Wordpress suggesting I update to new version: Do I do it?

Always backup your site first!

Updates usually go through no problem, (I've just updated one of my sites and getting ready to do the others), but it's always better to err on the side of caution and have a backup handy in case something goes wrong.

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BillyBee

13 years ago

Originally Posted by sanssecret

Always backup your site first!

Updates usually go through no problem, (I've just updated one of my sites and getting ready to do the others), but it's always better to err on the side of caution and have a backup handy in case something goes wrong.

Sorry for the basic question, but exactly how do I backup as you suggest? Thanks!

Thanks
2 replies

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SGForce 13 years ago

Originally Posted by BillyBee

Sorry for the basic question, but exactly how do I backup as you suggest? Thanks!

Just FTP in and copy everything. If it ever explodes, just FTP and put it all back.
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- Istvan Horvath 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by SGForce
  
  Just FTP in and copy everything. If it ever explodes, just FTP and put it all back.
  
  Nonsense... there is nothing in the files.
  
  Backup = means the database where all your content is!
  
  [ 1 ] Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  biosclan 13 years ago
  
  You would back up your database before you update, i do a simple WP backup before installing most plugins as well.
  
  Thanks
  
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- merlincat 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by SGForce
  
  Just FTP in and copy everything. If it ever explodes, just FTP and put it all back.
  
  Sorry???
  
  I'm completley lost with that, to say my techie knowledge is basic...
  
  I updated (without backing up,ooops) and everything is ok
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  Istvan Horvath 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by merlincat
  
  Sorry???
  
  I'm completley lost with that, to say my techie knowledge is basic...
  
  I updated (without backing up,ooops) and everything is ok
  
  Why are you paying attention to the most idiotic reply in the whole thread?
  Several members gave very good and detailed answers for the original question. Concentrate on those
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
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Kym Lawn 13 years ago

Originally Posted by BillyBee

Sorry for the basic question, but exactly how do I backup as you suggest? Thanks!

I use a plugin called WP-DB-Backup.

I have it set to send me an email with the backup weekly on my busier sites.

cheers
kym
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monthlykash

13 years ago

WP states that this is a mandatory upgrade for security reasons, so YES update ASAP!
- Bruce

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foxanthony

13 years ago

I just read a horror story on another forum about updating wp so definitely back up!

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IdeaLady

13 years ago

Many WordPress updates are to plug security holes or fix other problems. Updating whenever there is a new version is smart to keep your site as secure as possible.

As noted by others in this thread, always have a backup of your site before updating WP. I have updated more sites/more times than I can count, and only had a problem once. But once is all it takes...

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bdm

13 years ago

Yes upgrade.

And as mentioned above, be sure to BACK UP your WP site from time to time. Back up everything including the data base. If you do a Google search you will find step by step directions for backing up a WP site.

I learned the hard way, don't make the same mistake I did.

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dv8domainsDotCom

13 years ago

Backup files AND database. no reason not to do both. on an update, the core files change first. then the database might be updated, as needed. if update fails and you restore one but not the other you could potentially have problems. most mysql db hosts will have access to phpmyadmin for backup/restore, it would benefit ANYONE to learn to use it. Also, practice recovery on a fresh blog, new install to learn how. Full backup, then crash and burn it all! then practice restore a few times

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Istvan Horvath 13 years ago

Originally Posted by dv8domainsDotCom

Backup files AND database. no reason not to do both.

Actually, it is useless to do both!

Except the wp-content folder, where you have your own custom themes (if any) and your plugins and uploads + your own .htaccess file - there is NOTHING in the files that you can not download from the wordpress.org site. Which means there is absolutely no need to back up any file except the wp-content folder.

On the other hand, all your content, i.e. posts, Pages, comments, settings(!) are stored in the database. So, that's what you want to back up!
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- donhx 13 years ago
  
  No, don't be in a rush to upgrade because some of your plug-ins might not work. That's as bad as a hack if your livelihood depends on your site functioning properly.
  
  Three things to consider before updating:
  
  1. If you don't have any plug-ins, go ahead and do it now. Beware that plug-ins you want may not work with the newest WP update.
  
  2. If you have plug-ins, check with the programmers and verify they work with WP's latest and greatest before doing the upgrade. Many programmers have not updated their plug-ins for version 3... there is often a long lag before programmers update their plug-ins... some never update beyond a certain version.
  
  3. WP issues lots of security updates, and you should look into the specific issue before you jump. They need to protect themselves so they issue updates for that reason, but they may not be relevant to you.
  
  I have several of 2.2 WP sites still out there and they work fine. I keep them because they have plug-ins that haven't been updated and/or I customized them. I don't have any worries about WP security issues. All the financial stuff on them is routed through a third-party cart.
  
  Thanks
  
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brendan1

13 years ago

I usually wait at least a couple days to let the plugins catch up..

Thanks

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orseay

Banned 13 years ago

It's always a good idea to keep your Wordpress blog up to date. If you don't update it, your site may eventually be hacked. Same with plugins-keep them up to date!

Also, if you backup the database of your blog before updating, you won't have anything to worry about.

Thanks

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simplebutcreative

13 years ago

Originally Posted by BillyBee

I'm new to Wordpress and have just built a site in the 3.0.1 version.

There is a note at the top of my dashboard telling me, "WordPress 3.0.2 is available. Please update now."

Do I do it? I don't know if the new version will screw up my pages or if my plugins will be affected.

Thanks for your help!

yep! do the upgrade. I just did the upgrade yesterday and everything was the same. Always keep your blog updated with the newest stuff.

Thanks
1 reply

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BillyBee

13 years ago

Geez, lots of conflicting advice in this thread.

I don't feel so clueless anymore!

Thanks
2 replies

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Alexa Smith Banned 13 years ago

Originally Posted by BillyBee

Geez, lots of conflicting advice in this thread.

It's inevitable in a forum this size.

The same's true of many other subjects, too.

The most useful skill to acquire is the interpretative one of knowing who the person is, in these conversations, to whom one should invariably pay attention. (Hint: on this subject, the initials are I.H.!). If you identify the right one or two people to listen to, on each controversial/contested subject, this enhances your survival skills enormously!

Why these things should be so controversial is another matter altogether, on a subject like this, about which most of the "differences of opinion" actually relate to factual matters! :rolleyes:
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Karen Blundell

13 years ago

Originally Posted by BillyBee

Geez, lots of conflicting advice in this thread.

I don't feel so clueless anymore!

Billy,

you should listen to the Warriors who actually provide legitimate WordPress services and who have given a lot of free help to fellow Warriors. You check out their profiles. Look at their posts. Istvan is a pro and so are others in this thread.

90% of respondents told you to upgrade your WordPress for security reasons. It is highly recommended that you listen. Never mind what others are saying about plugin incompatibility. It doesn't matter if one plugin doesn't work, because there's always another one that does the same job or better, or there's always someone around that can fix a broken WordPress, many times for free or for a very reasonable price depending on the scope of the problem.

Thanks
1 reply

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donhx

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Karen Blundell

Billy,

you should listen to the Warriors who actually provide legitimate WordPress services and who have given a lot of free help to fellow Warriors. You check out their profiles. Look at their posts. Istvan is a pro and so are others in this thread.

I've been using WP and Joomla since earliest days, have built hundreds of sites, and I stick by my advice. Don't thoughtlessly upgrade.

Thanks
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Dave Toomey 13 years ago

Backing up is a personal choice...and my choice is to always back up as I've been hacked in the past and it lead to serious issues.

Here's the safe way to do it.

1. Set up a test Wordpress install (on a domain or sub domainP
2. Add themes and plugins and a few posts and pages (all PLR to make it easy)
3. Get WP-DB-Backup plugin working
4. When a new update happens do the following....
4.1. Backup the database
4.2. Upgrade
4.3. Check everything works OK
5. If happy do it on all domains.
6. If not...don't

Don't mess with WP security...get as many security plugins as possible, change your Admin name and use a massively hard password.

Trust me.
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Karen Blundell

13 years ago

Originally Posted by donhx

I've been using WP and Joomla since earliest days, have built hundreds of sites, and I stick by my advice. Don't thoughtlessly upgrade.

Don, no one is suggesting that anyone do anything thoughtlessly. Even Matt Mullenweg and the folks over at WordPress.org, suggest you should always upgrade if for no other reason but security.

WordPress upgrades now are a snap, and most plugins that anyone would ever need to use are completely compatible with this latest version.

For you to suggest that security patches should be ignored and that people could run 2.2 safely is not the best advice, in my humble opinion. Maybe you can run 2.2 safely because you've put your own security measures in place. I'll give you that.

But the average person just wants to point and click and not have to mess with "hacks". And that is why, for those people who don't want to mess with the techie stuff, they are better off upgrading, no matter whether a couple of plugins don't work.

Thanks
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donhx

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Karen Blundell

But the average person just wants to point and click and not have to mess with "hacks". And that is why, for those people who don't want to mess with the techie stuff, they are better off upgrading, no matter whether a couple of plugins don't work.

Well, I dunno. I think my point was that if people upgrade thoughtlessly, sometimes plug-ins they need to make money cease working. That result is no different than being hacked. When a site is down, it's down. The odds of a hacker exploiting a security breach on your site is tiny, but the chances of you messing up your own site are huge if you're not careful.

A thoughtless "they told me to do it" upgrade is never a good idea. In my original post above I offered a 3 step process that helps people evaluate the risk and make a thoughtful decision about upgrading, and even non-technical people can use it.

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Janice Sperry

13 years ago

I did the upgrade as soon as it came out. My plugin for the Google translator goofed up some things on my Woo Themes home page and I had to get some help to figure out that was what it was. We removed the plugin and everything is back to normal.

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aizaku

13 years ago

do it to protect urself

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theentry

13 years ago

I usually don't bother updating, but maybe I'll this time

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paulie888

13 years ago

Just go ahead and do the upgrade. If your existing plugins work fine on 3.0.1, I'm fairly certain they'll work alright on 3.0.2 as well.

Paul

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HTMweb

13 years ago

I updated a WP site that's still in development from 2.9.2 to 3.0 and it killed my theme (posts wouldn't show on front page anymore). Now I have a secondary copy of my main site stashed away somewhere and update on that first to see what happens, making any appropriate theme fixes that are necessary.

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goobboy

13 years ago

You should backup your database first and than click auto update.
It's a very easy step.

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invitetheweb

13 years ago

When upgrading to a new version, the only problems you may run into is plug-ins might not work. So yeah, just back everything up first.

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jeffreyanderson

13 years ago

Update, there's no good reason not to do it.

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1 reply

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netkid

13 years ago

I wouldn't be in such a rush to upgrade until a little time has gone by. If it is an immediate emergency stated by Automattic, the publisher of Wordpress, then I would do it. Yes, it is correct that most of the updates are related to patching security vulnerabilities.

If you upgrade too fast, you may lose some of your plugin functionality because the authors of these plugins now have to update their code.

In addition to backing up files and the database, the proper way to upgrade Wordpress is to deactivate all your plugins before clicking the automatic update. Then after you upgrade, start activating each plugin one at a time and view your blog. You want to make sure every plugin you had is compatible with the change.

Thanks
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Karen Blundell

13 years ago

Originally Posted by netkid

I wouldn't be in such a rush to upgrade until a little time has gone by. If it is an immediate emergency stated by Automattic, the publisher of Wordpress, then I would do it. Yes, it is correct that most of the updates are related to patching security vulnerabilities.

If you upgrade too fast, you may lose some of your plugin functionality because the authors of these plugins now have to update their code.

In addition to backing up files and the database, the proper way to upgrade Wordpress is to deactivate all your plugins before clicking the automatic update. Then after you upgrade, start activating each plugin one at a time and view your blog. You want to make sure every plugin you had is compatible with the change.

Pretty much most of the plugins that anyone will ever need and that are compatible with WordPress 3.0 and above will very likely work with this newest version of WordPress. I have had zero problems with my blogs or my clients' blogs. All plugins work perfectly. This upgrade is perfectly safe.

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Istvan Horvath

13 years ago

Why not read what exactly is in this release:
Version 3.0.2 « WordPress Codex

(nothing major, if you ask me)

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jazbo

13 years ago

3.02 actually only alter about five php files, none of which you are likely to have edited, so if you are worried back up or just upload and overwrite the five changed files via ftp. Sorted.

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lamberw

13 years ago

If you have a decent hosting provider, they can revert you back to a previous state. Just update and don't worry about minor stuff like that.

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jasonmorgan

13 years ago

This question has already been answered but I thought I'd chime in...

If you're concerned about updates and how they might effect your site, set up a dummy subdomain to use as a testing ground.

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Shannon Herod

13 years ago

Yes. The main reason WP releases a new version is to fix security holes.

Shgannon

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Wordpress suggesting I update to new version: Do I do it?

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