How to update WordPress
WordPress is a free blogging tool that is used for thousands of websites every day. You can create a blog for anyone to see worldwide, or you can start a private blog that only your friends can view. Periodically, upgrades are required to improve speed and security features.
Instructions
1 Check your computer’s system requirements before starting the WordPress upgrade. Install the latest versions of PHP scripting language and an open source database, such as MySQL. Log in to WordPress to access your blog.
2 Back up your database. This includes all of your pages, links, posts and comments that appear on your blog. Go to “phpMyAdmin” from the MySQL web host, then follow the instructions for selecting the database that you want to save.
3 Save all of your WordPress files that are located in your directory and “.htaccess” file. Use or install an FTP client so that you can download the files from the web host to your computer’s hard drive for backup.
4 Confirm that the backups are usable. Make sure they are visible and accessible from your local computer. The files may be stored in sub folders.
5 Go to the administration panel, then select “Plug-ins.” Then, deactivate all of your plug-ins on your WordPress page.
6 Download the upgraded WordPress package after you’ve completed the steps above. This can be accessed by going to “Download” at the WordPress site. A new “wordpress” folder should appear on your computer.
7 Delete old files in case uploading did not overwrite some existing files. Access the FTP client to complete this process. Then, upload the new files to your server after upgrading to the new version of WordPress. Check WordPress to find out which file names to delete and which ones to update so that you don’t experience computer problems later.
Read more: How to Upgrade WordPress | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2125978_upgrade-wordpress.html#ixzz16X15HTQy

