Need Help Upgrading

[zajanatural]

Hi Everyone! My name is Zaidat. I have been using Oscommerce for the past 3 years and I now I want to upgrade to oscmax. I have made a backup of my database. So do I simply uninstall my present installation of oscommerce in my cpanel and then reinstall the new version? I have a few contributions that I have installed so I hope none of them break.

I would also like to change my template (I already have the one I will be changing it to.)

For some reason, I am scared to tamper with my system as it is. I do not want to risk losing my customer base (and their points and rewards that have been saved.) I am not that savvy with installing these types of things, only got by these past few years working slowly and reading.

If all else fails, does anyone offer installation services?

[jpf]

Don't uninstall!

Install oscmax beside your exisiting site.

Say osc site is www.yoursite.com/catalog/......
Install osCMax as site is www.yoursite.com/catalognew/...... or as www.yoursite.com/shop/...... or even as www.shop.yoursite.com/......

Create a NEW database for the new install.

Next....you can't just plop your old osc database into MAX - it will NOT work!

THREE OPTIONS:

Option one:

The SIMPLEST/EASY way is to start with a fresh install of osCMax. In your OLD store install EZPoplulate to download your items from the old site - use the already included EZPopulate in osCMax to import them (and copy over all your image). Done!
Sorry all other setting are gone. Customer account/history etc... Optionally You can export and import customer data/setting - just not order history etc...

Option two:
Harder way - is to CONVERT your OLD database using say PHPMySQLDIFF A bit of editing and a whole lot of testing. A bunch of tweeking. More editing. More Testing.... Mileage will very!!!!

Option three:
Contact myself for a quote.

[zajanatural]

Thank you! I tried to contact you for a quote but when I hit submit on your site I got an error message.

[jpf]

Ops...Sorry! - was a little too busy cleaning up and remove a file.....
Configure That! Computer Services

[zajanatural]

I started the installation myself using the instruction manual. Everything was going great until I go to the part where I am supposed to go to http://www.yourdomainname.com/install/

I punched that in, replacing with my domain name, only to find that that page does not exist. http://www.zajanatural.com/install/php however exists but I am getting a table error.

[michael_s]

That means the install directory is not where you are pointing your browser.

Since you have a live site already running, I am betting you uploaded the new osCMax files to a subfolder somewhere?

The url would change to :
http://www.zajanatural.com/subfolder/catalog/install/

Or
http://www.zajanatural.com/subfolder/install/

You have to point your browser to the actual folder that you uploaded to the server.

[zajanatural]

You are right! Found it here osCMax, osCommerce with teeth!

Thanks

[zajanatural]

Everything is working now! Thank you Michael!

Is there a guide to converting an oscommerce template to oscmax? I tried uploading the template to my template folder in oscmax and typing the name in the default template area of admin, but that is not working. So I am guess that I have to convert something.

Off to do more searching.

**Wrote too soon, found help in your signature!

[michael_s]

Oh, you are using a standard osC template, which is not actually a template at all. It will not work with osCMax. You need to convert it.

See the link in my signature - Advanced template tutorial.

[zajanatural]

I tried reading through that but I am confused. What do I need to do to combine:

"To summarize, most osCommerce templates just need the header, footer and index page code to be combined to a new main_page.tpl.php file and that is it. "