I had the opposite problem - I was stuck in Windows and couldn't get to Ubuntu (except with a bootable memory stick). I forget exactly how I installed rEFInd, but here's a couple of things I do remember:
1) I needed to get into the laptop's cmos settings and change a few options.
2) You need to disable quick-start for it to work properly. Hmm... I suppose you have to get into Windows first before you can disable it's quick-start.
As a way to get started, you could use a rEFInd bootable CD or memory stick. That will at least get you into Windows.