Actualy...

I booted uing the knoppix CD instead of my har drive install, with with the card reaer in place and cards in it, and you know what? There was a HDD link on the dsktop for each card and I could access my files both ways. So it is possible.

I tried, like a big idiot, to save the fstab from when I booted useing the CD, and just write over the fstab in the HD install and of course now linux won't boot, so I'm back to windows for the evening. I plan on re-installing tonight. Then I will copy just the lines I need into the fstab.

But in any case it IS possible because booting from CD does it.