The crux of matter is that if you don’t want to involve in hard issues of Linux and just want a simple desktop machine with pleasant environment which is not Windows, Mint is for you. It is considered media-OS because of its wide support to play media files.
Lets begin installation procedure.
Download ISO file from Mint’s website and burn it over DVD/CD depending over the size and version.

Insert disc and you’ll have menu consisting of installation options.
The one saying install Mint inside Windows is something new on Linux distros. What it does that it allocates suitable space inside Windows without making a new partition, and install Mint in it. Also booting preferences are also given to host OS.

For the normal installation boot your system with disc inserted into it.
Choose appropriate option from menu and wait for next window.
Choose language setup.
Choose your zone for time. Enter the keyboard config for yourself.

Note Mint generally comes with Gnome as desktop environment but you can install others also if available.
Now this step is the most critical step. Giving disc space to OS.

If you want to dedicate the entire Hard disc to Mint, then you can do so by automaticoption which is the default setting. If not then choose manual from list.

I advise you to allocate free space for Linux pre installation. You can do it by visiting Disc manager on Windows and deleting the drives and merging them.
Now it will create partition on it ext3(Linux’s partition). Give it the mount point and it will ask for swap partition.

If you think you don’t have enough RAM then you can allocate double of your RAM size to Swap partition. Now go ahead and take a cup of coffee and after finishing coffee you’ll find that Mint’s installation is finished.
You can couple Windows with it.

This is what a boot menu look like:

The customize setting is very similar to that of Ubuntu. Even the package manager is also same(Synaptic).
See the customize tutorial for help. Both are Debian package based.

Download latest Mint

(1) Ubuntu

If you have just switched over to Linux from Windows, this is the right choice for you. Working environment is very identical to Windows, and software packages are also easily available because of its Debian backup. Adding and removing any application is also quite simple. Synaptic manager is the name of utility. Well codecs is not very much the issue. You can play mp3s seconds after installation. Codecs are also easily available for downloads.
Well the negative side is that Gnomeis the only desktop environment available.

(2) openSuse

It is Novell backed distribution which has gained a lot of fame in recent time. Firstly it was not free but later Suse came with free verison named openSuse. open Suse has very cool graphical interface. Well it has multiple desktop environment support also with Gnome and KDE. Name of application manager is Yast Yet Another Setup Tool. It is much simpler and easy to use than Ubuntu’s Synaptic manager. Downloading packages and software is not the biggest issue. Updates are available every time you connect your system with internet.
But the codecs are really an issue in openSuse. You have to download dozens of codecs to play your all media files. Second is the installment, installation is confusing and complex.

(3) Debian

If you’ve used Ubuntu you’ll have deja vu feeling. It has biggest resources/applications collection that is whopping 25000. Debian is the biggest package center in entire Linux community. Interface is much like Ubuntu. It has XFCE, KDE and Gnome as desktop environments. The full version of Debian come in 4DVDs or 10 CDs. Its quite a big distribution and requires a large hard disc space.

(4) Mint

Its said the lightest Linux distro. It is very simple to use. I reckon its the best media playing distro of Linux with a wide media playing support. It has both Debian and RPMs support as package downloading option. Its also a very good option for playing games.
Its the best option for a beginner who just want to drench its leg in LINUX pool.

(5 ) Slackware

If you are just getting your feet wet with Linux its time to try something geeky. Slackware has simple and straight principle of KISS (Keep It Simple and Stupid). Its not for you if you still feel you are armature. The thing is that its one the oldest distribution. Even you have to write down the commands for starting the booting process.
The best desktop environment is KDE. The software and packages comes with .tgz(.tar.gz) extension. Use installpkg to install these files. You must take one time experience with Slackware.

(6) Mandriva

Earlier name was Mandrake but after a legal war they had to replace the name. It is one of the prime face of Linux. It do have the paid version too. It is the French face of open source in France. It is quite consistent in its fan following and a good choice for newbies.