Here's my situation: I want to create an entire new layout for one of my sites. I also want to move the hosting from one server to another. What I'd like to do is create the account on the new server (it's a reseller account) and build my new layout. Once it's finished I want to then just point my domain at my new server's DNS. Is it possible to access the account without having a domain pointing to it using HTTP? I want to be able to see my changes as I make them! TIA!
If you have the IP address of the new server you should be able to connect to that with your username and password. You won't be able to view the site if it's on a shared server but you'll be able to FTP and connect to cPanel or what ever system it uses.
if you don't have access to a single IP, you could always use a free domain service such as those provided by www.dyndns.com
I have a single IP and I can access the CPanel and FTP. I need to access the site to see my changes. It's not clear to me how dyndns.com can help me...how can I set this up so that it points to the account on my new server?
go to dyndns, register a domain, point it to your server. say you get sayyes.dyndns.com then go to whm and add a new domain (or temporarily change one) to have the domain sayyes.dyndns.com
If you have a dedicated IP address then you should be able to just type the http : //ipaddress/ (without the spaces) into your browser and see your site. If you don't have a dedicated IP address, many hosting companies offer a preview address until your own domain is live. Jennifer