If you can't even format, i don't recommend using linux, first you should install it in a VM, and learn to use\install it.
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^ What he said. VMs are a great way for trying all kinds of things.
Still, to answer your question:
I usually resolve that by comparing their sizes and/or mounting them and seeing what files are on them (if anyone knows any better ways, I'd be interested in that). However don't do anything, if you're unsure what you're doing.
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Could you explain it a little better? why do you want to use a linux?
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Try Chrome OS (the one used in chromebooks), there are plenty of builds around.
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then i recommend you some other distributions like Puppy Linux or Lubuntu (there are others, but i tried those 2 and works very good) Then do what i said on the MRLW post (dont know why i reply his message, im dumb) to identify the partitions that you want to delete (probably sda1 and sda2, if the windows is vista or newer)
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i dont really understand in it as i new to the linux world as well, but if you have 2 partition already and one of them is data (wich you want to keep) and the other is WINDOWS (which you wana remove) then as i see it you have 2 option.
option 1 identify the size of each partition and when you install linux delete the windows one and keep the others (a good advise i was giving is to name the data partition you see as /home/...i think you write it like this, you can read more of it here but if you are not sure let the installation decide)
option 2 create a rescue disk like this one and from it run partition tool to delete the windows partition, and continue from there.
i strongly recommend on any way you choose to back up your important data...
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use the windows disk manager to identify partitions Disk0 = sda, the first partition is used by windows (reserved for system) and would be sda1 in linux the next one, (labeled C: in that image) would be sda2
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No really sure I understand the question correctly, but I think your logged in to a live cd and want to know which disk has the data on it and NOT format that one? Does the disks have labels on them? In that case this command might help
ls -la /dev/disk/by-label
should give you something like
Data -> ../../sda2
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