reformating

So I have computer laying around and it's pretty infested with malware, spyware, ect.. So I'm looking to reinstall xp. I tried once and it said that the version on there was a more recent version of xp and wouldn't let me reinstall,so the first thing I thought is to do a reformat of the HD and do it that way, but I thought I should check here just in case there was an easier way.
So any thoughts or ideas or should I got for the format.

>>8
Gentoo is for nerdfags with no life. Ubantoo / Kubantoo is for people who want a good OS without having to spend 2 weeks compiling/configuring it.

And Netcraft confirms: BSD is dying.