How to upgrade a blog from a fresh install?

is this true?

yes it is.

the rest of your question is strangely worded — a fresh install of wordpress shouldnt need to be upgraded.

If you are asking about how to take YOUR current content and “plug” it into a new install — you cant.

The database changes from 2.3 to 2.8 have made that un-doable.

Additionally, I do not believe, if my memory serves me right, that your current version allows you to export content.

You can check to see if thats the the case. Do you have an import or export option on ANY of your wp-admin pages?

From 2.3, you should do an incremental upgrade to be sure the database goes through the process being upgraded from each version: 2.3 -> 2.5 -> 2.7 -> 2.8.5

Read Upgrading WordPress Extended Detailed_Upgrade_Instructions_for_1.5.x.2C_and_versions_2.0_-_2.6.5.2C_to_2.8.5 ? WordPress Codex and you should make several backups before you start, and backup between each upgrade.

backup each as in export/import? or full site backups?

yeah, we have a working blog and are trying to get it up to the latest version… thanks for the help guys.