upgrading from 1.3.8a to 1.3.9h Can I do this?

like the title said, I want to upgrade my site from 1.3.8a to 1.3.9h.

I read the upgrading page and the comparing the old version and new version is just too much. so I was wondering if i can just do this instead.

1. install a fresh 1.3.9h version on the server (with a new database)
2. upload the old database to the new database
3. then run zc_install and do a database upgrade
4. reinstall all mod that i need and redo the template

Will this work?

If you're confident about redoing the template as you want it, yes, that would work.

Any mods that you had that required a SQL patch to be run would not need that step repeated, because the db modifications would still be there after you import the old db.

one more thing. on the 3 easy step to upgrading page

on step 3. Testing

"EDIT your "/zen_new/includes/configure.php" file and ensure that the DIR_FS_CATALOG and DIR_WS_CATALOG and DIR_FS_SQL_CACHE (and other path settings too) correctly match your NEW directory structure on the server.

EDIT your "/zen_new/includes/configure.php" file and ensure that your DATABASE_NAME matches your NEW database. Also verify database username and password in case that information has changed. Save this file, and be sure to upload it as part of the next step:"

that is fine but don't you need to edit the configure.php file in the admin section too? "/admin/includes/configure.php"
I think you do but it wasn't listed.

It mentions the admin file in the preceding sentence, but you are right that it should probably explicitly say something like "do the same for the /admin/includes/configure.php file".

If your /zen_new folder doesn't have "/includes/configure.php" and "/admin/includes/configure.php" files, copy them from your old store folder.

if i do it this way, do i need to do all the configuration for the store again? or just the add-on and template ( the way the store looks)

Yes, you'll have to redo everything that the database doesn't copy over.
You'll know what that is after you've done it.

You ARE going to do this in a TEST AREA FIRST, right? Or are you going to throw all that advice to the wind as well?

thanks for all the help.