Thanks for that! I'll give it a try.
You are welcome! Good luck!
Also, in regards to the risk, I have a dual booted win8/LinuxMint. Am I only really at risk if I plug it in while Win8 is running?
It is in risks only if you connect to an insecure computer or if another person directly have access to it.
Is it preferable to back up by private keys onto a printed sheet and delete the wallet, thereby just running a full node with no funds?
I know, quite a few questions, but I just want to actually put a few blockchains(LTC too) on the ExtHD and help the network. Big bitcoin convert here. I have to tone it down before my fam & friends get too sick of me.
Dan
If you just want to help networks by running nodes, its better to save your wallet.dat in a secure place and possibly, print all the used addresses & the addresses you gave to others.