In Wordpress Admin, has anybody successfully used the Import / Export features on the Manage tab to update all their posts, comments, etc into a new Wordpress installation?

I just finished upgrading to Wordpress 2.51 the HARD WAY, i.e., going to PHPMyAdmin, exporting the Wordpress database, upgrading Wordpress manually (can't use Fantastico for Wordpress 2.51 yet), manually editing the wp-config.php file and then manually creating a database and database user in cPanel and then going back to PHPMyAdmin and importing my saved Wordpress database. All of which is totally fraught with peril, like one false move and you've got SQL and PHP errors up the ying-yang (some of which send you on wild goose chases).

I'd like to simplify this whole procedure as much as possible for future updates and I was just wondering if those Import/Export features actually work. After spending four hours updating my Wordpress blog and finally getting it to work, I'm not really into any further experimentation... (it ain't broke so don't fix it kind of thing...)..

(*chuckle*)... You mean you used the Wordpress Import/Export options or you used the PHPMyAdmin method working with the raw database? Sorry, I'm unclear on exactly what you meant...

As for exactly what I did:

1) Before I deleted my old blog, I used PHPMyAdmin to export the database to an .sql file. I also exported a .zip and .gzip file just to be safe but I didn't need them.

2) I uninstalled my old Wordpress installation using Fantastico.

3) Downloaded Wordpress 2.51

4) Unzipped it and renamed the wp-config-sample.php file to wp-config.php

5) Went to cPanel >> MySQL databases and created a new database called wrdp1 (which creates a database called "username_wrdp1")

6) Created a database user called wrdp1 (which creates a user called "username_wrdp1") and a password.

7) Added the "username_wrdp1" user to the "username_wrdp1" database (clicked to check "All Privileges")

8) Modified the wp-config.php file with the database name, database user and the password.

9) Uploaded all the Wordpress 2.51 files to my blog directory

11) Uploaded the Wordpress theme I was using to the themes directory (VERY IMPORTANT! This is where I got stuck.. I forgot to do this initially and I kept getting a completely blank page when I loaded my blog and I spent a lot of time thinking it was a misconfiguration with the database name, username or password)

12) Back in cPanel >> MySQL Databases >> PHPMyAdmin, I accessed the username_wrdp1 database and then imported my saved .sql file (saved in step 1)

11) Went to http://mydomain.com/blogrootdirectory/wp-admin/ in my browser. From there (after logging in) I got prompted to update the database (click on Continue). This is normal. I've seen it before.

And then my blog was finally up and running with Wordpress 2.51. (phew!)

All in all, a royal bleepin' PITA (not blaming Lunarpages.. that's just the nature of Wordpress..)

Dang. I wish I thought of that. I didn't think you could just replace your Wordpress installation manually and leave the database intact. Mind you -and I'm ashamed to admit- I had a really old installation of Wordpress that didn't have the Import / Export features so it never occurred to me that the database tied to it would be compatible with the Export feature of Wordpress 2.51.

(edit)

Actually Mitch -rereading your post- is your method possible when updating your Wordpress version to the exact same web host/blog directory?