I am switching hosts and I am new to databases and stuff and yes, I do have access to phpMyAdmin.
So I am wondering how am I supposed to transfer my SQL data easily? Since I am so new, I want the steps.
Change your cookie settings and board URL if needed in the ACP first to what the new settings will be - this will break the forum for now but it'll fix itself soon. Make a full file and database backup. Create a new database on the new host, upload your files on the new host and install your forum from scratch (i.e. run ./install/index.php) - this just means it'll write the new database info to ./inc/config.php without you having to manually edit the file. Then, in PHPMyAdmin, select all of the new, blank tables, and 'drop' them. Then upload your backup and everything should work fine. You may have to delete ./inc/settings.php and make it recreate itself with the correct settings from the database.
Thanks a whole lot. But the full file database backup - do I do that from the ACP?
Also, can I just move my stuff from my old FTP to my new instead of a fresh install? I can do the edit in the .inc/config.php.
For database backup: ACP > Tools & Maintenance > Database Backups > New Backup. Then select all tables, select plain text (or compressed if your forum is big - take a backup in both types to be safe), download, structure and data, and Analyze and Optimize Selected Tables to yes. It's also recommended that you make sure that backup is complete by uploading it to a test forum first - nothing worse than realising your backup is corrupt when it's too late to go back.
For files, just compress and/or download via FTP.
And yeah you can do that, the fresh install is more a personal preference, you can edit ./inc/config.php yourself and it'll work fine.
The most important thing to make sure you have here is a full database backup. When something goes wrong, files can be recovered, plugins can be added again, themes can be imported again, but if a database goes, that's it
If you're unsure on doing this, I could do this for you tomorrow if you want
PM me admin login details, and old and new FTP details if you do; I'd make my own backups of everything and upload it to my localhost to test it was complete before 'going live'. If there's anything I haven't been clear enough on or you just want to ask something else I'll try and help, unless someone else beats me to it
Got it. If it fails, it's all yours.
I tried the upload of the SQL file and it says that no database was selected. The only database is called "information_schema". Should I upload the tables to that database? Because like on the control panel it says that I made a table called:
thepokemon_cultred
The database username is different, but if I upload the file to information_schema, then will it affect the settings in ./inc/config.php?
Also, under the information_schema thing, it says:
"Create new database
x No priveleges"
All that is on my new host.
Never mind, I just forgot to assign the database permissions.
Now a new problem arose. I used Net2FTP's feature of transferring files from one FTP account to another. Was it a good idea? All the directories made it. A couple subdirectories didn't. No files in any directory made it nor did any in the root directory.
Should I save it all to my machine then upload? I tried that, but it randomly stopped the query. I checked on where the target on my machine was and there was the folder where it's supposed to be! Contents of folder = nothing. Is this a problem to discuss here, with my old host, or with my new host?
Hmm, make sure that thepokemon_cultred is selected first.
When transfering files, I find it better to download them all to your computer as a .zip, and then upload them again to the new location.
There is a Tutorial :
How to change hosts successfully
I've never, ever, FTP'd files. I find it causes more problems than it solves. In cPanel, there is a way to make a physical backup of your files. This creates a .zip file of your files and folders.
Then, simply upload the .zip file into the directory you want and "uncompress" in cPanel's file manager.
If you really need to use FTP, download everything from one FTP host to your computer, then upload it to the other.
(2008-11-11, 10:46 AM)Tom.M Wrote: [ -> ]In cPanel, there is a way to make a physical backup of your files. This creates a .zip file of your files and folders.
Then, simply upload the .zip file into the directory you want and "uncompress" in cPanel's file manager.
Yeah that's what I always use, then it's just like uploading the normal package when you first start.
In Net2FTP, there is a function allowing you to zip a file. However, I want my forums directory to remain as to redirect to my new one and I don't want to remove the directory. If I zip a file and download it, will it remove the directory of my forums?
No, AFAIK it just downloads a copy. You can always edit your current index.php to redirect to your new location anyway.