As some of you know my website is done with Joomla (therefore meaning I need a total of zero skill to have a website )

Joomla 1.5 came out a week or so ago, and I thought it'd be nice to upgrade to it, and start afresh. After a bit of a muddle, I managed to set up a subdomain with a Joomla 1.5 test installation on it, and have worked out a new template (based on another one, so hardly my own work, but required a bit of CSS learning).

The next step is to transfer Joomla 1.5 to the root domain (migrating the live database as I do so, which I know how to do sort of), transfer the Joomla 1.0 site from the root domain to a subdomain (keeping the database registed with it, and undoubedly with some dead links in it because I've mixed relative and absolute links like a muppet).

Is there a proper way of moving subdomains around so that an old and new site are swapped over? Or is it a case of ftping everything (several GB) on my computer over a few days, and then back again (which seems daft as people are introducing new websites seamlessly all the time).

Help from websitey experts would be lovely. But do try to be nice

You copy the stuff around using FTP but from location to location on the server and not server, to PC to server.

Seamless changes are only seamless to the users, a lot of work goes into them.

Righto, I'll start doing that then...

Have copied the root domain to a new subdomain, sorted the links and database, and redirected people to the new subdomain.

Presumably I then get a new site working on ANOTHER subdomain, copy it over to the root (deleting everything there first), sort out the links/database etc, and remove the redirect...

Blimey... Just hope this works.

Backups aplenty (and using COPY rather than MOVE, so in theory I don't lose anything...)

Simple to-do list for you (the easiest way you're going to get without more work... it's not seamless, but it's quite close and should only be about 5 minutes 'down'):

1) Enter Joomla settings (on both installations) and find out exactly what relative and absolute paths/URIs are required. Note these down for what they *are* (in case you break something) and what they *need to be* (for when you're successful).

2) Set up a 'back momentarily'-style page.

3) Move the new site to a temporary directory under the root.

4) Move the old site to the subdomain directory.

5) Move the new site to the root directory.

6) Change your settings on the root to the settings you noted down.

7) Remove the waiting page.

8) Change your settings on the subdomain to the settings you noted down.

9) ...

10) Profit.

Thanks James, that's a more detailed version of the list I was generating in my head, with a few extra lines added, and some silly ones removed.

As for option 9, I think it'll be more ellipsis

As for option 10, "yeah right". The only profit I get is the feel-good factor of having a website. So far it only involves money LEAVING my bank, not reaching it