Data base merging

[sparktronic]

My host moved my site to a new server. The ver 1.3.9h I had did not work on the newer php version they have using php ver 5.3.14. So I decided to install a fresh zen cart and start from scratch. However, I would like to retain my customers, products, emails ect. I am not sure what to extract from the old data base and what format to, (txt,cvs, sql ect) to insert it into the new database. Can you point me to a direction or help?
It is:
•Server: Localhost via UNIX socket
•Server version: 5.5.25a-cll
•Protocol version: 10
•MySQL charset: UTF-8 Unicode (utf8)
Web server
•sw-cp-server/1.0.0
•MySQL client version: 5.1.59
PHP version 5.3.14

[DrByte]

What specific reason prevents you from simply restoring the backup and continuing with that, thus losing nothing?

[sparktronic]

I wasn't sure I could do that being the old cart was 1.3.9h and the new is 1.5.1. The old cart database is named cat1 and the new is named rlaw_cartzen. That was the only reason. This will be the first time I am doing this also and am a little green when it come to data bases and MySQL.

[DrByte]

When changing from one server to another, one should always use the *same* version of Zen Cart.
Then if an upgrade is also desired, do that afterward. (Or do the upgrade beforehand).

Else you run into this exact symptom.

[DrByte]

So:
1. Install v1.3.9 to "someplace".
2. Restore your 1.3.9 data to that "someplace"'s database.
3. Test that it can show the store.
4. Install v1.5.1 to that same "someplace"
5. Run zc_install and choose "database upgrade"
6. Test that it can show the store.

Now you'll have a v1.5.1 database ready to be used on your v1.5.1 site, and it will contain all the customer/etc data that you didn't want to lose, instead of the blank database you've got now.

[sparktronic]

I read a thread that says 1.3.9 and higher are compatible with php 5.3 but what about php 5.5. My host just upgraded to 5.5.25 and now I get a blank page and these errors:
/var/www/vhosts/rochesterlaw.org/httpdocs/store/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php on line 406
[Wed Feb 20 21:37:46 2013] [error] [client 66.66.232.57] PHP Deprecated: Function ereg() is deprecated in /var/www/vhosts/rochesterlaw.org/httpdocs/store/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php on line 406
[Wed Feb 20 21:37:46 2013] [error] [client 66.66.232.57] PHP Fatal error: Cannot redeclare date_diff() in