Hi, im really getting sick of windows xp crashing and doing everything wrong! I would like to give Linux a go, can anybody reccomend a suitable distro that is suitable for the linux newbie. Thanks Nick

First off be advised Linux is not a replacement for Windows. Most Windows programs will not run under Linux. In some cases there are Linux equivelents. There is only a minimum number of games for Linux. That being said I would recommend Fedora. It is free and it installs very easily on most PCs.

For a desktop machine, I was really impressed recently with ubuntu linux. Very easy to install, managing packages is really easy with apt-get. Very impressive and easy to use. http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ "If that [soiled bed] sheet is a [holy] manifestation, then I'm working on a miracle in my Jockey's!"

Mandiva (formally Mandrake) and Suse are also options. I would suggest downloading a few of the main distros (check out www.distrowatch.com and www.linuxiso.org), find one you like then go out and buy it. For a fraction of the price of M$ windoze you generally get some great books and documentation which will be of help whilst learning. Buying a distro also helps support the GNU/Linux community.

Check out Xandros. I've installed Mandrake (aka Mandriva) and Mepis too. Both of those are good, but Xandros is far and away the most Windows-compatible. And the Deluxe Version, with Crossover Office which allows you to run MS Office, Photoshop and other Windows apps, really can be a Windows substitute. http://www.xandros.com

Thanks for all the advice; By the way my computer is a Laptop so is there any distros with good laptop hardware detection that u could reccomend. Thanks Nick

Another vote for Ubuntu. Although I haven't installed it yet, the LiveCD looks very promising. And it (along with the LiveCD) is free (although takes a while to ship from the Netherlands): http://shipit.ubuntulinux.org/ Any distro should have enough on it to keep you quite busy.