I've dual booted Vista with Ubuntu. No problems occurred specific to Vista in installation. For a first time user I usually recommend installing a second internal hard drive, rather than partitioning as partitioning can destroy data, especially if the Windows partition refuses or is slow to resize. Since you are using a laptop, a second internal drive is out of the question (usually).
If you use the same hard drive:
Make sure to defragment Windows before resizing, back up important data, etc. You may need to resize it to make space for the other partitions below.
For same or other hard drive
Try to avoid the Guided Partitioning that is default in Ubuntu or the automatic resizing option. I've had problems with those, especially on slow systems. Manual partitioning is best, but recommended for experienced users. For most Ubuntu setups, I recommend the following as minimum:
Type: swap
Partition: swap
Minimum space: 1024MB (more if you have higher than 1GB RAM)
Type: ext3
Partition: /
Minimum space: 10GB (Can go up to 20GB)
Type: ext3
Partition: /home
Minimum space: 20GB+ (your user files go here so make this as high as you need)
These sizes are based on my experience. Your actual usage may vary.
I have partitions for /setup and /media as well, but those are optional, especially for small hard drives as in laptops.
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PC - Ubuntu 15.04 64bit Desktop
HP Pav G60-236US 3GB RAM Laptop, Ubuntu 15.04 64bit and Win7 Home
"So Daddy, how come you telling me stealing not right when YOU copying DVDs? How come? How Come?"
RIP Ramesh ...