Transferring everything to your new hard drive is easier and safer than you
think. In the first place, the maker of your new drive probably includes
software to do just that. If it's not packaged with the drive itself you can
likely get it off their web site. If your hard drive maker says "on your
own, buddy" then you need to buy third-party disk cloning software.
(Apparently that kind of cloning is still legal in the U.S.) Have a look at
Norton Ghost and BootIt NG.
Rocky