Fixing Wordpress Image Upload Errors

While creating this blog I came across an error whenever trying to upload an image using the Wordpress media uploader. The error indicated that the uploader could not create the directory where the uploaded media would be stored and that I should check the permissions on the parent directory. I checked the permissions and everything seemed to be ok. I searched Google for some help and noticed that many, many other people were experiencing the same issue.

I tried the various fixes suggested by others who were having the same problem. Changing directory permissions didn’t help. Adding settings to the .htaccess file to disable mod_security didn’t help either. I tried several other suggestions without success. I then came across a post that said the path to the upload directory that is specified in the Wordpress settings dashboard *should not* begin with a forward slash. I checked my settings and there was in fact a forward slash at the beginning of the path. I removed it, saved the change, and then was able to successfully upload an image with the uploader.

Seems like a bug to me, but I’m glad I was able to find a workaround.