Step 1: Select the right web or email hosting package

Compare Shared, VPS, DDS and Dedicated Server plans. Purchase one of the web hosting packages we offer and move to step 2.

Step 2: Check your domain registration

Check that you are listed as the owner of your site's domain name. Using our  Whois Lookup service, you can see who is listed as the administrative and technical contact for your domain. Make sure you are listed as the Administrative contact with valid Email address if you are intending to transfer your domain to us.

If you are not listed there, you probably will have problems moving your web site over without permission of your current host or designers. Legally you should always be listed as the administrative contact. Go ahead, check this issue and correct it if necessary.

When checking your domain registration details, it is a good idea to check when it will expire. If you try to move your site near expiration date, it could seriously complicate matters — you could even lose your site. To get around this, make sure that you have at least 30 days before expiry date of your domain. For the procedures of transferring domain to our registrar, you may follow this tutorial also: here

Otherwise renew your domain registration (not the hosting service) for another year and verify that you have access to your registrar Control Panel where you can change name servers for your domain.


At this step we also recommend you to contact your existing web host and ask them to set "time to live" TTL for your domain to a lower value such as 600. Setting TTL to a lower value will guarantee that transition period and possible downtime will be shortened as much as possible (in this case to 10 minutes).

Step 3: Backup all your data

Backup, Backup, Backup... Did we say Backup?

We can't stress this step enough. Backup anything and everything you can and don't forget your database if your site relies on it. Save at least 2 copies and store them separately. One for you to work with, and the other as an archive. Obtain IP address, login and password required to backup all your data from your current host.

There are a few ways to back up your data. One way is to use an FTP program to download all the data. Another is to use software such as Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft Front Page to import or publish your data to your computer. A more unnatural way to do it would be to use "File -> Save as HTML" in your browser, but you need to make sure you save all the files with the right names and download all the images.

If server logs are important, remember to backup those too and use them with a log analyzer on your computer or simply print all your old web statistics reports before you move on to Step 4.

Step 4: Download, print documentation and watch online tutorials

Before uploading your files, creating emails, configuring your new web host, testing and then switching your DNS over..., before all this stuff, you need to download and print documentation corresponding to your new hosting plan.

The following documentations are available:

If you subscribed to a VPS hosting plan, download the PLESK for Linux Control Panel Guide or the PLESK for Windows Control Panel Guide

If you subscribed to a Shared hosting plan for Linux and Windows, download the Getting Started Guide here

After you have armed yourself with the book, go to our Support section and take a look at tutorials available for your new Control Panel.

Keep the book and tutorials ready, just in case you would need them to find out more details in your next steps.

Step 5: Upload file to your new host

By now you should have received your new USONYX account information and you are ready to upload your files which were backed up in previous Step. Check email from USONYX that gives you details about your new host. You should be given your new server static or shared IP address, FTP or Front Page login and password or instructions on how you can create one.

You should be able now to connect to your new site via your IP address using your FTP program or web editing software. Verify that you have a working copy of your web site on your personal computer. Go ahead and upload all your files to your new server. Doing this is similar to the previous step, except that you now need to connect to the FTP server of your new web host and log in using new username and password details. If you are not sure how to complete this step, refer to the documentation you printed in the previous step and online tutorials.

Step 6: Checking your web site

It is important that you test your side before switching your DNS. Your domain still points to the old web files location until you change your DNS or transfer your domain to our registrar, therefore pointing your browser to http://www.your.domain will not give you indication that your new site is working correctly.

	If you are using VPS hosting plan you can start testing your web site by pointing your browser to the IP address of your new server. You can find IP address of your server in the HSPComplete Control Panel, SYSTEM tab, Server Info section
	If you are using Shared hosting plan you can use Site Preview button in the Plesk Control Panel to preview your web site in your browser.

If your web site is using links with relative paths, you will be able to view the newly uploaded site in your browser. If you are using absolute paths instead, then you will end up going back to your old host. We suggest switching your links to the relative paths.

Go through all your web pages and check that all the pages do exist and the links point to the right places. Test your forms and check all your scripts. Many scripts usually require editing.

You need to create an email account on your new web host for each of the email accounts on your old web host. This is important, because within a short period of time after you have changed your domain DNS servers or transferred your domain to our registrar, email will stop going to your old web host and will be directed to your new one. If your new shared web host or VPS server is not configured to accept mail at the same address as your old web host, the mail will be returned back to the sender. To avoid this situation and possible email loss, create all mailboxes in advance. If you previously used any auto responders, forwarders or mailing lists you need to recreate them now.

Refer to documentation that you downloaded and printed in the Step 4.

Once you change your DNS in the next step, we recommend you to check email accounts at both your old web host and your new web host for at least the next 48 hours. You previous web hosting company should be able to provide you with IP address you can use to check your mail while your domain is transferred to us.

When finished creating Email accounts move to next step of our Migration Guide.

Step 7: Setting up Email

You need to create an email account on your new web host for each of the email accounts on your old web host. This is important, because within a short period of time after you have changed your domain DNS servers or transferred your domain to our registrar, email will stop going to your old web host and will be directed to your new one. If your new shared web host or VPS server is not configured to accept mail at the same address as your old web host, the mail will be returned back to the sender. To avoid this situation and possible email loss, create all mailboxes in advance. If you previously used any auto responders, forwarders or mailing lists you need to recreate them now.

Refer to documentation that you downloaded and printed in the Step 4.

Once you change your DNS in the next step, we recommend you to check email accounts at both your old web host and your new web host for at least the next 48 hours. You previous web hosting company should be able to provide you with IP address you can use to check your mail while your domain is transferred to us.

When finished creating Email accounts move to next step of our Migration Guide

Step 8: Regular domain transfer

By now you have finished transferring your web site and email boxes and only one thing is left - transferring of your domain. Very often "domain name" and "web site" terms are used interchangeably despite the fact that domain name of your web site is independent from your web site itself. There are two types of domain transfer available and both of them will be discussed during Step 8 and 9 of this Migration Guide:

Regular domain transfer. This transfer involves modifying your domain name record which is maintained by your current registrar. To do that you need to know who your registrar is. You can easily find out this information by using WHOIS search. Contact your registrar and ask to change name servers assigned to your domain to those provided by USONYX:

Important: Your current registrar is the point of contact for your domain name unless you transfer your domain to our registrar.

Step 9: Registrar Transfer

A registrar transfer allows you to move your domain to one of our registrars (ENOM for global TLDs and IPMirror for local .sg TLDs) and let us manage it for you.

First, let us explain why you would want to transfer your domain to USONYX. We charge as little as S$12/year for domain name registration/renewal and support all major TLD's such as .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, and S$42 for local TLD's such as .sg, .com.sg, .org.sg, .edu.sg, .net.sg. This is a substantial savings over many other registrars. Once you have registered or transferred your domain to our system you can take advantage of our robust domain administration that allows to you view and modify every aspect of your domain.

Now that you know why you should transfer your domain to USONYX, let's reveal the mystery of registrar transfer

For global TLDs:

Step 1: Update/Verify your Domain Administrative Email Account. An initial confirmation email will be sent to the current administration contact for the domain. This is the contact listed in the whois database, maintained by the registrar you are transferring from. Please check that this contact email is up to date and you can access it.

Step 2: Order the domain transfer. You can order it when you order a hosting subscription from us by selecting an option "Transfer an existing domain" and enter your domain name. Or you can send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and request registrar transfer for your domain.

Step 3: Within 2 days your current registrar will send the administrative contact an email asking to confirm the transfer. Please follow instructions provided in these emails to authorize the transfer. If you receive an email from your current registrar and are still unsure of what to do, just forward the email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we can take care of it.

Step 4: Wait for confirmation email.

For Local .sg TLD:

Registrar transfer process for local .sg tld is little bit different. You need to contact your current registrar and obtain your domain password. Provide your domain password to us when ordering registrar transfer. The domain name password will be checked against the registries records and the transfer will be confirmed if it matches.

Important considerations:

• The domain name registrar transfer procedure must be started before (ideally at least 10 days before) the expiry date of the domain name.

• Please ensure that the current administration contact for the domain name has a working email address.

• The instructions sent in the initial email must be followed before the expiry date of the domain name, ideally at least 4 days before. If these are not followed before the expiry date then the procedure may fail.

Please don't hesitate to call or email us with any questions you have regarding or during this process. Call +65 6223 1838 between 10am and 6.30pm Singapore Time (GMT +8), Monday to Friday.

If you have followed all steps in our guide, your site should be uploaded and working correctly.

There are few small things left to check:

1. Do not cancel your old hosting subscription for few more days. Retrieve all emails from old mailboxes. One more time, make sure you did not forget anything. Then go ahead and cancel it. Once you cancel your old account, your previous hosting company will delete you from its DNS servers.

2. Refer to your new documentation regarding correct Email settings, verify again your account details in the USONYX welcome email. Inform all your company staff about correct configuration settings for their Email software such as Outlook.

And that's all for now. Be our guest and enjoy our service!

Congratulations! Well done!