after installing ssd for boot, how do i get to my programs on original hdd that had been used for everything? i can see all drives so i think i've installed everything correctly, i'm using IDE in bios? and the ssd as boot-up drive but can't get programs accessed from WD 500Gb HDD??

Are you saying you reinstalled Windows 7 on the SSD (a different drive, correct?), when it had been on the hard drive "that had been used for everything"? When you installed your programs on the original hard drive wjth Win 7 also on it, all sorts of associations and registry entries were created. You'll need to reinstall the programs under your new Windows installation to reestablish the linkages to the OS. Note that when you reinstall, you can designate that the programs be installed on the original hard drive, thus minimizing the space used on the SSD.