Moving from 4GH to a Compatible Hosting Plan
Here's the Lowdown: If you purchased Web Hosting and found it doesn't support a
component your site requires, you can migrate your site to a compatible hosting plan.
Due to its complexity, you probably can't migrate your site in one sitting. Though it might take a few days to complete, this guide ensures you're covered from start to finish.
If you purchased Web Hosting, migrate to a compatible hosting plan if your site requires these components or features:
- FrontPage® Extensions
- Access databases
To see if you use Web Hosting, click here.
Before we go further — there's no way to move from Web Hosting without some downtime. This process minimizes the time your site is down, but your site might be inaccessible for up to 48 hours.
NOTE: Completing this process changes your hosting plan's absolute path. Any software or plug-ins that require your absolute hosting path will need to be updated. For information, see Finding Your Hosting Account's Absolute Path.
Backing Up and Saving Your Site's Files
If you uploaded files to your Web Hosting account, they're deleted when your account is canceled. To avoid losing the files, you can use the FTP File Manager to create a .zip back up and then download it. If you still have your site's files saved to your hard drive, you can skip this step and purchase a compatible hosting plan.
To Back Up and Save Your Site's Files
- Log in to your Account Manager.
- Click Web Hosting.
- Next to the hosting account you want to use, click Launch.
- Click the FTP File Manager icon in the Content section of the Hosting Control Center.
- Select all of your site's files.
NOTE: You can only archive up to 20MB of data, but you might create multiple archives.
- Click the Archive icon in the action bar.
- Complete the on-screen instructions.
- Select Destination:
- Enter the name of a new or existing destination folder or click Browse to navigate to an existing directory into which you want to archive the selected items.
- Archive Name:
- Enter a name for this archive file.
- Archive Type:
- Select the archive type.
Zip (.zip) - This is used for Windows or Linux hosting accounts.
Tar GZip (tar.gz) - This is used for Linux hosting accounts. - Password (optional):
- This field is only available for Zip archive compression and offers the option of password protecting your compressed archive file.
- Overwrite existing file:
- Select this option to overwrite any archived files or directories with the same name as those your are archiving within the selected destination directory.
- Click OK.
- Select your
.zipback up file, click Download, and then save the file to your computer.
Purchasing Compatible Hosting
Once you have the .zip backup your site's files, purchase a hosting account that supports your required components here.
Canceling Your Web Hosting
Because you can't have two hosting plans with the same domain name, you need to cancel your Web Hosting before you can set up your new compatible hosting plan.
Once your hosting account is canceled, your site is inaccessible. Generally, you must wait an hour to set up your compatible hosting account, although it might take up to 24 hours.
To Cancel Your Web Hosting
- Log in to your Account Manager.
- Click Web Hosting.
- Click on the name of the hosting account you want to cancel.
- Click Cancel this account.
- Click Cancel Account.
Setting Up Your Compatible Hosting
Once you've canceled your Web Hosting, you can set up your compatible hosting within 24 hours.
To Set up Your Hosting Account
- Log in to your Account Manager.
- Click Web Hosting.
- Next to the hosting account you want to use, click Launch.
- Complete the following fields, and then click Finish:
- Enter domain — Enter the domain name you want to use.
- FTP user name — Use the automatically generated user name, or click Change, and then enter the FTP user name you want to use.
- Password & Confirm password — Enter the password you want to use to access your hosting account with FTP and to log in to the Hosting Control Center directly.
- (Optional) SSL credits — If you have SSL credits in the same account as the domain name you want to use, select the SSL credit you want to use with this hosting account.
The estimated wait time for your hosting account to become accessible displays. Once your hosting account is ready to use, we send you an email message containing all of your basic account-management information.
Uploading Your Site's Back Up
After your compatible hosting plan is activated, upload the back up of your files. If you did not create a
.zip backup earlier, see Uploading Files to Your Website (FTP). Otherwise, follow these instructions.
NOTE: Multiple file uploading requires Adobe Flash® Player 9. We also recommend using the latest version of your browser. Multiple file upload functionality is not compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or later versions.
To Upload Your Site's Back Up
- Log in to your Account Manager.
- Click Web Hosting.
- Next to the hosting account you want to use, click Launch.
- In the Content section of the Hosting Control Center, click the FTP File Manager icon.
- Select html using the directory tree.
- In the menu bar, click Upload.
- Click Browse , and then select the
.zipback up file from your computer. If your.zipback up file is larger than 8MB, see Using the Hosting Control Center Web-Based Java FTP Client. - Click Upload.
- Select your
.zipback up file, and then click the Unarchive icon in the action bar. - Select the following options:
- Select Destination
- To unarchive your site properly, ensure the destination field only contains a forward-slash ("/").
- Overwrite existing file
- Select this option to overwrite any file with the same name.
- Click OK.
Updating Your DNS
For your site to be accessible, your domain name's DNS settings might need to be modified.
- If your domain name and hosting are in the same account, updates happen automatically.
- If your domain is registered elsewhere, see Setting Nameservers for Your Domain Names to obtain your domain's correct nameservers.
-
If your domain is registered with us, but in another account, see Finding Your Hosting Account's IP Address and then update your domain name's A record using your IP address.
To Update Your A Record
- Log in to your Account Manager.
- Next to Domains, click Launch.
- Go to the Zone File Editor for the domain name you want to update.
- In the A (Host) section, click the A record you want to edit.
- From your A (Host) group, locate the "@" host, and then click Edit in the Actions column.
- Complete the following:
- Host Name
- Do not modify this field. It should remain "@."
- Points to IP Address
- Enter your new IP address.
- TTL
- Do not modify this field. It should remain at its default.
- Click Save Zone File, and then click OK.
Request Credit for Your Web Hosting Purchase
Select only one of the following, and then email our support department regarding your decision at Get Help or contact our billing department 24/7 at (480) 505-8855.
- A refund of all remaining time from your Web Hosting purchase.
- A renewal of your compatible hosting plan using the remaining funds from your Web Hosting purchase.