I use Knoppix on my secondary PC and it automatically detects every piece of hardware in the computer. I have Windows 98 installed on this same computer and that does not find my video/audio drivers or USB ports.
But then again I don't care about the Windows issue on that PC as I mostly use it for 64HDD anyway and that only requires a pure DOS enviroment, which Win98 provides
In short, I think you'll be safe
And I'd reccomend you to try Knoppix before you actually install a Linux distro on your computer since it boots directly of a CD and doesn't mess with your current setup. That way you can get a taste of Linux before you install it
Or better yet, you can use Partition Magic and make a seperate partition on you HD for a Linux installation but that might be a bit advanced.