Installing an old site with a fresh WP install

  • Resolved csburdick

    (@csburdick)


    6 years, 4 months ago

    Hi all, I have an old WP site, been around for nearly 13 years, and over time it’s accumulated so many old settings, cluttered database, and so on.

    So what I want to do is move it over to a new server, install a fresh version of WP, then ONLY import the necessities; posts, pages, comments, media, etc. I’ll be installing a new theme as well, so that data can go. I don’t mind setting up plugins and settings again.

    What’s the best way to go about doing this? There’s the old-fashioned database import but I’m afraid the wp_postmeta and wp_options clutter will bring some problems along with it.

    There’s also the Tools -> Export/Import option?

    What do you think?

    The page I need help with: [log in to see the link]

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Moderator bcworkz

    (@bcworkz)

    You’re right, exporting DB tables is going to also export all the cruft you wish to eliminate. I would use the export tool within WP. You can also fine tune exactly what is exported, such as only posts by certain authors or within a certain date range. Of course you can further refine posts etc. after import if some undesirable data slips through.

    Your new site then needs the wordpress-importer plugin to import the created export file.

    Thread Starter csburdick

    (@csburdick)

    Thanks for the reply! So there are a couple things i’m worried about:

    – We have nearly 5000 posts, and I’m worried that it’s too many for the importer to handle at once. Should I break it down into months before importing, or will it be fine?
    – Will the comments also come with it? I’m not seeing an option to export comments.

    Thanks!

    Moderator bcworkz

    (@bcworkz)

    Size could be an issue due to file size or execution time restrictions. It depends on server configuration. I think I would try the entire thing first. It could work. If not, how badly it fails could indicate how many chunks you need to break it up into.

    I would expect comments to come along with the related posts. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t. I don’t have that much personal experience with this process though. TBH, I always move sites manually because I don’t usually run into sites with lots of cruft.

    Thread Starter csburdick

    (@csburdick)

    Good plan, thanks a ton!

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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