I would suggest you get someone to do this if you really want/need to completely wipe the hard drive clean, it's not an exact science & certainly not for anyone who isn't completely up to speed with installing Windows etc. As for its suitability for W7 that depends on what it's got now, how old it is, what the memory is & many other questions which will probably just confuse you even more!
I have heard of a guy called Rick in the past with some very good results & I believe very keenly priced as it's more of a hobby than a job, he would be my 1st point of call, especially as you are kind enough to be offering this as a gift for someone to learn on.