Moving free phpBB to my own domain (& buying it) etc

Iffy'swifey

I have a free to use phpBB forum but I would like to have it hosted elsewhere and buy the domain for it, so how do I go about doing it and what is it likely to cost me?

Will it cause any disruption for my members if I was to move the forum? Is it easy to do?

Thanks

Kilty_2

If I remember correctly, you can backup the database so that all users, posts etc are saved.

You then purchase hosting and a domain (I reccommend GoDaddy.com) and instal PHPBB, reinstate the database and it's done

(That's all hoping your free hosting provider allows database backup. It should.)

Iffy'swifey

Ah ha, thank you very much!

Astaroth

Cost will depend on which domain extention you get (.uk, .com etc) and I would recommend using https://www.123-reg.co.uk

You could then just point the domain to your free hosting which would cut the costs down but isnt ideal.

Alternatively you then also buy hosting package (I recommend https://www.dataflame.co.uk) and copy everything across as Kilty says - how much hosting costs will be subject to how much space/ bandwidth you require

Iffy'swifey

I don't understand all this bandwidth lark.

The reason I want to move is to make my forum easier to find, and to also do away with the ads and things that come up on my free forum. If I get my own site, then I can choose which advertising (if any) to allow.

I know of someone who had a free forum at the same place as I do, and she used their sister company to transfer to her own domain. She said it cost £60 all in for 6 months. Is that a good deal?

ukbill69

You can get better packages. Theres tones, all you need is a bit of bandwidth around 5gb and mysql and php and thats it. Transfering your database, if you can backup the database so you can download it then youll be find, just restore database on new host.

Iffy'swifey

Thanks, so where do I go to get the package?

Kilty_2

Try GoDaddy.

I pay £18.17 for 12 months hosting and £6 for 12 months .net domain name with privacy enabled

Iffy'swifey

A friend has just recommended one.com, does anyone know what they are like?

Astaroth

As per my previous post - https://www.dataflame.co.uk give excellent service and have won a number of consumer voted awards. Their basic hosting packages which will have everything you need start from £30 a year.

I would buy domains seperate from the host in case you ever fall out with the host and want to switch so would go for https://www.123-reg.co.uk which again have always given exceptional service and dont have any hidden charges

clayts

https://www.34sp.com for hosting

https://www.heartinternet.co.uk for domain names (ex 123-reg employees, undercut 123 reg every time)

Used both for a few years without complaint