Laptop installation

[Avraham Hanadari]

Ubuntu 8.1 is running fine, if slowly, on my test machine (470.5 MiB),
dual booted with XP Pro. I would like to install 9.04 on my HP Pavilion
with Vista Home Premium, but I have read horror stories about
partitioning an HD with Vista installed, and about GRUB access
difficulties after installation. I have also read that the new 9.04
manages to partition a Vista machine well. I guess I just need someone
who has done it to give me directions.

First off, can such an installation be done?

Second, are there any special steps or is the partition manager in the
setup capable of doing the job?

Third, are there any special precautions or software installations to
facilitate the activation of GRUB?

Thanks in advance, 
Avraham