• Will I have to give up all my assets?
  
• Do I have to list all my debts?
  
• Will I lose my house even if I'm current?
  
• Will the trustee come to my house?
  
• Does my spouse have to file bankruptcy with me?
  
• Will bankruptcy stop wage garnishments?
  
• Are there debts that I cannot discharge?
  
• Is the IRS affected by my bankruptcy filing?
  
• Can I keep my car?
  
• Will I be allowed to file bankruptcy?
  
• How do I know which chapter to file?
  
• Can I discharge my student loans?
  
• What do I have to do to file bankruptcy?
  
• Can I put my assets in someone else's name before filing?
  
• Will I lose my retirement savings?
  
• Can I get credit after bankruptcy?
  
• What if I can't make the payments on my Chapter 13 plan?
  
• Does a previous bankruptcy prevent me from filing?
  
• Are there tax consequences to filing bankruptcy?
  
• Can I file bankruptcy without a lawyer?

Does a previous bankruptcy prevent me from filing?

It depends on 

• what chapter you want to file now
• what chapter you filed before
• whether you received a discharge in the earlier case

You can only get a Chapter 7 discharge if a previous Chapter 7 case was filed more than 8 years ago.  This is a change from the previous period of 6 years.

If you got a Chapter 13 discharge within 6 years, the Chapter 13 plan has to meet certain repayment requirements to permit a Chapter 7 case earlier than 6 years from the filing of the prior case.

If your previous case was dismissed before discharge, it does not count in these considerations.

You can file a Chapter 13 case after a Chapter 7 without any statutory time restrictions.  However, under the newly amended Code, you can only get a discharge in that Chapter 13 case if the 7, 11, or 12 previous case was filed more than 4 years ago; if the previous case was also a Chapter 13, two years must elapse betwen filings. Some courts, however, question the debtor's good faith, a necessary element to confirm a Chapter 13 plan, if they have recently filed Chapter 7 and received a discharge.

You can freely convert a pending case from one chapter to another.  It is the same case, even though the chapter is different, so these time considerations don't apply.  Generally, you can only convert a Chapter 7 to Chapter 13 before the discharge is entered.