Hello,

I have had an Ubuntu-only laptop for the last four years and I am now at the point of needing to replace it. I have found that, as much as I would prefer to have nothing to do with Windows, I still need MS Office. (LibreOffice is fine but not truly compatible with Office, which the rest of the world uses. I have learned this the hard way over and over.)

Therefore I have decided I need some access to Windows on the new laptop. Here is my question:

For my limited need for Windows, is the best, safest, and most problem-free solution to install Ubuntu as a replacement for the pre-installed Windows (NOT alongside it as a dual-bootable partition)--and then to download VirtualBox and install Windows within VirtualBox and run it there virtually?

Or...is the best, safest, and most problem-free solution to set up an Ubuntu partition alongside the pre-installed Windows, and then dual-boot between Windows and Ubuntu?

I would appreciate any advice on which approach would be best. And also suggestion for where I can find clear and current installation instructions for either approach.

(Searching the forums suggests there are problems in either approach, but doesn't tell me whether these problems are rare or frequent, so I am unclear which approach is more likely to be trouble-free for me.)

Thanks very much.