help needed

Hi everyone. I am new to this community and to Linux as well. I used to run Windows 2000 Pro until the dreaded "blue screen of death" overran my computer this weekend. I hope to get a version of Linux up and running on my laptop this week (because I am too cheap to take my computer to some geek who is overpayed to run a recovery CD and get me temporarily working again). Also, I am excited about Linux's usability and the idea of something different. My question is this: Which release do you recommend for an "old" IBM with a 900 MHz processor and about 512 MB of RAM? I think I have about 8 GB of space on my hard-drive. I am interested in a release that is basic and user-friendly, but also all that I would need in terms of media, wireless internet, and data processing. Free is preferred.

Thanks for the tips:)