2ninerniner2

Can I just keep it as this when it comes to moving it back again?

Only if the path is exactly the same; sounds as though it isn’t as you had to change them to get it to work.

It’ll be relative to whatever location it’s in that way?

WordPress uses absolute paths by default so this is why the URLs need to be updated.

The LAN issue is out of my realm of being able to offer anything specific.

No such thing as “silly” questions … just silly answers! LOL ??

If you followed the above steps, you just “installed” WordPress ??

Without getting into the complexities of WordPress multisite (or previously Multi User), for each individual WordPress powered site, there are two basic components: the WordPress files and the database.

The additions to each site that the user makes are stored in both the database (posts, pages, settings, etc.) and in the sub folders in wp-content, namely plugins, themes and uploads. All of this makes up “WordPress”.

This is one of the reasons I do not use a plugin to move my WP sites; if something doesn’t work, then where do you start looking.

I always do a manual move, so perhaps try this:

Live Site:

– export the database
– ZIP the contents of the site and download (or if the live site does not support ZIP ((archiving, compression, etc.)) then use FTP to download)

Local Site:
– use phpMyAdmin to create a new, empty database
– import the exported database .sql file
– edit the siteurl and home fields in the wp-options table with the new location URL:

— https://localhost – if it will be in the root of the local server
— https://localhost/folder_name – if in a folder in the local server web root

– unZIP or move the downloaded site files to the desired location
– edit the wp-config.php file there with the local database connection credentials (use Notepad or equivalent to do so)
– log into the local site Dashboard and install and run this plugin:

https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/velvet-blues-update-urls/

— select all options EXCEPT the last one (GUID)

– go to Settings > Permalinks and just re-save

Done ??

Check here:

Appearance > Menus

If you had your pages set up here and used a “Custom Menu” they should be listed under Menu Structure. Make sure that the appropriate check box is ticked in the Menu Settings > Theme location at the bottom: Primary or Secondary depending upon how you had it set up.

Try this:

Live Site:

– export the database
– ZIP the contents of the site and download (or if the live site does not support ZIP ((archiving, compression, etc.)) then use FTP to download)

Local Site:
– use phpMyAdmin to create a new, empty database
– import the exported database .sql file
– edit the siteurl and home fields in the wp-options table with the new location URL:

— https://localhost – if it will be in the root of the local server
— https://localhost/folder_name – if in a folder in the local server web root

– unZIP or move the downloaded site files to the desired location
– edit the wp-config.php file there with the local database connection credentials (use Notepad or equivalent to do so)
– log into the local site Dashboard and install and run this plugin:

https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/velvet-blues-update-urls/

— select all options EXCEPT the last one (GUID)

– go to Settings > Permalinks and just re-save

Done ??

Have a look and make sure that the menu has been properly “duplicated”. Sometimes it can become “unhooked” when moving a site.

– open the XAMPP Control Panel and stop Apache
– navigate to your php.ini file and open in a text editor such as Notepad (do NOT use a word processor such as MS Word)
– in a default XAMPP installation, php.ini is here:

C:\xampp\php

— NOTE: if you do not have ‘show file extensions’ enabled, the file name will be php and the type will be configuration settings

– find the entry for max_execution_time and change from 30 to 120 and save
– start Apache
– try to install the plugin again

I want to link 3 godaddy domains to 3 separate WordPress sites.

Ok, so what you are now asking is not as per the original post ??

Here is a great place to start ??

https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Using_Themes

Additionally, as mentioned in the above link, check with the theme developer as they may have instructions specific to their product.

Sounds as though the copying didn’t work all the way.

This is how I successfully do it, time after time ??

Live Site:

– export the database
– ZIP the contents of the site and download (or if the live site does not support ZIP ((archiving, compression, etc.)) then use FTP to download)

Local Site:
– use phpMyAdmin to create a new, empty database
– import the exported database .sql file
– edit the siteurl and home fields in the wp-options table with the new location URL:

— https://localhost – if it will be in the root of the local server
— https://localhost/folder_name – if in a folder in the local server web root

– unZIP or move the downloaded site files to the desired location
– edit the wp-config.php file there with the local database connection credentials (use Notepad or equivalent to do so)
– log into the local site Dashboard and install and run this plugin:

https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/velvet-blues-update-urls/

— select all options EXCEPT the last one (GUID)

– go to Settings > Permalinks and just re-save

Done ??

If you used the default location for WAMP on the kaput drive, that is, C:\wamp then if your backups include the WAMP folder, it should be just a matter of restoring it to that EXACT location on the new drive. This will restore your complete WAMP setup; no need to install a new one.

everything worked fine, up until the point where I typed in my domain.com/manual (the subdirectory) and WP prompts me to enter my database credentials.

This means that on the first screen, you clicked the Create a Configuration File button … great!

Then you got the screen that says “Let’s go! and you clicked that …

Now you are on the screen where “WP prompts me to enter my database credentials.”

On this screen, the values entered here are the ones that would be entered manually in the various config files mentioned in the above posts.

The values you entered on this screen are positively NOT correct if you got the DB connection error after clicking the Submit button, so no matter what other steps you take, if you are using the same values, it will never work ??

Triple and quadruple check the values ??

Database Name: what YOU entered when YOU created the new, empty database

User Name: the DATABASE user name YOU entered when creating the DATABASE

Password: the value YOU entered when you created the Database

Database Host: generally, localhost but verify this with your hosting provider, Web.com

Table Prefix: wp_ <leave as-is>

I forgot that your had both operational at some point ??

For the WP2 site, you will have to change the siteurl and home fields in the wp_options table in the database.

Open phpMyAdmin, expand the WP2 db in the left side bar so all the tables are shown; select wp_options and look for the above 2 fields in the main area of the Browse tab.

If the WP2 site is in a folder named wp2, then values for the urls will be:

https://localhost:8888/wp2

This will let you log into the site. Once in, install and run this plugin to update the other URLs:

https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/velvet-blues-update-urls/

– select all options EXCEPT the last one (GUID)

Then go to Settings > Permalinks and just re-save.

You apply both HG nameservers to each of the domains.

The HG nameservers are in the form:

nsXXX.hostgator.com
nsXXY.hostgator.com

These same two values are entered for each of the domains ??

The first is the Primary Nameserver and the second is the Secondary Nameserver.

What you are doing, as catacaustic pointed out, is telling the domains where to look for the sites. The location “address” are the nameservers where the site is hosted, in your case, your HG hosting account.

Further to what catacaustic mentions, you will change the nameservers for all three domains via your GD Domains manager to the values you see in your HG account:

https://support.godaddy.com/help/article/664/setting-nameservers-for-your-domain-names?pc_split_value=3

Use this option:

Setting Custom Nameservers for a Domain Name Registered with Us

Note, however, that this change is not immediately effective and can take upwards of 24 hours (or more) to be available to use; this is normal.

When you set up your HG account, you supplied one domain to be the primary domain for that account. To make life easier, especially for someone just starting out, I would suggest installing WP into the root of the hosting account.

I would also suggest, in your case, to use the QuickInstall option to install WP for all three domains. The thing to make note of with this method, is that the other two sites will be installed in sub folders in the root account. I generally create these ahead of time using the File Manager option in the HG cPanel.

To sum it up:

– change the nameservers at GD
– create two new folders in the root of your HG account, e.g. site2 and site3 (or whatever, just no spaces)
– use QuickInstall to install WP three times:

— first, to the root of the account (you will be presented a path suggestion of where to install; for the first, leave as-is
— for the second and third site, make SURE you add the folder name for each on in the space provided when asked where to install WP
— PLEASE note the credentials you use for each install and save them somewhere … you will be provided an email with them after the install as well as be shown them on the install completion screen ??

– use the Addon Domain option in the HG cPanel to set up the second and third domains to point to their respective folders.

Once that is all done (and the nameservers have become effective), you will access the three sites with:

https://www.primary_domain.com – public view
https://www.primary_domain.com/wp-admin – site log in

https://www.site1.com – public view
https://www.site1.com/wp-admin – site log in

https://www.site2.com – public view
https://www.site2.com/wp-admin – site log in

Repeat the steps for the second and third sites for any additional WP sites ??

Keep in mind, however, the the QuickInstall of WP from HG adds some additional plugins that are not part of the WP core:

– Jetpack
– Mojo Marketplace
– Sidekick
– WP Super Cache

I would suggest you deactivate at least WP Super Cache until the site is finished the initial stage of completion as changes may not be readily apparent from the public side, depending upon the plugin settings.

This is also a reason I prefer the manual install method; only the core gets installed and what is added later, I put there myself ??

Good luck! ??