Upgrading From IDE to SATA

My 40 GB IDE has failed on me twice so I thought it was about time I replaced it.
I ended up getting a 160 GB Western Digital Caviar SATA drive.
I'v repartitioned this into

• 25 GB for Linux
• 50 GB for the Windows Partition
• 25 GB for a Games Partition
• 25 GB for a Development Partition
• 25 GB for a Documents Partiton

This is similar to what I had on the IDE (but proportionately smaller obviously).
Whats the best way of transferring the files from the IDE to the SATA?
Should I just copy the data files and reinstall all the programs or use some sort of disk clone utility?

Personally I'd just reinstall Windows anyway. It's nice to keep it clean every now and again. Norton's Ghost works very well for copying over partitions though.

Yes, backup the data files and do a fresh install of the OS. Then copy the data files back. it will give you a better performing image too.