Guide: end of support
Still hosting websites on Windows Server 2012 or 2016? Move them without the headache
Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 stopped getting security updates in October 2023, and Windows Server 2016 stops on 12 January 2027. The websites on them still work, which is exactly why they get left there. ServerMaid builds the new server, moves the sites across, fixes what old PHP and MySQL leave behind, and tells you plainly about anything it cannot fix.
Website migration £49 £24.50 one-off per old server; included in every Agency licence. New server from £99 £49.50 for twelve months. 30-day money-back promise.
Why old servers are so hard to leave
An old web server is rarely just old Windows. It is PHP 5.6 or 7.x that nobody dares to upgrade, MySQL 5.5 to 5.7 with settings copied from a forum answer, and a pile of hand-made changes nobody wrote down. Move the files to a new server and something breaks, usually the database connection, usually at the worst moment.
So the move gets put off, and the server keeps running a website on an operating system that no longer gets security fixes. Every month on it is another month exposed to every flaw found since.
Rebuilt, not cloned
Your websites move. Your old server's baggage does not.
ServerMaid does not clone the old machine. It takes only what belongs to each website and rebuilds it on the new server's hardened baseline.
Left behind on purpose
- Old permissions and accounts that no longer exist
- The old web.config and its missing handlers
- Old database accounts and grants
- Logs, temp files and abandoned backups
- The hand-made settings nobody wrote down
Rebuilt on the new baseline
- The site's files, database and host names
- Fresh least-privilege permissions for the site's own identity
- A web.config written for the new server
- A new database account limited to its own database
- Free SSL, proven backups and monitoring from day one
How it works
Three steps, and the old server is never touched
Build the new server
Rent a Windows Server 2022 or 2025 VPS and click once. ServerMaid builds and hardens IIS, current PHP and MySQL 8.4, with free SSL and backups.
Run Migrate on the old one
ServerMaid Migrate is one file you run on the old server, whether it is Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016 or newer. It only reads: it lists the websites, copies their files and dumps their databases into one package.
Import on the new one
Each website is rebuilt the ServerMaid way, with its own folder, application pool, permissions, database and account, and pointed at its new database.
What ServerMaid fixes on the way
- Old MySQL dumps that MySQL 8 refuses. The
NO_AUTO_CREATE_USERsetting MySQL 5.7 writes into every trigger, the pre-5.5TYPE=MyISAMspelling, oldutf8andlatin1character sets, andDEFINERaccounts that do not exist on the new server are all put right in the dump, without touching your data. - Database connection settings. WordPress and Laravel are reconnected automatically. For any other PHP site, ServerMaid finds the settings in the code, shows you exactly what would change (passwords hidden) and changes them only if you say yes, keeping a copy of each file first.
- Everything around the site. Folder permissions, the application pool, the IIS rewrite rules, free SSL once DNS points at the new server, and backups proven by a restore test. Nothing is copied from the old server's configuration, so none of its mistakes come with it.
The PHP 8 check: no surprises after the move
ServerMaid only installs PHP versions that still get security fixes, so an old site lands on PHP 8. Most code is fine. Some is not: mysql_connect() and the other mysql_* functions were removed in PHP 7, and each(), create_function() and magic quotes in PHP 8.
Migrate reads every PHP file on the old server and says, before you import, exactly what will stop working and where:
Will not work on PHP 8: mysql_* functions such as mysql_connect() in includes/db.php line 4 and 11 other files. They were removed in PHP 7.0; the site has to use mysqli or PDO instead.
ServerMaid does not rewrite your code. Swapping mysql_* for mysqli changes how a site behaves and deserves a developer's eye. What you get is the exact list, so the job can be quoted and done once, instead of discovered page by page after the move.
What it will not do
- Windows Server 2008. Migrate needs Windows Server 2012 or newer to run. Sites on 2008 can still be copied by hand and uploaded as a zip, database and all.
- ASP.NET applications. They depend on the old server's .NET setup in ways a clean rebuild cannot reproduce, so they are listed with a reason and left out.
- Keep an out-of-support PHP. PHP 5.6 and 7.x no longer get security fixes, and putting them on a brand-new server would defeat the point of moving.
Questions about moving off an old Windows server
When does support for my Windows Server end?
Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 reached the end of extended support on 10 October 2023; security updates after that need Microsoft's paid Extended Security Updates. Windows Server 2016 reaches the end of extended support on 12 January 2027.
Does Migrate change anything on the old server?
No. It only reads: it lists the websites, copies the files and dumps each database. Nothing is stopped, edited or removed, so the old server keeps serving until you switch DNS.
Will my PHP 5.6 or PHP 7 website work on the new server?
Often yes, sometimes with changes. The PHP 8 check lists every feature the site uses that PHP 8 removed, with the file and line, before you import. If the list is empty, the move is usually straightforward.
What about my MySQL 5.5, 5.6 or 5.7 database?
The dump is adjusted for MySQL 8.4 on the way: removed sql_mode settings, the old TYPE= syntax, old character sets and missing accounts are fixed without touching the data. Zero dates (0000-00-00) are reported, because MySQL 8 refuses new ones.
Can I move the websites without downtime?
Yes. The old server keeps running while you import and test on the new one. When everything checks out, point the DNS at the new server; SSL is issued once the domain reaches it.
What does it cost?
Website migration is £49 £24.50 one-off per old server, and every Agency licence includes migrations. The new server needs Server setup (£99 £49.50) and Websites and SSL (£79 £39.50) for twelve months. See pricing.
Leave the old server behind, not the websites
A fresh, hardened server in one click, your websites moved across, and a plain list of anything that needs a developer.