My web designer died, what info do I need from him?

Hey team, got a strange one for you. My brother owns a small business and hired a web designer from Craigslist to build him a simple website. The web designer guy took care of everything, my brother paid him yearly to keep it updated. Well, unfortunetly the guy died and now I've been enlisted to make sure the website stays alive. What information do I need to figure out in order to make sure the site stays up and running?

• Priority is to move it to a inexpensive web hosting service (very little traffic to the site)...how do I do that???
• Eventually I'd like to be able to add photos and do minor editing (like complete a FAQ that he never got around to)...what software would I need to do this???
• What other things should I be doing???

Thanks for the help!!!

***Just to be clear, the web designers friend contacted me and said he has access to the guys computer and files I just need to make sure I get all the info.

youll need ftp password and ip.address and the account info for the host and domain name for starters

Quote : What information do I need to figure out in order to make sure the site stays up and running?

You'll need to know the web host provider and the login credentials for the account. This will be critical if you plan on moving it to another web host provider as you'll have to perform the domain transfer then once completed you can cancel. As stated previously you'll also need the FTP username/password so you can connect to the host via FTP to back up all files and content.

Quote : Priority is to move it to a inexpensive web hosting service (very little traffic to the site)...how do I do that???

Once you have access to the account (if possible), you can perform a domain transfer to another host of your choosing. Then once the transfer is complete and once you have backed up the files locally from the host, you can transfer those files to the new host and test all subsequent pages.

Quote : Eventually I'd like to be able to add photos and do minor editing (like complete a FAQ that he never got around to)...what software would I need to do this???

If your new web host has WHM or cPanel then most likely there will be a Fantastico link somewhere within the control panel. This is a set of scripts which allow you to install a lot of cool included goodies, like an image gallery (Coppermine, 4Images, etc) as well as an FAQ Manager (e.g. FAQMasterFlex).

Quote : What other things should I be doing???

Create an intro page to your site to let users know on a certain day you plan on migrating this site to another provider so they are aware of what is going to happen. At least if they know of the down time then they won't be up in arms when the site is offline. If there isn't a whole lot of traffic then you should be fine.

Quote : ***Just to be clear, the web designers friend contacted me and said he has access to the guys computer and files I just need to make sure I get all the info.

Let's hope that includes account information or at least an email address. If it's on the up and up you may have to reset your password for the web host account which was provisioned to an email address of the deceased.

Quote from menace33 : You'll need to know the web host provider and the login credentials for the account. This will be critical if you plan on moving it to another web host provider as you'll have to perform the domain transfer then once completed you can cancel. As stated previously you'll also need the FTP username/password so you can connect to the host via FTP to back up all files and content.

I actually took the reins of website maintenance (among other things) when someone else died. I've been able to get most of the information needed when I tell the person on the other end that the previous IT manager died.

Quote from ibleedbloo : Priority is to move it to a inexpensive web hosting service (very little traffic to the site)...how do I do that??? Eventually I'd like to be able to add photos and do minor editing (like complete a FAQ that he never got around to)...what software would I need to do this??? What other things should I be doing???

The above 3 items should not be difficult. However, if you're unsure of how to do these things, it may suggest that in this situation, you're in over you're head. You may want to find another IT professional to handle the technical aspects of server migration and website design/coding (You can send me a PM if you'd like and I can talk with you or your brother )

That being said, the quick and dirty answers to the questions are as follows:

Quote from ibleedbloo : Priority is to move it to a inexpensive web hosting service (very little traffic to the site)...how do I do that???

Migrating a website from point A to point B can be simple, if you have a static page (plain HTML/CSS, maybe with Javascript). It can be a little more difficult if the pages include SSI or PHP. Both of which require compatibility on the server end. However, most reputable servers provide compatibility with PHP and SSI. If the website includes a database, then you'll have to export and backup the database and then install the database on your new server. This is a more difficult and time consuming task.

You'll figure out what the website has when you look at the source code.

Quote from ibleedbloo : Eventually I'd like to be able to add photos and do minor editing (like complete a FAQ that he never got around to)...what software would I need to do this???

You can use any number of software to accomplish these tasks. However, knowledge of HTML/CSS is important and PHP or Javascript can add a bit of dynamism to your site (that is to say, make it less static).

Quote from ibleedbloo : What other things should I be doing???

You just need to know what's going on so that if something goes wrong, you aren't caught with your pants down.

Like I mentioned above, give me a PM and I can definitely help you out.

He's dead what are you going to hire a psychic?

Quote from kakomu : I actually took the reins of website maintenance (among other things) when someone else died. I've been able to get most of the information needed when I tell the person on the other end that the previous IT manager died.

As did I, from a friend that had passed, very sad. But fortunately she shared just about all vital information so the turn over to myself was an easy transition. I'm not sure where the OP falls in regards to the transition yet.

Quote from boltman2007 : He's dead what are you going to hire a psychic?

I shouldn't smile, but I can't help myself. I did wonder, when I saw the thread, whether the OP was asking for a deal on a re-animator :-)

Insensitivity ftl.

Quote from menace33 : As did I, from a friend that had passed, very sad. But fortunately she shared just about all vital information so the turn over to myself was an easy transition. I'm not sure where the OP falls in regards to the transition yet.

Maybe I should give my Lastpass's password to a trusty person in case things like this happen

Quote from V0RT3X : Maybe I should give my Lastpass's password to a trusty person in case things like this happen

That's a, you, call. My friend always feared the worst no matter how much I tried to tell her it was in her head. Sadly she was right. But if you do have a business or personal belongings that need to be entrusted, get a will drawn up, seriously. If I had the loot I'd get a permanent safety deposit box with all of these tidbits of info.