AHCI and previously initialised SATA drives used for storage

[jitterbu]

Sorry if this is a dumb question.

I'm about to install Win7 Home Prem 64bit on my first SSD and have read a lot of guides on the subject but I have a question regarding the other SATA drives that I intend connecting to the mobo which are used solely as storage and were initialised via the IDE setting.

The mobo's BIOS will allow me to change to AHCI mode which I understand I need to get the best from the SSD. I know there is a problem with booting from a previous OS (in my case XP) when that setting is changed but will anything happen to my storage drives? I'd like to know the data on them is safe before I change anything.

Any reassurance and/or help appreciated.

 

[clutchc]

It shouldn't matter what mode the old HDD(s) was when it used to be a boot drive. AHCI and IDE modes pertain strictly to the drive that the Win7 OS is on.
Btw, you can also clone your old drive to your SSD if it is big enough: http://www.howtogeek.com/97242/how-to-migrate-windows-7-to-a-solid-state-drive/
But yes, it is better to do a clean install. Here is another Win7/8 SSD installation tutorial you may find to your liking:
Win7: http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds
Win8: http://www.overclock.net/t/1240779/seans-windows-8-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds