Avoid Silly Mistakes When Upgrading to Latest WordPress!
Before you upgrade your WordPress blog to the latest version, take this few easy steps to avoid messing up your configuration!
1) Backup everything! This is a 2-Step process i.e. backup the database and backup the WordPress program files. The database is where all your posts, comments and such are stored. To do the database backup, you need to access it thru your CPanel by using phpMyAdmin. For detailed instructions, see here. Next, you need to backup the WordPress program files. Using FTP software (i.e. Filezilla), copy the files on your server to a folder on your computer. Once there, you can zip or compress them into a zip file to save space, allowing you to keep several versions.
Remember, keep at least three backups on file, just in case one is corrupted or lost, and store them in different places and on different mediums, like CD, DVD, different hard drives, etc.
2) Deactivate your current plugins on your site. Some plugins might not be compatible with the new WordPress version, so it’s smart to check if there are new versions of them and deactivate any that may cause problems. You can reactivate the plugins one-by-one after the upgrade to see if they are working.
3) Download the latest WordPress program files here to your desktop. Extract them before uploading.
Use an FTP software, copy the new files to your server and overwrite the old files. However, be careful that you DO NOT overwrite the following folders : wp-content, plugins and themes. You may have uploaded earlier some third-party plugins and themes which you are currently using on your blog. Overwriting the folders will wipe out those! Instead, copy and overwrite the contents of those folders so that your third-party files will not be deleted!
4) Upgrade your WordPress site by keying the upgrade command in the browser’s address bar. It should be something like this : http://yoursite.com/wordpress/wp-admin/upgrade.php. This URL assumes that your WordPress site is in the /wordpress/ folder. Hit “Enter” and wait for the upgrade to complete.
5) That’s it! Activate your plugins to see if they work with the new WordPress. Should you face any problems, refer to the WordPress extended upgrade instructions here.
Cheers!
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