When I install Zorin on a clean hard drive will it erase the other drives in the computer since Linux doesn't identify individual drives?
Also, if I "try" it from the USB drive will it erase anything on the hard drives?
Linux does identify individual drives... usually using the names 'sda', 'sdb', 'sdc', 'sdd', 'sde', etc.
Each partition on any given drive is given a number... 'sda1', 'sda2', 'sda3', 'sda4', etc.
In fact, I recommend you store all your personal files (documents, photos, spreadsheets, etc.) on a separate drive formatted as NTFS rather than in the OS-provided directories... if your OS gets messed up and you have to reinstall, all your personal files are intact on that external USB drive; and if you have to bug out due to a natural disaster, you can just grab that external USB drive and run... plug that drive into any computer capable of reading NTFS (which should be pretty much any computer running any OS), and you have access to your files.
All that said, it is generally better to refer to any given drive or partition by its UUID (Universally Unique ID) or PartUUID (Partition Universally Unique ID)... those should be globally unique (ie: the odds of there being two of the same UUIDs or PartUUIDs on your computer are astronomical), so even if, for instance, a USB drive changes its drive letter (which can and does happen if you plug / unplug drives), each drive is still referred to by the OS by a unique identifier so everything Just Works.
Okay, but no answer to my actual question?
The 'Try Zorin OS' option won't touch anything on any of your drives except the one you booted 'Try Zorin OS' from.
Thanks
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