Installing Ubuntu

[Andrew P. Burgess]

I've been trying to install Ubuntu on a few different computers in a few different ways recently; I've never worked with Linux before and want to give it a try. My latest attempt was to install it on a partition, to dual boot with Vista. I tried to follow this article: http://apcmag.com/5046/how_to_dual_boot_vista_with_linux_vista_installed_first; but when I got to partitioning in the installation, there was no option to use the empty space on the hard drive; also, that portion of my hard drive was labeled "unusable." So I chose manual partitioning and selected another partition to install Ubuntu on. But when I tried to continue the installation after choosing the partition, I received message telling me to choose something for the root (I should have written it down ). I hope this all makes sense; if not, I'll try again!

Should I format the partition I'm trying to install Ubuntu on while in Windows before trying to install it? If so, is ntfs what I need to format it in? Or am I doing something wrong in the Ubuntu side? I'd really appreciate any help! I'm using a Dell Inspiron 1520 laptop. 

Thanks, 
Andrew 
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