Replacing Windows XP

I am fairly confident that I can follow guides and tutorials but I have never reformatted a computer and reinstalled an OS before. I have read the guides for installing Zorin alongside Windows, but I want to replace Windows XP on this machine altogether, as XP has no support and will only grow more vulnerable over time. There is nothing on this computer that is irreplaceable, I don't need Windows for anything that can't be done with Zorin; and I'd prefer to have all the space available or one OS. Is it as simple as wiping the drive and then rebooting with the DVD installed? Will Zorin be able to function with network card or should I find the driver for it first? If there is a relevant tutorial/guide somewhere point me at it, I'm sorry I wasn't able to see it before.

Basically, pop your DVD in the drive and boot into 'Live' mode to see that it picks up everything - if it doesn't you may need to come back here for more help - if you use wireless you may need to run some commands in a terminal (Menu | Accessories | Terminal) - but you would need madvinegar to help you on that one!

I have done a tutorial video on installing Zorin 8 RC - you could use that as your guideline - just go to veoh.com and search for swarfendor437.

[Warning: Shameless Plug]

You are welcome to look over my wiki, which I am developing for a community education course called "Prepare for the XP-pocalypse"

http://ce107.pbworks.com

Be sure to look at the Sidebar to navigate the site.

Hi DanYHKim, there is a blatant error on your web page!

You have put Zorin 7 instead of 9!

Oops. Thanks.

I am new to ZORIN and am happy with it for the most part. I intended to replace windows XP but decided to keep both until I was sure ZORIN was dependable. I have had to return to XP for access to 2 different sites that were not compatible with ZORIN using Google Chrome or Firefox. Also, I had difficulty creating a bootable flash drive for my Dell-Dimension-4700, with an Intel 4-3.2 GHz processor, until I tried RUFUS, which makes the process simple. I now have ZORIN 8, ZORIN 9 and Windows XP partitioned on my 360.2 GB hard drive. I still have to return to windows XP to use my ancient Panasonic xp2123 printer because my 3 inkjets died (2 HPs and 1 Kodak), and I can't find a driver for the xp2123 that works on ZORIN. Zorin 9 is my primary OS and gives me easy access to all the partitions, where Windows XP does not. I had to delete Microsoft Security Essentials to get XP to continue working. Good luck.