Mirroring a WordPress Installation (for backup or transfer) without plugins Version 2

Method tested only on wp 3.2.1

Check http://www.jealousbrother.com/blog/transfer-wordpress-blog-serverhost/

Tools:

  • PhpMyAdmin
  • FTP client (I use fireftp for firefox) or your hosting’s Cpanel file manager
  • WordPress plugin:  Search and Replace
  • notepad for editing

Steps A (for original hosting or hosting 1)

  1. Turn Off all and any caching plugins (like Total Cache etc.)
  2. In PhpMyAdmin select database and all tables and export/download it to your desktop as SQL.
  3. In your FTP, download contents of wp-content. Alternatively use Cpanel file explorer to copy directly (much faster)
  4. In your FTP, download original wp-config.php to your desktop (you will modify this and replace new)

Steps B (mainly for hosting 2)

  1. Install same version of wordpress in the new host
  2. use same settings as much as possible like password and user
  3. use your FTP client to upload everything from wp-content from hosting 1 to same folder of hosting 2 or better if you used Cpanel file explorer
  4. In phpmyadmin of hosting 2, drop all tables and import downloaded database from hosting 1
  5. Modify basic info wp-config.php from hosting 1 and upload/replace new wp-config.php from new installation
  6. access phpmyadmin of hosting 2, wp-options and change “home” and “url” to match new address of wordpress
  7. when importing config make sure prefix and all other info are same as orig source
  8. Final step save once again the permalinks!

*always refresh permalinks after everything