Going from WordPress multisite to regular wordpress

We had a wordpress multi-site installation that was working just fine! However custom domain and SSL pose a clear problem, along with any specific changes one might have to make to the installation.

NO CODE! NO SQL!

So I decided to move back to regular wordpress. Now we are using the popular exponent theme, the challenge is that we are using a default demo setup which is modified. The goal was to make an easy shift, not make it into a week long project ;).

Here are the simple steps to making this happen

• Download the backup XML from the wordpress multisite installation
  Tools>Export
  

• Now you have an XML! This contains all the information that you need. All the next steps are on the new wordpress instance.
• Say you install a new server with only wordpress, the first thing you need to do is install the same theme and then load the exact same demo installation.
• This next step requires you deleting all the headers/footers (tatsu plugin) /posts/menus. Now the stage is set!
• You will next have to import the XML file into the setup.
  Tools>Import
  You can choose the default user to own all the files!
• And you are done!
  Well not yet ;). You will have to get all the images from the older installation into the media folder here. That maybe a bit tedious.

Now that was fun! Happy importing.