Stuck waiting for domain registrar support

[ArtesiaWellsParticipant]

I decided to switch to BlueHost, but I am keeping my domains with my old registrar/previous web hotel.

Support finally answered this morning that there are two ways to make the domains point to the files at BlueHost:

1. change Name Server to ns1.BlueHost.Com and ns2.BlueHost.com (easiest but takes longer time)
or
2. change DNS (lots of A, CNAME @ $@ and other strange stuff to absorb – I just cannot take all that in).
This number 2 alternative would have been faster.

I am trying with “1”, since I want it as simple as possible. Or did I? (see below)

***

Then the next decision is to check one of the following services (translated to English, and I am afraid it may not make sense):

1. Web space – Space for website to the actual domain name.
2. Forwarding – Forward the visitor to another address
3. Parking – Park your domain name
4. DNS – only DNS. Use the DNS editor for configuration.

It may sound weird that I picked number 4. DNS yesterday, because none of the others made sense. However, I haven’t changed any of those @ A CNAME etc. Is that why it isn’t working? Or have I just not waited long enough?

This is where I am stuck now: I have to pick one of these 1-2-3-4 and then wait even longer. How do you do that if you don’t know if it is right or not?? I have searched everywhere online and only found that it is extremely hard to understand these instructions, even for people used to dealing with it. There are too many holes to fall into.

I have some experience with WordPress so that will hopefully be less of a problem………

I am sending this desperate question out in the air now, hoping there is a good soul out there who will think this is more or less a piece of cake, and can guide me in the right direction. I think my web support is enjoying his Saturday dinner and drinks right now. Maybe he did all day actually.

For a return favor – I’ll proof read your site and spot every little spelling mistake – promise;-)

Thank you whoever you are, so much in advance!
ArtesiaWells

[JoAnnSnoverParticipant]

I’m not sure I can help, but I was able to change my domain to point to BlueHost using method one (my domain is registered with someone other than BlueHost) and it only took a few hours. I think I was able to make the change online at the registrar’s site – i.e. do it myself) and then it took a few hours for the change to propagate around the world to the name servers that translate addresses.

Where are the four choices you listed being presented to you – in BlueHost’s cPanel or the site of your registrar?

You don’t need to forward anything – that would be if you were keeping old-domain.com and wanted visitors there to be redirected to new-domain.com.

You don’t need to park your domain name (where you own it but it isn’t currently being used).

BlueHost will via the cPanel let you specify where on their site you want a domain to point to – I have multiple domains on mine which translate to different directories on the BlueHost site. But if you have one domain and that’s all, you can use BlueHost’s cPanel to assign it to your account as the Primary Domain (and you don’t want to transfer it as that would move the registration to BlueHost, which you don’t want to do).

[ArtesiaWellsParticipant]

@jsnover wrote:

I’m not sure I can help, but I was able to change my domain to point to BlueHost using method one (my domain is registered with someone other than BlueHost)

Same situation!

@jsnover wrote:

Where are the four choices you listed being presented to you – in BlueHost’s cPanel or the site of your registrar?

Those four choices are at my registrar.

@jsnover wrote:

You don’t need to forward anything – that would be if you were keeping old-domain.com and wanted visitors there to be redirected to new-domain.com.

You don’t need to park your domain name (where you own it but it isn’t currently being used).

Thank you for clarifying that.

Then choices are boiled down to:

1. Web space
or
4. DNS.

My interpretation with ‘1. Web Space’ would be if I wanted to use their web hotel for my WordPress and files, which I don’t.
What to do with “4. DNS – maybe I would have to fill in the IP number for BlueHost, but it seems strange since no one else needs to go there – or?

Should I change to 1. web space after all or wait? I guess that is my question now. They say 24-48 hours and it’s been about 24 hours I think.

@jsnover wrote:

BlueHost will via the cPanel let you specify where on their site you want a domain to point to – I have multiple domains on mine which translate to different directories on the BlueHost site.

I have multiple domains as well and the main domain is Mallorcaimages.com. Don’t want to transfer them, just point.
“Just” is the word:-).

Thanks a lot jsnover! It was clarifying. I am still confused though. Change something or wait…

[ArtesiaWellsParticipant]

@cathyslife stockphotos wrote:

I think you wanted to 1. point your domain from your old web space to Bluehost. Option 1, changing nameservers, is the easiest way. I had to do the same thing, and it took a good 24 hours or more for those to change. If they say 24-48 hrs, and its been 24 hours, it should be happening soon. I do know it took mine a while to change.

As far as the next 4 choices, I agree with what jsnover said…you don’t need 2 and 3. I don’t think you need option 4 either.
…
Domains are separate from web space (hosting). If you say you have your domains at one place and you switched to bluehost, I would interpret that to mean that you want to leave your domains at the old place (thats the same thing I did) but you want your wordpress site to reside on the bluehost server. If that is correct, then you do need web space for your site at bluehost.

@cathyslife stockphotos wrote:

I am confused why you are saying the second thing above. If you don’t want your wordpress and files at bluehost, what do you even need bluehost for? if you don’t put them on bluehost, where will they be? At your old place? So if your domain, your wordpress and your files are at your old place, you don’t even need bluehost, do you?

I do want my wordpress and files on bluehost, because my old web hotel (the registrar) isn’t advanced enough.

The confusing thing is that my registrar has those choices – web space, parking, forwarding, dns. Should I have chosen web space then?

[JoAnnSnoverParticipant]

@artesiawells wrote:

I have multiple domains as well and the main domain is Mallorcaimages.com. Don’t want to transfer them, just point.
“Just” is the word:-).

Thanks a lot jsnover! It was clarifying. I am still confused though. Change something or wait…

If you want to use multiple domains (registered elsewhere) with your new bluehost account, then you’ll need to

1. for all existing domains, change their DNS info to the bluehost servers

2. In bluehost c-panel, assign your two domains to your bluehost account.

https://my.bluehost.com/cgi/hosting/assign

3. pick one of the domains as the main domain

4. set up a subdomain with a subdirectory as its location

5. assign the other domain name to the subdomain you just created and you’re done.

[ArtesiaWellsParticipant]

How weird. It doesn’t seem to matter. I changed DNS info on one and left it with no change on the other. Now both are working…!

@cathyslife: You did help just to confirm my own confusion and I appreciated it.
@jsnover: thanks! I’ll check as I go along.

I’ll be back I’m afraid… Installed 2.8.2 and it all turned white… Try again later:-)

[KLSbearParticipant]

@artesiawells wrote:

How weird. It doesn’t seem to matter. I changed DNS info on one and left it with no change on the other. Now both are working…!

@cathyslife: You did help just to confirm my own confusion and I appreciated it.
@jsnover: thanks! I’ll check as I go along.

I’ll be back I’m afraid… Installed 2.8.2 and it all turned white… Try again later:-)

I was running into the White Screen of Death on my test site when I tried to upload 2.8.2. I was able to get into my admin screen but the public site was all white. I found that there were a lot of pre-loaded plugins clogging stuff up. I deleted all that I didn’t need and whatever was causing the conflict was gone. If you can get to your admin screen try deleting all but essential plugins or those that are used by several others here without problems.

If you can’t get to the admin screen you may need to go to your c-panel / File Manager, and delete Symbiostock from the WP-Content/Themes folder. That should let your default theme take over so you can get in and delete plug ins.

[ArtesiaWellsParticipant]

White screen of death – even my admin screen got white. When I deleted the theme from cPanel (tried it twice) uploaded it again and it worked. I am on my way:-)

Thank you!

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