Linux in place of Windows
 

How do I get rid of Windows 7 Professional x64 and install Linux Mint 18.2

Hi & Welcome to Linux Questions.

Go into the BIOS of your Windows machine and set the boot order to CDROM so that the Linux CD/DVD will boot up.

Next time your machine boots it will start booting into the Mint CD/DVD.
Double click on the icon that says install to hard drive and the installer will walk you through the installation. Tell it to erase the disk and install Linux Mint.:)

If you don't have Mint already; download the .iso image of Linux Mint and burn it to a DVD.
https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

Linux in place of Windows
 

Just in case you don't want to burn CD/DVD you can create bootable USB.
detailed instructions can be found here:
https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/744

You can also check on this discussion which is for Mint distro: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-mint-84/

It's a good idea to read the documentation, which has advice on starting out:
http://linuxmint.com/documentation/u...glish_17.3.pdf
http://linuxmint.com/documentation/u...glish_18.0.pdf

If you have to ask, I strongly suggest configuring your system for dual-booting Windows 7 and Mint 18.2. It's more work, but nice to have that safety net.

I would never recommend anyone to totally replace windows without trying Linux out first. If you've never run Linux, I'd recommend running a Live distro to get the feel of it. Dual booting is easy and you can keep your windows install in case you don't like Linux(you can remove windows anytime). I'd also get the Windows product key in case you want to reinstall.

Anyways, Welcome to the world of Linux! Just tried Mint 18.2. It's Great!