The message 200511041824.55776.berriep@btinternet.com from Peter berriep@btinternet.com contains these words:
I would get Mepis. Assuming you don't mind KDE. Installation is very simple indeed, and after 45 minutes, there you have it, a working Debian based installation with most of what you'll need, and Synaptic for the rest. And you get to try it out from the CD first, to make sure you like it, before going to the trouble of installing.
I did try Ubuntu, an earlier version, and didn't like it one bit. It may have improved, but the one I tried, last Christmas, was an utter dog. So at least if you try Ubuntu, make sure its the latest version.
I also failed, a long time ago, to get Woody in, no longer recall exactly why, but the latest version is pretty straightforward. Though not as simple as Mepis.
I'm comparing and contrasting suggestions ATM - but I have a 7 CD set of Woody, so I'm inclined to struggle with that to start with.
HD0/hda is in a caddy, so as funds permit, I could easily (well, fairly easily) try them all. However, it would seem sensible to run Ubantu and/or Knoppix from CD and use the apps from the Debian set.