Home > Guides > Switching To Parcom

At Parcom we understand it may seem difficult to move from one host to another.   We also know that many of you want to do this on your own without the help of an expensive web designer.   The following detailed steps will help you..

1. Login to your current hosting account and backup all your site content with whatever web publishing product you desire (FTP, FrontPage, etc.)   If there are other features to back up (like SQL databases, then you may need to obtain help from the other hosting company for that.)
2. Make note of all your e-mail account userIDs and passwords (or at the very least note all your e-mail addresses). 
3. Sign up for the new service.   Select and pay for the service that meets your current needs or something similar to what you used to have.   The signup link is at: http://www.parcom.net/signup
4. After you receive your new account, logon to your control panel and add a temporary URL.  This will give you the ability to see your web site before you actually move it.   (The temporary URL feature is located under application packs within the control panel)
5. Upload the site from your backup (from your old host) to the new account using the temporary URL assigned to you.   (Make sure you create or edit an existing FTP user in your control panel to upload with.)   Test and make sure you are happy with the site at the new location.
6. Login to the Parcom control panel  for your new account and create all necessary e-mail addresses and aliases you require.   Updating/changing passwords as you see fit. 
7. Update your name servers at your domain registrar using the name servers assigned to your new account (it is displayed on your control panel and is automatically assigned on our system).  If you used Parcom for your domain registration (or transferred it to us), just contact support and let us know that you need to adjust your name servers as you are ready to have your new account respond to your domain.  Give this at least 24 hours.
8. When you are happy with your move and have moved your contents properly, cancel the old account at your old host and start enjoying your Parcom account.  

Tips:

• There could be some downtime depending on your old host.  To reduce the problem see if you can access your old account through a temporary URL provided by your old host.  Same for accessing your old mail system.
• Create your mail accounts ahead of time on the Parcom control panel.
• Seriously consider our temporary URL option.  It can allow you to test your web site to make sure all is working ahead of time.

We recommend that you start reading the manual, the online videos, and visit the online help for the control panel system as it is very different from what you are used to.   It will take time to understand it, but we know you will in due time.  

That's it!  That may seem like a lot, but don't worry, we're experts at this and we can answer any questions you may have during this process.  

If, however this seems too difficult for you to do, then we strongly suggest you hire a trusted web developer in your area to assist you.