Upgrading WordPress to 2.7

December 21st, 2008

I was asked by a reader to post a step by step method to upgrade WordPress to 2.7 so I’m happy to oblige.

The very first thing to do is make sure you back-up your WordPress database. If you haven’t already done so, make sure you’ve installed the WordPress Database Backup Plugin. If not, download the plugin, un-zip the file and upload the folder called “wp-db-backup” into your wp-content/plugins directory. Then in your WordPress admin area click on “Plugins”, and activate the plugin.

Next, click “manage”, and then click “Backup”. In your Backup options, check “download to your computer”, and then click “Backup Now”.

Now you can do the upgrade one of 2 ways:

1) Depending on your web host, you may have Cpanel installed on your web server. If you do, then the simplest way to upgrade to WordPress 2.7 is to do it from within your Cpanel.

Login to your Cpanel, click on “Software”. Next click on “Fantastico”, and then click on “WordPress”. Then click on the “Upgrade” link. This will take a few minutes. Once the system is done you’ll get a message saying that your WordPress has been successfully upgraded.

Note: Don’t use the Fantastico upgrade method if you have moved your blog from your original Fantastico installation, if you originally installed WordPress manually, or if you have moved your index page to someplace other than the WordPress root.

2) This method is super simple. Once your back-up has been done, make sure all your plugins are up to date. If they are, go and download the Instant Upgrade Plugin for WordPress and upload it via FTP to your plugins folder within your remote server. Activate the plugin by clicking “Plugins”, select the plugin and then “activate”. Now you should see a link in your Dashboard that says “Upgrade”. Deactivate all your plugins except Instant Upgrade Plugin . Click “Upgrade”. Re-activate all plugins and you’re done.

If you have a problem, then it could be that one of your plugins is not yet compatible with WordPress 2.7. Check here for compatiblity. You can also try to narrow it down by de-activating and re-activating plugins one by one. If you’re stuck, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

There is another option and it is a complete manual upgrade. You should not have to do this if you follow one of the 2 methods above without a problem.

Good luck!

Posted in Web Tools and WordPress Related

2 Responses to “Upgrading WordPress to 2.7”

  1. Matt Brandon Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 2:59 am

    What if you have change to a 3rd party theme? Do you still upgrade the same why?

    matt

  2. Karen Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 12:42 pm

    Hi Matt,

    Yes, although there are some rare instances where the theme may not be compatible with WordPress 2.7 that is why a backup is so important because if you run into serious problems, you can revert back to your previous WordPress version.

    If you upgrade to WordPress 2.7 and you suspect your theme may be causing incompatibilities, the easiest way to test this is to go into your WordPress admin and change your theme to the default Kubrick theme. If everything works, then you know your theme is the problem and you should then get in touch with the person who created your custom theme so that they can fix it for you or use another theme altogether.

    I hope I’ve helped. Good luck!