> Question: Is there a problem if you just more or less cut and paste/copy the existing files from the data directory on the old server into the data directory on the new machine? What restrictions apply to doing something like this.
That works fine if the MySQL versions are identical. It will probably work if it is the same sub-version (eg, 5.1.xx -> 5.1.yy), but it unlikely to work without some extra futzing is a more significant version change.
Take the entire data/ directory. Also copy my.cnf (my.ini), but re-tune it if the hardware is beefier:
http://mysql.rjweb.org/doc.php/memory
Install MySQL on the new machine; stop mysqld on both the new and old machines; then copy. After the copy, it should start up.
(This method works for both MyISAM and InnoDB, and is especially useful in creating a new Slave from an old one.)