Copying programs to Windows 7

[jascat]

Firstly I am not too computer literate. My desktop has Vista & it takes ages to load. I want to upgrade to Windows 7.
My question is, I have loads of programs & info on my hard drive. Is it possible to copy everything, except Vista & transfer to the formatted hard drive, once Windows 7 is installed? I dread having to manually load everything & doubt I have the means to retrieve everything if I go down that route.
I have an external hard drive that would hold everything & Norton ghost, if that helps.
If it is possible, can someone explain the procedure in layman terms.
Many thanks.

 

[johnb35]

Data can be copied over, however, any programs would have to be reinstalled. If you install the upgrade version, it saves existing programs and files.