Moving Servers: Need Advice Suggestions Limitations Possibilities

I’m moving a mega site account http://PetLvr.com/ to a Virtual Private Server. There is no WHM or scripts for me to take and backup and copy, so I will be doing this all manually. These are my specific concerns and I was wondering if anybody with experience or advice is out there and can offer some to me! Sorry if this drags on and on (in advance)

PetLvr.com is a large site. I am using 5 domain aliases that refer to certain folders of PetLvr.com’s physical drive. For instance, http://1800HART.com is a domain alias for http://PetLvr.com/hbsmc/

THESE ARE THE BLOGS IN QUESTION ON THE MEGA SITE

a) PetLvr.com/blog/ = PetLvr.com/blog
version 2.2
b) 1800hart.com/blog/ = PetLvr.com/hbsmc/blog/
version 2.1
c) 1800hart.com/picks/ = PetLvr.com/hbsmc/picks/
version 2.2
d) CorydonClock.com/blog/ = PetLvr.com/corydonclock/blog/
version 2.0.4
e) PapillonLvr.com/blog/ = PetLvr.com/papillonlvr/blog/
version 2.1
f) HARTandYVONNE.com/blog/ = PetLvr.com/hartandyvonne/blog/
version 2.1
g)PetLvr-blogs.com = PetLvr.com/petlvrblogs/
wordpress-mu-1.0

Of all these blogs .. everything is in one MySQL database
>> with 239 tables
>> size is over 300MB in physical size

WHAT I WAS THINKING OF DOING

In my VPS WHM I was just going to create new accounts for each of the 5 domain aliases and the main PetLvr account. In the PetLvr account I would FTP everything over except the folders used by the domain aliases. For each of the domain aliases I was going to just copy in the contents of the folder it represents.

For the MySQL database I was going to create new, blank MySQL databases for each new account created and manually copy/paste from my notepad all the contents of the 300MB existing MySQL database backup (made through phpMyAdmin). I would adjust the config files accordingly for the name change of the MySQL database and user and update permalinks in the blog. So, ultimately I would have 6 identical databases in different accounts. Eventually, I would just go in and delete the tables that I know do not belong.

SPECIAL ISSUE WITH THE MAIN PETLVR BLOG MYSQL

If you browse my profile, I have had constant problems with this database with no support help or responses. Basically (i.m.o.) it’s a result of me upgrading it directly from version 1.5.2 to version 2.1 in one step. Now it’s been upgraded to version 2.2 with the “Instant Upgrade Plugin”. About 80% of my archives of about 2400 posts are ruined and cut off at the ‘more’ statement and useless.

This is what I’d like to try to do with this domain to try to fix.

– I would restore the blog as it is now – version 2.2
– then I would use the InstantUpgrade plugin and downgrade to version 1.5.2 (I’m not really sure I can downgrade to here)
– I would delete my current MySQL database upgraded to 2.2
– I would copy in my clean backup at version 1.5.2 made – last February 2007.
– I would use InstantUpgrade plugin and upgrade to version 2.0
– then, I would Instant Upgrade again to version 2.1
– Then I would Instant Upgrade a final time to version 2.2
– I would copy/paste everything later than what existed back in February 2007 and just add it to the MySQL database
– I would update the permalinks.

Even though this is way above my technical skill – what else can I do? The alternative is just manually replacing copy/paste each individual archive as it comes to my attention – or, take a year off and update them all manually in numerical post number order!

IMPLICATIONS OF MOVING TO THE ROOT

Each of these blogs except the MU version have the blog in a subfolder. If I’m doing all of this anyway .. is it worth it for me to move back one directory to the root? e.g. from PapillonLvr.com/blog/ to just PapillonLvr.com ? What has to be done? or What problems could result?

FINALLY: ANYBODY OUT THERE THAT EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING I AM?