Replacing XP with linux
 

I am doing, or trying to, do what the article is about. I have successfully created a stick and booted an XP machine. I wanted to enable the XP machine to boot on linux and have achieved this. However with one hard drive (albeit multiple partitions I can see my way to a dual boot. However, I want linuxmint17.3 to replace XP, not supplement it. All my data is now on a new Win 10 device so how do I get rid of XPSP3. and boot from the linux other tan using the USB facility. The bios does not give me the option to choose between partitions. The acer installation may also have a partition not visible to my partitioning software

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I'm not sure I understand exactly your post because you are talking about dual booting and replacement although I think a total replacement of Windows with Linux on this machine is what you intend? This being the case, once booted into a live session of Mint, run the Mint installer and choose the option "Erase disk and install Linux Mint". This will format your drive, wiping Windows in the process, and install the Linux boot loader so every time you start this machine thereafter, Mint will boot as the resident operating system.

If at some later point you decide say to dual boot this with another version of Linux, the second installer will (should :)) see your Mint installation and then offer a choice between the two systems at boot. Just be sure to research dual booting with the second system chosen first to be sure of setting the right options during install.

The is an official user guide (PDF) available online for Linux Mint 17.2 if you Google it. This will tell you everything you need to know about installing Mint.

I replaced XP with Mint some time back and found it very straightforward. I used a DVD rather than USB stick but I wouldn't think that makes a big difference, if any. The official user guide MC mentions looks pretty long but it's quite easy to follow. There are some thing *might* want to do when it's installed:

Switch on the Uncomplicated Firewall via Gufw
Update Mint and installed programs
Set screen res
Install MS fonts
Install Aisleriot Solitaire!
Replace the square icons with the more familiar round ones
Set the default language to e.g. British English
Assign € symbol to keyboard key
Set LibreOffice Calc F4 key to Repeat

They're all pretty straightforward, too.

There is an official user guide (PDF) available online for Linux Mint 17.2 if you want it:
https://www.linuxmint.com/documentation.php
in a PDF format ..