the reson why is because im not the only one using it but i am very computer inclined but my roomate is not so i have to get something she can use too with some ease because im tried of windows xp not working properly this is the fifth time ive reinstalled it and now it wont activate so i said screw it and i'm just going to switch so if some one could give me some pointers on wich linux os i sould go with that is going to give really good perfomance and is easy to use for some one who dosent know to much about computers my roomate i might do a double boot and have a small hard drive with win xp 32 just incase in need it but i doubt i will need it.

If you need to use Windows, install it first, then Linux. Most flavors of Linux will set-up dual booting for you with little hassle. Call Microsoft and explain what happened and get them to walk you through the issue. This, of course, assumes that you have a valid copy of Windows.

What I recommend you do for Linux is try a Live CD version of Linux. Most Linux distros (flavors) have a live CD version that allows you to "test drive" it before you install it on the hard drive. This way, you can see if the Linux flavor that you pick is user friendly for you and your roommate.

Mepis or Mandriva would be good starters to do this.

Of course, make sure that you have hardware that is compatible with any Linux flavor that you choose. Knowing what make and model system that you have would help folks guide you in this respect.

thanks for the info and yes it is a valid copy i activated it 3 months ago and now i am haveing issues actvating it and i cant go back to the distributer where i bought it because i moved form florence wi to reedsburg wi so i kinda have a problem here so i said scerw it ive always wanted to try it so i'm just going to switch to linux i think its much better from what i hear from friends so. do you know where i can find a live cd i am kinda new to linux but don't mind tikering its kinda fun and can i run some of my windows programs on linux if not oh well.