I have the 3 10.1 Community ISO files plus a md5.asc file. I also have 3 Official 10.1 ISO files and a md5 file? What should I do now to use these to install Mandrake 10.1?

Can I just create CDs out of the ISO files using Nero or do I need to do something with the asc and md5 files? Do I need to include them on all CDs I create or just one? Help

The md5 sum is for verifying the image. In linux you run "md5sum /path/to/image-name.iso" and it will produce a number. If that number is the same as the one in the md5sum file, then all is ok.
Simply burn the disk using the .iso file with nero, usually (99/100) its md5sum passes anyway.

I don't have a current Linux install in place so I will need to do this through XP. Do the asc and md5 files need to be on any of the CDs created from the ISO files?

no, just burn the .iso as normal.

What's the difference between the Community Mandrake and the Official Mandrake? Which is preferable?

The community version is what was previously known as "cooker". Which was a testing/unstable release (alledgedly). I don't know if the actual "cooker" thing still exists, because when "they" made the changes, they made it so that "community" was more towards stable than cooker, then changed the name.

So at the moment, the initial release is "community", and then a couple of months down the line, when any possible snags have been "ironed out" to the satisfaction of mandrake (or mandriva as they're becoming), they then release "Official". Which, in theory, is stable. Well really, there'll probably always be a few minor bugs, but that's what the bug reporting system is for.

If you don't have much experience with linux, stick to the Official releases, if you don't mind too much, and what something that's likely to be more up to date, then community might be the way to go.

regards

John