Replace old HDD for install

[robotball]

I have an old Dell PC with 2 HDDs (40GB and 80GB) running Windows 2000. I want to turn this into a linux machine basically for file sharing, but also for music and installing Oracle/Sybase. What I would like to do is remove the existing HDDs and replce them with two much larger HDDs maybe 300GB a piece, however my mobo does not support disks that large and there is no update for the board. From what I read I need to purchase a controller card. I have the latest version of SUSE linux, I have not purchased the card, but I will soon. So my questions are once I install the card and hookup the disks will I be able to do an installation? Will the disks be seen for the install? Do I need to just change one disk and keep one of the older ones? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[PenGUiN_6_1]

There was a aituation I remember with one 4 Gigabyte and one 17 Gigabyte. Here is what I did:

FIRST:
Removed one 4 GB Hard Drive

SECOND:
Installed one 17 GB Hard Drive

THIRD:
Went into BIOS, had to see if specs were entered appropriately, and if not, had to enter specs.

FOURTH:
Went to install software by partitioning as necessary.

I am unclear as to what else would be involved, but I had also had to note the parameters like the heads or cylinders or sectors or whatever on my computer's Hard Drive so I could enter them correct. Also, there has to be a master designation in this case, so be sure to knowwhich is master and which is slave or whatever is supposed to go on.

Please contact me if you need help or if this goes wrong, because I am only describing a possible situation with one hard drive replaced by one other hard drive.