Will the "install alongside" option break my computer? What option should I use?

I need to install Ubuntu 12.04 as dual boot from a LiveCD, on a PC with Windows XP SP3 32-bit already installed.

I understand that during the install, I'll be asked to choose from options including:

• Install Ubuntu alongside XP...
• Something Else...

Not being very technical, I'd prefer to choose the easier option to "install alongside".

But several web articles I read suggest NOT doing that, (they don't give any reasons), and instead choosing the "something else" option, which seems to involve a lot of delicate, manual repartitioning.

This last manual option seems to be WAAAY above my tech knowledge and confidence.

I'd rather do option 1, install alongside.

Are there any risks or caveats that something might go wrong if I choose Install Ubuntu alongside XP?

I'm not very technical, so simple English is appreciated... :-)

Solution 1:

Install alongside XP for dual boot, Ubuntu will set up parameters needed with the hardware, that will work fine however, if you decide you like Ubuntu better, the original install might not give you enough space to grow (media wise that is).

"Something different" choice allows you to manually configure the hard drive partitions but you might want a second PC to view tutorials on how to do that in the process.

Not being tech savvy, go with choice 1. Afterwards you can always resize the partitions with Puppy Linux, Parted Magic or Gparted live disks. If Win XP NTFS partition already occupies the entire drive, you'll need a Gparted live disk to resize it anyway before installing Ubuntu alongside. I recommend once you resize it, to reboot in Windows BEFORE installing Ubuntu to make sure everything boots, if it doesn't there are ways to fix the MBR without losing your XP operating system.