Is there an easily installed variety of Linux?

You can install Linux on any bootable disk drive or flash memory device that's attached to your computer.

Try the Linux Distribution Chooser for a personalised recommendation of various Linux varieties you could try. Link:

http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/

The ability to select which disk to install onto, and to choose whether to use the whole disk or partition it up is a standard feature in Linux operating system installers. The only slightly confusing thing if you're used to Windows, is that it will not refer to the disks using drive letters like C: D: E: and so on. These drive letters are unique to Windows. This means you may have to look at the descriptions of each drive (the size, the file system format, the serial numbers) to figure out which one is which).

You can choose how much of the disk to give over to each purpose. It is highly automated, except for the part about whether to use the whole disk or not ('cause that would just be silly). But you can also customise the details as much as you like, too. So, for example, if you have a 300GB drive, you can give Linux a tiny little 4GB partition and leave the other 296GB for something else. (I would suggest giving Linux more than 4GB though.)

There is also the "Wubi" installer, which is a downloadable Windows ".exe" program, which creates a very large file inside Windows and installs Linux there. This is designed to make it very easy and safe for Windows users to install Linux. The effect is similar to partitioning the drive, in that you get less space for storing files on Windows, but no partioning takes place. With Wubi, you should install onto an internal drive, rather than a USB one.

A third option is a Live USB. This is a complete Linux system on a USB memory stick or hard drive. The "Live" part means that it is entirely self-contained and usually read-only (i.e. it starts from scratch every time without an installation and you lose any system changes every time you shut it down). You can plug it into any computer and boot off of it. Some Live USBs allow you to save data onto the same USB device so you won't lose your files and settings each time you shut down; this opens up the possibility of using a Live USB OS for general usage.

The standard warning when re-partitioning a hard drive is that data loss may occur. I have never had this happen to me, but the warning is always given and I presume it has some basis in fact. Once you have partitioned the drive, there should be no danger. It is the process of changing it that carries the risk.

If you install an ordinary version of Linux onto a USB drive, you will be able to use it, but it won't normally work well if you plug it into another computer and try to run Linux there. If you want to be able to do this, you need to install a Live USB version instead.

When you install an ordinary version of Linux, it usually installs a "bootloader" which lets you choose which operating system to boot into when you turn the computer on. If your computer has Windows on it, it will automatically be added to the menu of choices.

The boot menu will have a short countdown timer. If you make no choice before the timer runs out, it will boot the default OS. You have to reboot to change between the OSes. If you want to change which OS is the default for booting into, or change the length of the countdown, or make it so it just waits indefinitely until you choose rather than having a countdown, you can do so from within Linux after the installation.

I use Ubuntu. It can be installed right to a USB thumb drive, and then installed onto a computer from there. You can keep it on the USB drive and dual boot that way even.

Yes you can dual boot without loosing any data. Ubuntu and SuSE are the two big ones popular with people just converting to Linux. I'd go with Suse, (easier for a convert).

Yes, but you'll have to be careful. Install the grub bootloader on the MBR of the external drive, and use the BIOS boot menu or plugging/unplugging the drive to select which drive you want to boot off of, or install and additional boot manager withing windows like Easy BCD.

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They all are. The problem comes in understanding how to use it. Loading drivers and stuff, as it does not use .exe.