Title: SO lost… Last modified: August 19, 2016 --- # SO lost… * [christophermalo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christophermalo/) * (@christophermalo) * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/) * Ok. It would be more impossible for me to be thoroughly confused… * I have had a wordpress blog, hosted on wordpress.com. I wanted a domain and hosting so I could add plug-ins. I purchased a domain and hosting and no longer understand anything. * How can I get/move the blog I already have, to the new host under the domain name? My host says I need to get a MySQL package from WordPress. WordPress.org or WordPress.com? I try to log in to WordPress.com, but my UN & PW don;t work. Then I use the new admin ones, but they don’t work on this forum. I try searching through the forums and can’t find any relevant information, other than a post that suggests I can’t (easily) use a theme I have been using on WordPress.com over at WordPress.org. So if I can’t use anything from WordPress, .com or .org, why do I have anything to do with it or need to log into any control panels? It doesn’t help at all that it seems that WordPress also does hosting? So when I search for answers I have NO idea if they are talking about when they are hosting or a third party. * This is ungodly frustrating… Looking at the homepages of WordPress.com and WordPress. org there is not something remotely simplifying or clearing up and possible confusion. * Please, please, help. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 19 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/page/2/?output_format=md) * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250705) * you login to wordpress.com using your wordpress.com login and password. the same password you have been using. IF you have trouble, then request a password reset here: * [http://wordpress.com/wp-login.php?action=lostpassword](http://wordpress.com/wp-login.php?action=lostpassword) * Thats NOT the password you use for your new web hosting, OR the password here. OR your not-set up” self-hosted, able to use plugins, blog. * Thats JUST for wordpress.com * You login to your wordpress.com blog and then navigate to Manage –> Export. * From there, you can export your posts and whatnot. * The rest relies on you getting your new self-hosted blog installed, and THOSE instructions are all in the documentation: * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started_with_WordPress#Installation](http://codex.wordpress.org/Getting_Started_with_WordPress#Installation) * You can, additionally, always search for “how to install wordpress on asdf” ( where asdf has been changed to your new web host) and see what that turns up if the docs above prove daunting. * Thread Starter [christophermalo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christophermalo/) * (@christophermalo) * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250713) * Whooami, Thank you for the response. * > You login to your wordpress.com blog and then navigate to Manage –> Export. > From there, you can export your posts and whatnot. * When I asked the CS Agent at my host company, he said it wasn’t an XML file I needed but the MySQL. * I will try the installation, but looking it over, I get lost at where it says: * > Open wp-config.php in your favorite text editor and fill in your database details > as explained in Editing wp-config.php to generate and use your _secret key > password_. * Secret key? * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250717) * > When I asked the CS Agent at my host company, he said it wasn’t an XML file > I needed but the MySQL. * how long has the CS Agent been using wordpress? * Ive been using it for almost 5. * — * try the google search I suggested. EVERYONE blogs about how to install wordpress on their particular host. * Just make sure that you install the latest version (2.8.4) * Thread Starter [christophermalo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christophermalo/) * (@christophermalo) * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250721) * Again, thank you Whooami. I got the distinct impression the agent wasn’t from this country. That does not mean he is not familiar or versed with WordPress, but I got the impression something was getting lost in translation. * I will give this a try tonight and report back the results. * [jonimueller](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jonimueller/) * (@jonimueller) * [16 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250747) * Well you aren’t installing WP anew, really. You’d be doing an upgrade because you already have existing content. That’s where the XML file comes into play. That packs up the data (posts, pages, settings — not all settings but most settings) and gets it ready to be pulled into the newly setup WP site elsewhere. In your case, at your shiny new web host account. * You can set up WP the old fashioned way, setting up a specific database and user and linking the user to the database. All this info will be needed to include in the wp-config.php file which you will need to edit in a text editor (Notepad, NOT MS Word!) prior to uploading. * OR since you are fairly new at this, I suggest that you let the Fantastico installer( if it’s a cPanel web host account) or the one-click installer (for Dreamhost) set the new WP site up for you. * THEN once that’s set up, you go into the new WP blog and import the XML file and voila, all your posts and pages will be there. * HTH. * Thread Starter [christophermalo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christophermalo/) * (@christophermalo) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250751) * Joni, Thank you for the help. * I am so beyond frustrated right now. I know people are trying to help, but there’s bits and pieces of info and some of it applies and some doesn’t and it’s all written so I can’t even begin to understand what I have done or need to do. * [ Here’s where I am stuck: * When you return to the main MySQL Account Maintenance screen, cPanel will list information about the database you just created. You should see the username you just added to the database (with ALL PRIVILEGES), as well as a few sample Connection Strings for you to use in Perl or PHP scripts to connect to the database. The PHP code will have the following format: * > $dbh = mysql_connect(“hostname”, “username”, “”) or die (“message”); > > mysql_select_db(“databasename”); * Uhm…. no Connection Strings. * It would positively not be possible for this to be more maddening or frustrating. * [gene02](https://wordpress.org/support/users/gene02/) * (@gene02) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250754) * Try setting WP without importing the old files. This way you will know it is not a import issue. You can IM me if you want at [email deleted – no history as member] if you want to discuss me installing it for you. * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250755) * gene, read much before trolling around with unsolicited offers to “help”? the OP is inside cpanel setting up the initial database. she or he isnt even close to the import process, which btw, wont be done inside cpanel. * christophermalo, word from the wise.. beware unsolicited offers of help from folks that have NO history when you click on the word “member” under their name. * 3 posts on these forums is the equivalent of ‘nothing’ around here. * regarding the install process, are you sure youre in cpanel? some hosts actually provide their own control panel app, which looks like cpanel, but isnt. * Thread Starter [christophermalo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christophermalo/) * (@christophermalo) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250820) * I do believe I am at the correct cpanel. When I log in to my host, that’s where I see the cpanel and all options. So how do I distinguish the cpanel I should be using? * So frustrating. A coworker can’t understand the problem I am having. It was simple for her. * Justhost’s CSR was adamant about me needing to contact WordPress to have them give me the MySQL files. * So far I have the host telling me one thing, which is contradictory to what real people are telling me, and keep getting referred to WP tutorials that are both confusing and don;t address the problem I am having. So it’s not even a matter of following the directions, it’s determining which one’s to follow before even trying to decipher them before even trying to implement them. Awesome. * Wasn’t going for Gene’s bait. * Thread Starter [christophermalo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christophermalo/) * (@christophermalo) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250846) * Can anyone help me with this: * [ Here’s where I am stuck : * When you return to the main MySQL Account Maintenance screen, cPanel will list information about the database you just created. You should see the username you just added to the database (with ALL PRIVILEGES), as well as a few sample Connection Strings for you to use in Perl or PHP scripts to connect to the database. The PHP code will have the following format: * > $dbh = mysql_connect(“hostname”, “username”, “”) or die (“message”); > > mysql_select_db(“databasename”); * I don;t see any Connection Strings. * And I believe I am in the CP, because that’s what it says I am in, and has all the controls, when I log into my host. * Thread Starter [christophermalo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christophermalo/) * (@christophermalo) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250847) * Ok. Maybe I should clarify. Something just occurred to me. When you go to my domain, there is now a WordPress blog there. I just want to switch it/upload my old one. Not sure if I was clear about that. Hoping to keep the theme and widgets, but at the VERY least, the posts. * [jonimueller](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jonimueller/) * (@jonimueller) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250848) * You should go to your WordPress.COM blog and export the XML. This packs up the pages, posts and most of the settings (but sometimes not the links/bookmarks or categories — those seem to be crapshoots) so that you can go to your new blog on your domain, login to the back end and under Tools, IMPORT the XML file (which you should have saved to your hard drive during the first export process). Does this make sense? If not, contact me offlist (check my profile) and I can try to help. * [jonimueller](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jonimueller/) * (@jonimueller) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250849) * Just make a list of the plugins your *.COM blog is using, along with the theme it’s using. There should be links to those at the *.com blog. Unfortunately, you’ll have to grab those yourself. You’ll have to unpack the theme files and upload them to your server under the /wp-content/themes folder. Fortunately, the latest version of WordPress allows you to browse the /extend/ WP Plugin Repository, download a ZIP file of the plugin and install it from the zip distro right from the WP Dashboard. You’ll just need to make a list of the plugins your old blog was using. * Thread Starter [christophermalo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christophermalo/) * (@christophermalo) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250850) * Joni, Thank you! That has been the first thing I have read or done that makes sense. And I was able to do. Now that I have uploaded it, where or in what folder should I put the xml file? * The second post made sense to me. At least enough for me to take a try at, after I take care of the first half. * Thank you kindly for your experience, time and patience. * [jonimueller](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jonimueller/) * (@jonimueller) * [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/#post-1250851) * You don’t need to “upload” the XML file. You Export it to your hard drive and then Import it to your new WP blog from the WP dashboard. To do that, login to your new WP blog. From the dashboard, navigate to “Tools.” Choose Import. You will then be allowed to browse your hard drive for the *.xml file. WP will ask you if you want to import just selected authors or all authors. If an author existed on the old blog but does not exist on the new one, you have the option of creating that new author on the fly or dumping that author’s posts into an existing author of your choice. * Check the box that asks if you want to import attachments, images and files. That should take care of it. * Then double check to be sure your categories survived the import. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 19 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘SO lost…’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [exporting](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/exporting/) * [MySQL](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/mysql/) * In: [Installing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/installation/) * 19 replies * 4 participants * Last reply from: [christophermalo](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christophermalo/) * Last activity: [16 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/so-lost/page/2/#post-1250855) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics