Cloning PostgreSQL 8.3.7

Hi, guys,

I'm new to PostgreSQL and I'm currently involved in cloning PostgreSQL 8.3.7 to a different server (as a first step of migration to 9.3 version project).

I'm able to clone the db server and everything is working, but I'm not entirely sure how manual application of WAL files works / is triggered.

After DB is cloned, I want to apply all the changes since the database was cloned.
I want to do it as a one-off operation, I don't want to create "warm standby". I also want to verify and make sure that all WAL files got applied.

I'm not sure if PG applies all the WAL files it finds in pg_xlog or I need to run a specific command to do that?
I just copied all the WAL files to pg_xlog and started PG, but there is nothing in the log files indicating that WAL files actually got applied.

I also posted same question also here:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/24784042/cloning-postgresql-8-3-7

Kind regards,
Tomas