Tools:
- PhpMyAdmin
- FTP client (I use fireftp for firefox) or your hosting’s Cpanel file manager
- WordPress plugin: WP-DB-Backup
- WordPress plugin: BTE’s WordPress Backup
- WordPress plugin: Search and Replace
- notepad for editing
Steps A (for original hosting or hosting 1)
- Turn Off all and any caching plugins (like Total Cache etc.)
- Use WP-DB-Backup to generate a zipped database (do check all other tables)and download it to your desktop
- Use BTE’s WordPress Backup to generate a new backup of zipped folders
- Download all three folders using your FTP and going to the BTE folder in the plugins folder of the wordpress directory
- Unzip the “upload” folder which may contain all files but stick to the ones containing wp-content, all those will be uploaded to same folder
Steps B (mainly for hosting 2)
- Install same version of wordpress in the new host
- use same settings as much as possible like password and user
- use your FTP client to upload everything from wp-content from hosting 1 to same folder of hosting 2
- (use your FTP client to get wp-config.php from the new wordpress installation
- get wp-config.php from hosting 1 and use same info ) ** need to recheck this process
- access phpmyadmin of hosting 2, drop all tables and import downloaded database from hosting 1
- find table of wp-options and change home and url to match new wordpress install
*when importing config make sure prefix and all other info are same as orig source
*always refresh permalinks after everything