distro suggestion required
 

I have a x86 32 bit pc with 40 gb hdd, 256 mb ram, pentium 4 processor currently running on windows xp but it is very slow. I wanna move on to linux. Suggest suitable distros. Basic usage is internet surfing, chatting, open office and a little bit of photos viewing. I can afford a 32 gb pen drive if its live distro but i can't afford more hardware upgrades. Please help.

Distrowatch is the best site to find what you're looking for. You can start out here and broaden your search if you don't see what you want.
jdk

Debian netinstall with a lightweight window manager or LXDE should work.
anti-X would work, which is based on Debian but saves you a lot of the work of setting things up yourself.
Absolute would work, it's Slackware reconfigured for use on older machines.

That would be my short list.

Your computer is slow because it is a slow computer. If you switch to a faster computer, then it will be faster, whether you are running Windows, Linux, or Mac OS. Here are some suggestions how you can find a faster computer for free: https://kmandla.wordpress.com/2010/1...-old-computer/

Right at this moment in history, Windows XP is about to become obsolete, so companies/universities are dumping all their old XP hardware. I bet you can find a nice dual core system with 1gb ram if you ask family/friends/coworkers. :)

Anyway if you really are stuck with the Pentium 4 with 256mb RAM, and there is no option or possibility for upgrade, then my most enthusiastic distro recommendation is: antix

Good luck and welcome! :)

Thanks
 

Thanks for such quick help guys.