New Sites created result in Error 404: Is this a config.web problem?

Last week I upgraded to WP 3.0 to take advantage of the neat new Multisite features. I’m using Windows hosting on GoDaddy with IIS 7.0.

I followed the installation directions exactly (including disabling all plugins before Network activation), and the installation seemed to go without a hitch.

However, when I create a new site and try to access the new Dashboard or Create a New Post or Manage Comments from the menu shortcut bar, I get a 404 (Page Not Found) Error. When I click the “Visit Site” shortcut, I get a strange barebones blog with no theme or CSS formatting.

Many people are saying that the solution to this problem is to change the CHMOD settings for the .htaccess file. However, WordPress does not use a .htaccess file on a Windows server: it uses a web.config file instead.

Since I didn’t have a web.config file present in my folder, I created one using notepad and used the suggested code found in the documentation. This did not solve my problem.

I then started to experiment with the many suggested web.config files out there, and at one point i was actually able to create a new post for one of my new sites, which told me that my database was working fine, and my problem probably has something to do with the web.config file.

I also want to say that I discovered that my domain name no longer points to my WordPress blog. When I visit my domain, I get a “Coming Soon” page instead of my blog. I’ve made so many changes in the last couple days, I don’t know if this is a separate problem.

Any help on this terribly frustrating issue would be appreciated.

My web.config file code is here:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<configuration>
    <system.webServer>
        <rewrite>
            <rules>
                <rule name="WordPress Rule 1" stopProcessing="true">
                    <match url="^index\.php$" ignoreCase="false" />
                    <action type="None" />
                </rule>
                <rule name="WordPress Rule 2" stopProcessing="true">
                    <match url="^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?files/(.+)" ignoreCase="false" />
                    <action type="Rewrite" url="wp-includes/ms-files.php?file={R:2}" appendQueryString="false" />
                </rule>
                <rule name="WordPress Rule 3" stopProcessing="true">
                    <match url="^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?wp-admin$" ignoreCase="false" />
                    <action type="Redirect" url="{R:1}wp-admin/" redirectType="Permanent" />
                </rule>
                <rule name="WordPress Rule 4" stopProcessing="true">
                    <match url="^" ignoreCase="false" />
                    <conditions logicalGrouping="MatchAny">
                        <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsFile" ignoreCase="false" />
                        <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsDirectory" ignoreCase="false" />
                    </conditions>
                    <action type="None" />
                </rule>
                <rule name="WordPress Rule 5" stopProcessing="true">
                    <match url="^[_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/(wp-(content|admin|includes).*)" ignoreCase="false" />
                    <action type="Rewrite" url="{R:2}" />
                </rule>
                <rule name="WordPress Rule 6" stopProcessing="true">
                    <match url="^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(.*\.php)$" ignoreCase="false" />
                    <action type="Rewrite" url="{R:2}" />
                </rule>
                <rule name="WordPress Rule 7" stopProcessing="true">
                    <match url="." ignoreCase="false" />
                    <action type="Rewrite" url="index.php" />
                </rule>
            </rules>
        </rewrite>
        <defaultDocument>
            <files>
                <clear />
                <add value="index.php" />
                <add value="index.html" />
                <add value="index.htm" />
            </files>
        </defaultDocument>
    </system.webServer>
</configuration>