Clean reinstall/upgrade...possible?

[saliva]

I currently am running zencart 1.3 (I think) and want to upgrade, but my host doesn't allow more than one database. So, my question is, can I backup my current site, delete it off the server, upload the new version and then merge the two?

What is the best way to go about this and what considerations should I have.

Thanks
Tim
Permanent-Revolution.com

[gjh42]

Your database limitations shouldn't affect your file directories. You can leave the old files as is (or move to a holding directory) and load the new files in a new directory. The database can be handled similar to the recommended procedure - export the contents as usual (save as file), then wipe the database clean (drop all tables) and run the zc_install to set up the new version. Compare and transfer template files as usual, and import the saved export data (back) into the database, and run zc_install to upgrade the database.

The only real problem with this is that you can't have your store operating while testing the procedure, and can't keep the original database untouched. It's definitely riskier than the usual method. If you can set up a test site on your local pc, you can try out the operation to get familiar with it.