Do you know anything about Ubuntu Studio? Does the install wipe windows as the OS or does it partition somehow? Will my currently functioning sound card work? Is there someplace I can go that answers these questions? I’d love to try getting away from the resource sucking of Windows.
I use Fedora 8. Right out of the box, so to speak, it supported sound, video, and wireless with no issues. However, with most free-only distros, you may run into some post-install issues. For instance, on my Fedora 8, I have to also install mp3 capability, and Flash capability. Each one was a single command, though, so it's not difficult at all.