linux

if i put another hard drive in my computer, can i install linux on it and have it not affect windows and all my files on my original hard drive? i dont want to partition or anything. i was just gonna stick an old small(maybe 8GB) hard drive in it and try out linux... could there be any undesired side effects?

>>1
You can do that, although modification on the primary disk to install a boot loader is necessary (okay, not strictly necessary, but you want it).

Still, I don't know why you wouldn't want to repartition your big Windows drive. You can take 8 GB from it for a Linux partition and still keep everything you have. Partition resizing is safe and reliable, and most Linux installers will do it for you.

Although if you can get a second hard drive in there then that would be (slightly) easier.