Feh. Ignore the Ubuntu crowd and get Ubuntu+ instead (known as Mint Linux). This works virtually the same but comes packaged with the multimedia and sound and other drivers ready to go. For someone transitioning from Windows, it's perhaps the easiest solution that I know of.
Yes, there is a learning curve (which you had with Windows as well), but the ability to track down and fix anything that is wrong and once it's fixed it stays that way is huge. After a few weeks of tweaking, most Linux boxes are as stable as a refrigerator. They really become cahs-register reliable.
