WP Update to New Host

I would do the following.

Take a Backup of the Database and import it onto the new server into a Database with preferably the same username and password as the original, if not you will have to update the wp-config file. Google Can help you with this if you dont know how to do it.

Copy the Entire Site Directory as in Everything from one Server to the new server. Best if you zip it and unpack it as it will probably be quite a lot of data.

Change your personal computers hostfile to point to the new server. A quick google can explain how to do this if you are unsure.

You can now use the site on the new server as if it were on the old server. Update everything and get it all in working order.

Once you are happy with it and your sure it is all working and updated. Remove the hostfile entry and update the DNS records to point to the new server.

Best of Luck

I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. We’re not updating the existing WP site. Someone hacked it and made it pretty much worthless, save for the home page which is all they care about right now. They want a brand new site on the latest version of WP with a new theme. That’s the issue I’m facing, so upgrading the existing WP site is not an option on the new server. Hopefully I’m making sense.

Ok then Same steps except dont need to copy any of the old data over.

Make a new database

Upload the latest version of the wordpress software into the root directory of your web server and unzip it. Make sure it is not in a sub folder.

Add the Host File Entry that i mentioned above and then start installing the new version of wordpress and setting it up.

Hope this helps.

Let me know if you do not understand.

Ok, I’m still not being clear….Let me try a different way.

Website A – Old WP site with theme that has all kinds of errors. Company is currently using this on Host A. We are redesigning a brand new site with a brand new theme and will not be using the current WP install or theme on the new host.

What they want:

New WP site with a different theme. Starting from scratch and completely redesigning everything on the new site. They want it installed on Host B. However, they also want their visitors to see Website A until such time that I can created the new Website.

So, my plan was to copy all the old data over, including the old WP install, even though it doesn’t work completely (errors and such). I am doing this just so we can have a site visitors can see until the new site is active. For reasons I’m tracing to DNS, I can’t install the new theme and WP install on the new hosting account’s root directory because the theme errors out and appears to be trying to visit the domain instead of the IP address. If I could do it that way, it would be a piece of cake.

So, I must have both versions on the new host. I just need to be able to move the new version to root once it’s live. Sorry for all the confusion.

You should not need to move the old site at all.

Point DNS to Host A

On Host B Create the WordPress Directory and Set up all the domain entries required.

On your Personal Machine Create an Entry in your host file to point the domain you are working on to the new server. This will make it so that you can see the new website but the rest of the world will see the old one.

Setup the new website as desired. After you have finished edit your host file again. Remove the Entry you put in and then update the DNS to point to the New hosting server. Problem solved the old website will remain live until all the DNS entries over the world change and after they have the new site will be live. Then you can just delete the old site.

You do not need to copy Site A, doing so would pose a security risk to your new site as the malware and injection could access the new site and corrupt it as well.