I am a virgin as far as Linux is concerned At the moment my OS is Vista Ultimate, but would like to play about with a open source OS with out losing Vista. Can I install Linux on a D drive. or would I have to put in a partision into my C drive, if I need to put in a partition into my C drive how do I do it? What version Linux would be be suitable for a novice, and would my existing drivers be ok for what ever edition of Linux I install. Where would I be able to download or obtain a coppy of Linux.

You can go to this LINK which describes each distro & has download links for each. This may seem a bit confusing to a novice but there is plenty of good information.

For starters I would suggest two different distros (version), PCLinuxOS 2007 and/or Puppy Linux 3.0.1. Both have live CD downloads available. A live CD allows you to boot the OS from a CD (as long as your BIOS permits it); with no changes to your current environment. This allows you to try it out & see if you like it before installing to your hard drive.

Yes, Linux can be installed D without messing up Windows, installation instructions vary but come with each distro. Window drivers do not work with Linux, but not to worry, Linux distros come with most drivers included however there are instances where you may have to download one or two odd balls.