME (2 Gb, primary, NTFS)
    Contains:
    - Pagefile for Windows XP (game config) (min: 1 Gb max: 1 Gb)

  (1.3) WINDOWS XP OFFICE (32 Gb, extended, NTFS)
    Contains:
    - Windows XP (office config)
    - Program files

  (1.4) WINDOWS XP FAME (32 Gb, extended, NTFS)
    Contains:
    - Windows XP (game config)
    - Program files
    - Games

  (1.5) SHARESPACE (4 Gb, extended, FAT32) (primarily used for safely sharing files between windows and linux, like "ubuntu.bin")

  (1.6) STORAGE (226 Gb, extended, NTFS, compression enabled)
    Contains:
    - Backups (software, projects, etc.)
    - Documents (music, images, text, video, etc.)

(2) --- Maxtor 6V080E0 (80 GB, 7200 RPM, SATA-II)
  Partitions (order as shown):

  (2.1) UBUNTU (79 Gb, primary, EXT3, bootable)
    Contains:
    - GRUB using grub-code (hd1, 0)
    - Linux Ubuntu

  (2.2) SWAP LINUX (1 Gb, extended, linux-swap)
    Contains:
    - Linux "swap-file"

It's a different system-config than the one that's used in the guide I mentioned, but I truly believe that I did things right by trying to recognize patterns and filling in matching values at certain points.

Can it be that Ubuntu needs the binary file "ubuntu.bin" placed on a bootable, non-NTFS-drive, so I can call that file from there in the "boot.ini"-file?
Or is it the fact that the 2nd 80Gb SATA2 harddrive is causing problems, for being a SATA2 drive (although that seems unlikely somehow)?

I'm close to the decision of just placing the GRUB in the MBR, after I've backed up all my data in the STORAGE partition. Mostly I've seen people decide not to do that, but I'm starting to believe that's the only way...

I'm not familiar with Linux at all. Can anyone help me... although maybe that's a little too much to ask regarding my kind of config?

I'd be truly grateful for suggestions, even if they may not be of assistance at all. Yes. I'm desperate, because I wish to learn to handle linux, but I do not wish to REPLACE windows, because I still need that for all the projects and such.

All the details should be there now, the what, the how and the why. I just hope someone can help me.

A motherload of thanks in advance,

Kind regards,

Marcus Rex