Here are the detailed steps how to successfully move a complete Drupal installation from one host to another.

The documentation on drupal.org is not necessarily clear, here are the exact steps how to move a complete site including your Drupal mysql database.

Migrating Drupal on your OLD host: Backup your whole home directory from your ftp access using an ftp client like WS_FTP.

Make a folder on your local hard-drive and download the complete directory to that local folder.

Backup your mysql database on your old host using phpmyadmin, select your mysql database, usually something like “yourname_dbname”.

Select all fields, click “export” and save the database to your local hard-drive. Leave default options enabled.

You will receive a file similar to “yourname_dbname”. This is your mysql database

Migrating Drupal on your NEW host: You can install Drupal through your Customer Control Panel, click on the Applications Tab, then click Drupal, click the domain you want to install it on, then click Install.

Once Drupal is installed you will need to upload your folder with the complete Drupal installation to your application’s htdocs directory.

The next step is to import the database (which you exported from the old host earlier) with phpMyAdmin to the new database. This might take a minute.

If needed edit the file [drupal home]/sites/default/settings.php and edit at the section where you enter the database, location, username and password.

You CAN enter the password either encrypted or not encrypted there.

Depending on what operating system you’re on, double check your .htaccess or web.config file and [drupal home] /sites/default/settings.php and make changes in case they are needed.

In addition we offer Professional Services in which given sufficient access we can move the Drupal site for you.