Ha, switching hosts is a pain -- it's not a fun process by any means (~_~)

I'm assuming that you're using Moveable Type right now -- switching hosts is like getting a fresh start, so if you want to switch to WordPress, now is the best time to do it. If you want to keep your MT templates (instead of modifying them), and if you are using custom Perl scripts, it's probably better to stick with Moveable Type 3.1

I've went with MT 3.1 (MySQL database) when switching servers, and the process went fairly smoothly, even though I was using MT 2.6 (Berkeley database) previously -- all I had to do was export my entries/comments into one big text file, and then re-import them into a installation that I created on my hosting server. After that was done, I FTP'd all my images, copied my templates, and everything came out pretty kosher.

HOSTING
Objectively, the best probable way to go looking for a host is by going to Netcraft's server analysis site, which lists the uptime & performance of the top servers in the world

http://uptime.netcraft.com/perf/reports/Hosters

All the servers on this page have fast connections and more importantly, high uptime, so it's probably best to select one of these 50-odd servers. If you *do* choose choose a different site (say, Dreamhost), it's best to look at the Netcraft report for this site:

http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph/?host=www.dreamhost.com

Most sites on the Top 50 list are commercial or don't provide Linux (which is optimal for MT), but there are a few that offer shared hosting for fairly affordable prices and high bandwidth.

NAMESERVERS
Just as a quick note, it's probably a good idea to make sure that your site works on your new host's static IP before you go ahead and transfer nameservers from your old host. And also, if you do decide to stick with MT, be sure to back up your templates before you move, since the only way to access them is by running mt.cgi (cannot pull out by FTP)

That's about all the advice I have -- moving hosts is a nasty process, but once you find a good host, you should be stable for a few years with no problems :)

Last (rather scary) point about hosting -- last year, I signed up with PinchPenny hosting, which had a great deal on bandwidth and hard drive space. About two months after I left them, the whole company folded, and all their users were stranded (domain names were taken, no refund on yearly subscription, etc.)

If you go to PinchPenny's site, here's what it says:

"Dear Pinchpenny Members,
We regret to inform you that Pinchpenny has closed. For up to date information, please send an e-mail to ppinfo@netrillium.com
The auto responder has been setup to keep you informed of anything that goes on.
For questions or any assistance, please contact sales@netrillium.com

Thank you"

Bottom line: Don't go for hosting with extraordinarily good deals (-_-)

Wow, David. Thanks a lot for those pointers. At the moment I'm considering switching only to MT3.15 at the most since I'm lousy at coding and dreading the idea of switching to another blog layout. If you don't mind though, I'd like to know more on these points:

>>and then re-import them into a installation that I created on my hosting server

Is this after you set up the new MT/whatever blog system on the new server (ie. using the import/export tool within Movable type)? Or during an actual installation of the blog itself (ie.placing the file into a particular installation folder)? If it's the later, which folder do I have to use?

>>After that was done, I FTP'd all my images

So I shouldn't FTP my archives, am I right? Also, do I need to set up folders or will that be created automatically by MT when I import my entries?

>>And also, if you do decide to stick with MT, be sure to back up your templates before you move, since the only way to access them is by running mt.cgi (cannot pull out by FTP)

Are you saying that I need to copy my templates (index, individual, etc) from the MT on the old server to the new MT on the new server?

Your second post makes me wonder if I should switch to another server or not though. :(

Good question. It's rather early in the morning over here, so I shall be brief, but here goes :)

Archives shouldn't be transferred -- they ought to be generated solely by MT itself. The only real problem that you might run into is a jumbled-up set of permalinks (i.e. 000001.php, 000002.php, 00005.php), but that only occurs if you have multiple blogs on one installation (e.g. I ran into this problem since I have my journal and anime blog on the same site)

As for the import procedure, right, the first thing to do is a fresh install of MT 3.15. After you set up a MySQL database (this is rather important, it sped up my comments / MT interface by quite a bit), go ahead and copy and paste all your templates into the system. I've found it useful to actually go ahead and make a plain text backup of templates prior to moving servers -- i.e. open the individual template, copy and paste to a file.

After your templates are in place, go ahead and start the import procedure. I'm not quite sure how I did this, but I'm sure it involved creating a folder, FTP'ing the exported raw text dump to the folder, and running a script. It's quite straightforward, so you really shouldn't run into any problems.

Last point that I forgot to address. Moveable Type doesn't create folders for your archives (i.e. "memento/archives")-- you must do this manually.

ANCILLARY NOTES
I used a ton of .htaccess code to make sure that my site was functional after moving servers -- it is inevitable that there will be broken links after a move, and a good .htaccess block can do wonders on making these 404 codes disappear :)

MORE ANCILLARY NOTES =)
Just as an horrid plug , I decided to go with hostingzoom.com -- they're quite decent (and inexpensive ^_^)

Thank You, David! That was awesome explanation. It quelled my fear a little bit about this whole server moving thing. Also, I hope I didn't ruin too much of your morning with these complex questions :)