Check out PCLinuxOS 2007

If you're looking for a Linux distro that is as close to a Windows XP clone as can be AND seems to work with almost ANY kind of hardware (laptop or desktop), you should really take a look at PCLinuxOS 2007. It is currently ranked #1 on DistroWatch which tracks all Linux releases.

I won't go into a full on review here as there are many other sites that do great reviews on this distro. Take a look at a few here, here, and here.

The CD boots as a Live OS and runs right off the CD if you want to preview it on your specific hardware before installing it to your hard drive. It can co-exist peacefully with XP in a dual-boot configuration if you still need those old Windows applications.

You can download the disc at many mirror sites, however, if you don't want to spend hours downloading, you can get a disc shipped to you from my site.