I am a n00b to the wonderful world of Linux, and I am having some issues that I cannot seem to resolve. I have a Compaq 2525US laptop with the infamously pain in the ass ATI Radeon IGP 345M video card. I can access the command line prompt and root, and still (unfortunately) have Windows XP on a partition of the same drive to basically save my ass and play backup (such as now). Now, I know it's been asked a million times, just from lurking a little here and there. Is there a driver out there that I can simply put on a 3 1/2" or something so that I can finally get a GUI to work on this heap?
Like I said, I'm a

so I have no idea how to use the command prompts whatsoever. It took me half an hour to figure out how to shut it down, if that gives you any idea. I decided upon Mandrake after having issues install RH 8 from a DVD (complete reference guide edition). So, basically, I beg upon your combined intellects for a small bit of help. I know people have gotten this to work, but I'm lost in the sauce without a mug.
Thanks in advance for whatever advice anyone can provide.