How to move WP blog from one server to another?

Probably not. I didn’t do anything special with PHP on the new server specifically for the transfer of the blog from the old to the new. Is there a particular place I should start with or check for configuration?

Download and install web platform here:
https://www.microsoft.com/web/downloads/platform.aspx

Install WordPress using web platform:
Installing WordPress using the Web Platform Installer

The trick is web platform will install everything needed on the server, whether its MySQL, PHP as FastCGI…etc

After you setup the website using web platform, replace the site files with the ones you have, and replace the empty database with yours.

I actually used Web Platform Installer prior to doing any of this in order to get MySQL and an updated version of PHP on the server. I did not think I needed to install WordPress as I copied the WordPress blog over from my old server. However, I just also installed FastCGI and WordPress using Web Platform Installer.

Now, I am not clear per your instructions of what to do with with:
“replace the site files with the ones you have and replace the etmpy database with yours”.

Now this is getting frustrating. It just seems odd that it is so tough to try to move a blog site from one server to another.

I’ve tried the above steps repeatedly today (I think) and still no luck.

Short of restoring the server to the image made prior to attempting all of this and starting over I am stumped!

When you have a fresh WordPress install with an empty database.

Replace the fresh WordPress files with the ones from your old server and replace the empty database with the one your old blog has ??

So, I assume you are saying to copy the WordPress blog files from the old server to the new location on the new server.

I also assume when you say replace the empty database with the one from the old blog you are referring to using Navicat?

Yes, use navicat for replacing the database.

Ok, I’ve restored the server to the state it was prior to attempting all of this.

I’ve installed MySQL and WordPress.

I’ve restored the DB using Navicat.

I’ve copied the blog WordPress files to the newly installed WordPress folder.

PHP was already installed on the new server. Do I need to upgrade it? Or do something in particular with it?

Prior to configuring the blog website in IIS and also changing the DNS settings again to point to the new server is there a way to test that WordPress, MySQL and PHP are talking to each other? When I run https://localhost/wordpress the blog site does indeed come up.

The blog has been moved to the new server, the DNS has been changed to point to the IP of the new server and the blog does not work! Also, calling https://locaclhost/wordpress also no longer works. Both show a 500 error.

Again, I can’t believe this is this tough to do. People must have to move their blogs to new hosts or new servers all the time. There must be an easy way to do this.

Can anyone please assist with what “clear” steps I need to check to find out why this is not working?

I finally got the blog to work on the new server when I call it from https://localhost/wordpress. That’s a step in the right direction. However, after configuring IIS and changing the existing DNS settings to point to the new IP address of the new server, I cannot call it via the actual domain name or no longer via https://localhost/wordpress. What am I missing?

Did you setup your “DNS Server” on the new server correctly?

Yup

Ok… I just restored the server again to the state it was in prior to attempting all of this.

I’ve installed PHP, MySQL and WordPress from here, https://www.microsoft.com/web/downloads/platform.aspx

I restored the backed up DB using Navicat successfully.

I copied over the Blog WordPress files to the WordPress folder

I can successfully log into WordPress

I can access the blog successfully with https://localhost:80/wordpress

Is it safe to say that because all works via the call to localhost that connection between PHP, WordPress and MySQL is correct? Or are there other tests I can perform to confirm there is indeed a valid DB connection?

I am now in the process of making an image of the server in this state so that I can have a known good starting point with all installed, configured and restored in case this doesn’t work once I change the DNS settings to point again from the older server IP address to the new server IP address.

The image of the new server completed successfully.

I’ve changed the DNS settings to point to the IP address of the new server.

I’ve created a test index.htm file and placed in the WordPress folder to confirm that a call to the BLOG url does indeed resolve and opens the index.htm file.

Next step is to switch the settings to point to index.php in the WordPress folder instead of index.htm