Needing to Install a Linux OS

Guys, I need to install this Slax OS; good for work and it's only 185mb.

Now, I have to know about 3 things.

1, Will i have to re-install my printer?  It's an Hp psc 1209 all in one.

2, Will, and CAN i still run such windows software as word and powerpoint?  Kinda required here.

And three, Will i need to reformat my External HDs?  They have all my fiules backed up for the reformatting, but can I access those files if they were stored via windows?

>>11
The hordes of linux zealots who gloss over any problems it has, the shitty knock off open source clones of other programs, can't play games on it, riddled with hardware driver issues, and now apparantly it melts your computer.

Computer gets really hot under Linux
 in comp text boards lol

If linux was actually any good people would use it. You can't even give it away. Its free, enough people know about it by now, there are even livecds so you don't have to fully install it. Yet hardly anyone bothers. That might tell you something about how shit it is. Can't give it away.