Certainly if you use the Search fn you'll find loads(!) of threads of a similar nature.
That being said, for new users coming from an MS background (& looking for a desktop similar experience) try Ubuntu, Mint.
For a more server oriented distro, try Centos (free version of RHEL). You can also use this as a desktop; I do.
A good idea is to look at
www.distrowatch.com; rule of thumb is anything in top 10 is worth a look.
Many offer LiveCD option, which enables you to try it just by booting from a CD/DVD WITHOUT installing on your hdd.
Other options are using a VM or dual-booting.
Welcome to LQ
PS there's a load of manuals/howtos at
www.linuxtopia.org and also worth a read is
http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz