Installing software before or after

[D Small Gilligan]

I have Nero 7 Essentials installed on my computer(for my HP 840e dvd writer that just died). I have a new DVD 1040e to hook up. Can I connect it and use the already installed version of Nero, or is there a special significance to connecting the hardware first and then installling the software (as the software instructions say? I have to decide if I need to uninstall the current software and then reinstall it after connecting the device.