I installed Linux Mandrake 9.1 on a computer I bought without an operating system. It was slow and buggy. When I removed it, using the instructions from the Linux website, my HDD went belly up. The HDD manufacturer (Sony) says removing Linux voided the HDD waranty.
I bought Windows ME on Ebay for the same price I paid for Linux. Windows is lightyears ahead of Linux! IMHO.
partition magic is your friend - for easy formats. Would have saved your drive in a few clicks