Most distros will work on a box that can run Vista. Some Toshiba laptops use a Toshiba specific method of power control and need to be installed with ACPI turned off.
That's about all anyone could say since you have provided no details about your machine or what you want to do with it (dual boot vs wipe Windows and replace with Linux vs other options).
As far as what distro to choose, that is as much up to your preferences as anything. We could offer our opinions but they would be based on our differing opinions rather than your needs and desires.
If you would like to discuss some options, you are welcome to come to Stammtische (Tuesday 7pm), Ubuntu Hour (Thursday 7pm), or an Installfest
(Saturday 6/1 10-4pm). And there are other events where you could talk with us.