I used several distributions of Linux in various hardware configurations in the last three months. 80% of the time installation goes pretty smooth. 50-60% of the time even wireless gets detected. When wireless might need some tweaking and I always go for ndiswrapper, which internally uses the proprietary drivers released by the manufacturer for Windows XP. Out of all this I like Linux Mint which is based on Ubuntu (which in turn based on Debian) for its simplicity and elegant menu layout.

Linux Mint, PCLinuxOS, Sam Linux, SimplyMEPIS etc come with some of the proprietary drivers as well.

LinuxMint, SimplyMEPIS and SamLinux are all my favorites.

Ubuntu is the easiest transition from windows. Simple layout. Be careful using the synaptic package manager, you can mess up your software very easily. So do a lot of reading before you do anything with your software settings. If you need any help there is a online support help for just about anything you will ever come across.

Ubuntu Home Page | Ubuntu you can get a free cd mailed to you any where in the world.