There are a lot of web hosting out there that doesn't work straight out of the box with Magento. For long time, I am looking for a fast and affordable hosting to be my play ground. I know Linux really well, but still hate to set it up. Here are my two finalist. 
 
Nexcess SIP plan
SimpleHelix's shared plan

And here is a more comprehensive list:
Find the best web hosts

This document describes how to import database into Magento.  There are two majors database needing to import:"Customers" and "Products". However, in Products, there are two sub-databese needing to import as well.

a: import complete products with image gallry.

b: import complete products with categories

Morevoer, the following data we can export or import:

1. Customer data

2. Product stock data

3. Product data(all attributes relating to products)

There are two types of files that can be used for import and export:

1. Excel spreadsheet

2. CSV

There are two parts for backup “File backup” and “data backup”. in this instruction we have two sections. Section one is File Backup on SimpleHelix, and Section two is Database Backup on SimpleHelix.

Section One: File Backup on SimpleHelix

1. You need to login the SimpleHelix control panel as an Administrator.

2. Once you have successfully login, you will link to SimpleHelix homepage.

3. On the homepage, you can click File Manager or Files icon to backup your files.

4. Next you will select which file (or website) you would like to backup.

5.    Here  we use one as an example. If you would like choose public_html folder to backup select the check box and go to the bottom of the page.

6. You will see the following screen.

7.   In the blank space enter your backup file name and choose the file format (tar.gz or zip) then click the Create button.

8. Next waiting for the backup it will takes a few minutes to do. Once the backup was success, you will see the following page.

9. Then the backup file is in the list. As following shows:

10.  Next you can download the backup file to your local computer by clicking this file. The following window will come up asking you what to do with this.

11. Select Save File then click on Ok the file will automatically download to your computer(the default download directory of Firefox is located in C:\Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\Downloads  .It depends on your Browse installation)and then you have successfully backup the file into your local computer as following shows.

1. WYSIWYG Editor
This extension gives you the option to add a JavaScript WYSIWYG editor to specified admin page text areas.
 
2. Blog Extension
A blog can be a great way for an online store to connect with customers, and this Magento extension makes it easy for you to incorporate a blog into your internet shop. 
 
3. Flash Gallery ‘Flip’ and the new extension ‘CMS Content-Editor
A flash gallery extension with CMS-editing capabilities.
 
4. Enhanced Admin Products Grid
Adds customizable features to the products grid.
 
5. Free CMS/Block Frontend Features
Dynamic block solution, which allows you to put HTML content to any position within a Magento storefront.
 
6. Magento Live Chat
This module will provide a LiveChat support in Magento.
LiveChat behaviour can be customised with advanced configuration options
Apppearence can be easily customised with css.
 
7. FreePOP Theme
A simple and clear theme, especially good for merchants selling CDs, DVDs, Music, Movies, etc..
 
8. Magento Easy Lightbox
Want a free and easy way to improve the appearance and functionality of your Magento site?  Then try Magento EasyLightbox, an extension that displays an image (i.e., your store’s products) as a lightbox.  Magento EasyLightbox takes about 5 minutes to install and configure, and you don’t need any coding experience!
 
9. Fooman Speedster
Speeds up your store by reworking how Magento handles the loading of JavaScript and CSS.
 
10. Exploded Menu
Exploded Menu lets you to replace your website’s single column dropdown menu with a multi-column dropdown (including 2nd and 3rd level menu items).  A multi-column dropdown menu is a great way to organize an ecommerce site with a lot of categories and sub-categories!

Knob Depot (www.cabinet-knobs-pulls.com) is a leading online retailer. Unfortunately, Storefront.net, their Shopping Cart solution went bankrupt. As they struggle to get back on their feet, they leave their users without support and sales outages.

They quickly needed a technology partner to convert over 10K of products, preserve their SEO, and integrate a stable shopping cart solution. Silk Software worked with their team to convert from Storefront into Magento without downtime.
Even before Storefront.net went down leaving its shopping cart users stranded, Knob Depot knew they needed to upgrade. They wanted to be able to make search easier through their massive database of items. They also wanted to take advantage of an intuitive front end that looked and felt more comfortable to the purchaser.

Even a few hours of being down equals a massive dip in revenue for any online store. They could have no down time during the integration. Silk Software is a professional integration team who listened and felt Magento was the best solution. Not only is it a stable shopping cart solution but it also had the flexibility they needed in the front and back-end. They created a well thought out migration plan that addressed all of their concerns.

They worked hard with the marketing team so as not to lose the SEO ranking on keywords that they considered critical to their business. They created a landing page tool to quickly create ad campaigns that can be tweaked to reach the right customers.

Q. What is Magento?
A. Magento is a feature-rich eCommerce platform built on open-source technology that provides online merchants with unprecedented flexibility and control over the look, content and functionality of their eCommerce store. Magento’s intuitive administration interface features powerful marketing, search engine optimization and catalog-management tools to give merchants the power to create sites that are tailored to their unique business needs. Designed to be completely scalable and backed by Varien's support network, Magento offers companies the ultimate eCommerce solution.
 
Q. Where can I download Magento
A. http://www.magentocommerce.com/download/noregister
 
Q. Why I got “Access denied” error after installing new Magento extension through downloader and try to access its configuration settings?
A. Just log out then log in.
 
Q. How to upgrade to the latest version using Magento Connect?
A. Upgrading Magento to the latest version is a fairly simple task. Copy and Paste this key "magento-core/Mage_All_Latest" VIA Magento Connect where it states “Paste extension key to install:”. This will upgrade Magento to the newest version.
 
Q. How to show price ( or sth else) in Shopping Opions when browsing a category?
A. Go to Catalog->Attributes->Manage Attributes, edit price attribute, set "Use In Layered Navigation" as "Filterable (with results)".

CHALLENGE: a simple and efficient checkout solution for edible gift orders

SOLUTION: Magento Professional Edition with integration of the One Step Checkout module.

The Challenge:
Golden Edibles is an online destination committed to delivering luxurious edible gourmet gifts – from chocolate-covered strawberries to truffle cakes to caramel apples – for many special occasions. The website offers opportunities for personalized orders, such as the “Design Your Own Gift” option that allows creative customization of Golden Edibles’ delectable products; similarly, a box of artisanal “Incredible Berries” can be uniquely crafted instantly.

Checking out is oftentimes the most complex portion of online shopping and, if too complicated, many customers will abandon their orders. Thus, for a website like Golden Edibles that offers elaborate customized gift orders, a simple order form that incorporates these details – as well as an easy checkout process – is essential. To build its unique online store, Golden Edibles turned to Silk Software, which specializes in expertly implementing Magento Commerce-powered eCommerce solutions for a wide range of clients, from small retail stores to large corporations.