I have an old computer which runs Windows with multiple viruses that I can`t get rid of. So what I want is to format the computer, remove Windows and only run a Linux Operating System. How can I make this possible? And which Linux distribution should I use?
Computer Specs are as follows:
You can easily run Ubuntu 12.10 on your system! I have an old compaq with only 1Gb ddr2 RAM, and onboard video. Used to run vista (very slowly) It runs awesome with Ubuntu! I browse the web on it all day, play 720p HD vids from youtube, play pandora radio etc.
You'll be able to wipe the drive during setup, as long as you're not attached to your data that's on the drive.
All you need to do is to get the ISO file, and make a CD with it. You'll love it!
If you really want to be sure that everything is wiped from the disk then you should use DBAN (http://www.dban.org/).
It will however overwrite MBR, the partition table, so any installer that you run will have to reinitialize the disk. Any Linux installer will do that for you, but I vaguely remember that old versions of Windows were unable to initialize it (you could of course do it with another tool and restart the Windows installer).
As for the Linux of choice, I wonder if you realized that this is an Ubuntu specific site?
If I wanted to do what you are suggesting (and I have, several times), I would use another computer you trust to work well. Install unetbootin. There are is a Windows version. Download the disk image (ISO) for the current version of Linux you're considering. For an older machine, I'd recommend Lubuntu. Use unetbootin to create a bootable USB flash drive if your target machine can boot from USB, or burn the ISO to a CD if not. Boot from the USB or the CD. When Lubuntu loads, there should be an "Install" icon on the desktop.
WARNING: Installing any Linux distribution over your old windows will wipe all data unless you choose a dual-boot configuration, but since you can't clean the Windows, it sounds like that's exactly what you want anyway.
There's a bit of a learning curve moving from WinXP to any Linux, but not as great as moving from XP to Win8! Lubuntu is pretty easy, a good jump from XP.
I currently run Ubuntu 12.10 on a new Acer notebook, on my wifes 10 year old desktop, my younger daughter's Acer netbook, and on my older daughter's Toshiba notebook.
I run Lubuntu 12.10 on an old EEEPC-900 netbook hooked up to the stereo to play Spotify throughout the house, and on an old salvage-build tower in my classroom to run my python-whiteboard. Lubuntu is my clear choice on old equipment!
