Help! I cannot transfer the large site files from my host to new owner's host!

by DoraKong

Posted: 13 years ago 18 replies

PROGRAMMING

Hello,

I recently sold some domains to someone, but I am having trouble transferring the respective large site files/database backups to the new owner using the file manager on my cpanel at Hostgator. In fact, I just got a "failed delivery" message. When I contacted Hostgator about this matter, this is the reply I got from them:

In that case the best idea would be to transfer the files manually with rsync or sftp directly from our server to GoDaddy's. The technicians at GoDaddy should be able to help you with this.

On our end, we basically shell into the account from the server that has the site content and rsync them over to our end. This can be done via godaddy also, as they should have the capabilities and the support representatives to achieve this on their end. Basically all they would need is your cPanel username and password and the server IP you are on.

So I then contacted the new owner's host, Godaddy, to see if what Hostgator proposed is possible:

I understand your issue is with moving files to a hosting account within our network. Our shared hosting accounts do not support an option to transfer files from one network to a hosting account here. The customer would need to have a Virtual or Dedicated Server for this function, without this you will need to manually download the files and backup any databases and upload them to the hosting account here. If the customer needs assistance we recommend them contact support for issues related to their account.

Thus, I am lost as to how to transfer the files/backups to the new owner. The other problem is that I can't just do a full backup of my cpanel and give it to the new owner, as I only sold some of my domains, not ALL. Is my only other option FTP? I haven't dabbled too much with that so what are my other options for this situation?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated, as I would like to transfer everything ASAP! Thanks!

Sincerely,

Dora

#files #host #large #owner #site #transfer

Karen Blundell 13 years ago

which is the reason I would NEVER ever use GoDaddy for their lousy hosting...they are good as a registrar...even then, ordering through them is like going through a million hoops...anyway...because of their stupidity, unfortunately, your only option is via FTP.

FileZilla is an excellent free FTP app that's super easy to use and has a lot of support.

Just ftp the files over to the buyer
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- Karen Blundell 13 years ago
  
  another idea: if the thought of learning FTP is far too daunting, why not just put the files in a directory on your domain's server and have the client download the file directly. Just give them the download link. Make sure you make it a private directory and give the client 72 hours to download it, at which time remove it from your server.
  
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Codez 13 years ago

I would suggest you learn how to use FTP once you get the hang of it, it makes life so much easier.
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Kacy Carlsen 13 years ago

I would have to suggest that you find a hosting provider that uses cPanel for a seamless transfer and that will do the file transfer for you, and in the long run provide better levels of service for their shared hosting customers

Otherwise, FTP is probably going to be your only option and then you will still have to deal with emails, databases, etc.
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jmartinez 13 years ago

Don't be afraid of using ftp software. It's easy to do what you current need and the truth is you need to know how to do this if you sell a site to someone. Just download filezilla and enter in the correct settings. Then you can connect to the remote server and copy all the files over. If you have trouble post here or talk with the remote host support so they can give you the correct info to setup an sftp connection.

If all that is too much, then like someone else said you can zip up all the files and upload it to your website. Give out the link to who you want to give the files to and then they can download it.
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DavidWincent 13 years ago

You can use FTP to transfer files. Or, you can upload files on your domain server and provide with a download link for the users to download the files.
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- scorpio9 13 years ago
  
  if its a WordPress install you can use WPTwin plugin to clone the site and move to the new host, it will cost but it's very simple to set and you will be able to use it over and over, so in future moving a site will be a breeze
  
  I must say though GoDaddy hosting is not very good for something like this
  
  good luck
  Lee
  
  Thanks
  
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iuditg 13 years ago

The other thing you can do is, buy a new cheap hosting account which supports cPanel, you can check hostthename.com (they are warriors as well), submit a ticket and they would transfer the files and domains you want to.
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wasabi20 13 years ago

Use ssh , make a .tar.gz and wget it from the new server and extract it.

Remove crap and enjoy !

It's the "best" way !
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lordspace 13 years ago

You have these options:

1) do it yourself
2) ask somebody else

but before that you'll have to decide why you move. Did you hit the space limits ?
if the transfer is too painful why not ask the tech support of your current hosting to upgrade you and move your databases and files to the new location ?

The migration of several sites can take from several hours to days.
This includes DNS changes, Database backup/restore, emails creation etc., compatibility issues (php, mysql etc)

if you need to send large files you could look into
1) another hosting that you'll be using as a file hosting
2) check some of the cloud offers e.g. amazon, rackpace etc.

do some planning before you pull the switch.
your main domain should be last to switch so you can get your emails all the time.

Good luck!
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David Tan 13 years ago

godaddy sucks, period.

as for transferring files part, i've written up a ftp clients comparison not long ago so hopefully that can help you out a bit
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- Karen Blundell 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by David Tan
  
  godaddy sucks, period.
  
  as for transferring files part, i've written up a ftp clients comparison not long ago so hopefully that can help you out a bit
  
  lol..your comment about GoDaddy made me giggle. Though I still use them as a registrar for some of my older domains, I'll probably switch when I go to buy new ones.
  
  anyway, hopefully the OP's problem got sorted out.
  
  Thanks
  
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darklord2710 12 years ago

Using FTP Software to up load, don't upload directly, too low. You can use FXP Flash to do it, Good luck!
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- porcupine73 12 years ago
  
  When I do this type of thing, I use Putty to log in to a shell on either server (new or old), and then transfer the files that way. If they are large or many files you may get better luck making a tape archive (tar) and compressing with gz.
  
  Another option that works well is to mount to the remote machine, but that requires exceptions in the firewall and generally on shared servers you won't be able to do it at all (VPS or dedicated only).
  
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Kingfish85 12 years ago

As only 1 person said, use ssh & wget to copy it over. FTP is slow and sucks up bandwidth.
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- xrampage16 12 years ago
  
  Well, wget is a good method if you have ssh on the new server. If you have ssh on both servers, you can ssh into your original server, and then use the "scp" command to transfer it to the new server.
  
  Also, check the partition type on the new server. If the partition is FAT32, you will run into the 2 gig limit issue, which will prevent you from transferring a file that is larger than 2 gigs to the new web server. Regardless, unless you have TONS and TONS of up speed, scp, or wget on the new server from the old server is your best bet.
  
  If you need help with this process, feel free to contact me, and I can quote you a price.
  
  Thanks
  
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vverrall 12 years ago

Does anyone offer a service to do this? Surely there is a paid service out there?
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jfambrini 12 years ago

Ask your buyer to switch to Hostgator or FTP is the way to go.
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Help! I cannot transfer the large site files from my host to new owner's host!

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