I have created a small linux distro compiled specifically for the VMware platform using Linux From Scratch (6.2) as the base. The aim is to provide a basic command line only environment that is quick to boot, and will provide many of the basic GNU/Linux tools that a new user will want to study. Specifically this distro is aimed at students who may not be confident enough to repartition their hard drives and install a complete distro.
This version is specifically designed for dual CPU (or core) machines, as such VMware Player may spit the dummy if you only have one CPU. I have not tested this so if you have any issues with it drop me a line.
Anyway, you can download it from here:
http://www.bawdo.com/index.php?entry=9
Regards, Bawdo2001