Newbee Questions about Moving Site to Different Server

I’m unfamiliar with WordPress, MySQL, and Apache web server. It may be difficult to fathom, but that describes the vast majority of people on the earth. This regards an existing WordPress site that someone else developed is up and running. For now, I want to copy it to my local Windows 7 PC and see if it will work, while leaving the production site functioning as is. Eventually it will be moved to an in-house production server, and the current site will be shut down. I’m having trouble with your documentation – none of it seems specific enough – almost as if it assumes you already know how to do what it’s talking about.

A humorous example is, “First Steps With WordPress – Starting from the Top – Begin by logging into the Administration Screen” But nowhere does it tell you exactly how to do that! First steps? No one would be able to do that unless they have already done it before. If the WordPress doc writer were writing a doc on “How to Take Baby’s First Steps”, it would read, “Walk over to the cookie jar.” It’s as if the documentation lacks technical empathy – the ability to tell the difference between what the doc writer knows and another person knows and the ability to fill in the gap.

A specific example related to moving to another server: “If you are changing to a new server but same domain, all you need to do is edit wp-config.php and upload everything as it is to your new server”. What do you mean, “all I need to do?” I don’t need to set up MySQL, PHP, Apache web server? I don’t need to place the WordPress folder structure in a particular place and configure the web server to run it? And what specifically do you have to change in the wp-config.php file? It doesn’t say – assuming you know. And do you even have to install WordPress first? It doesn’t say – assuming you know. And how do you incorporate the copied *.sql into MySQL? It doesn’t say – assuming you know. Practically every single line of your documentation – even the ones aimed at “beginners” is like this. But why, if you are new to WordPress, does it necessarily assume you know all about MySQL or Apache or PHP? Do you think their individual sites are going to explain how to configure them to integrate with WordPress? But if your site won’t, then what site will? All I need to do!

Let’s see, in addition to the venting, there are some direct questions in the above that your documentation doesn’t address.

I’ll summarize them for you:

1)Does WordPress need to be installed first, or is all necessary contained in the downloaded zip of the WordPress site?

2) I assume that MySQL needs to be installed first. But how does the .sql file that came with the zipped WordPress site get put into MySQL so that WordPress can read it – I’m not changing database name or user name or password or web site URL.

3) Does PHP need to be installed, and how to configure it to run mod_rewrite? I already have PHP 5.2.17 installed, but the .PHD extensions in Explorer don’t have any icon or open with any program – is that normal?

4) Where does the WordPress directory structure get unzipped, and what steps do you go through to get the site to open up in a browser? I notice there is no index.html, but there is an index.php. Does that get typed in the browser address bar to run the site?

5) Considering the above, would the following option be ideal for me: “Guided Transfer ($119.00) We love having you here with us at WordPress.com, but we understand that there are situations where a self-hosted WordPress.org site may be a better fit. Have your site transferred by one of our Happiness Engineers in a Guided Transfer.” Keep in mind the site is currently not on WordPress but another hosting company.

6) Is your documentation written by Happiness Engineers?