You can install windows on them Shaz yes. It might be simpler for you both if it had Windows on if you have never used Linux before.
In fact a lot of people have been returning Linux based netbooks to places like PCWorld and carphonewarehouse because they found Linux to be not quite so Windows like as the sales people said.
http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile...c=rss&attr=all
http://www.liliputing.com/2008/10/ms...ore-often.html
I think they have a small cut down version on as well but Ian will tell you better than I could.