Permalink change is causing problems

I noticed that I do not have a htaccess file. Is this the problem?

If so what do I need to do to get this custom permalink to work? The codex (which I don’t fully understand) states that in previous versions of WP using %postname% was not recommended, but maybe okay for versions after 2.2.

Also when I created a custom permalink structure was wordpress supposed to create the htaccess file? If this is the case, maybe I have a permission issue that needs resolved first.

HELP!

Also when I created a custom permalink structure was wordpress supposed to create the htaccess file? If this is the case, maybe I have a permission issue that needs resolved first.

Yes, WP should have created the .htaccess, which you need for permalinks. If it didn’t usually code is recommended to you (in WP) to create your own

Ok, I do have an .htaccess file. For some reason the ftp client I was using wasn’t displaying it. Below is what’s in it. What do I need to change to use %postname% permalink structure?

# Use PHP5 Single php.ini as default
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php5s .php
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /

#uploaded files
RewriteRule ^(.*/)?files/$ index.php [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !.*wp-content/plugins.*
#RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
#RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
#RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !courses.hardinnorthern.org
RewriteRule ^(.*/)?files/(.*) wp-content/blogs.php?file=$2 [L]

# add a trailing slash to /wp-admin
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^.*/wp-admin$
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ $1/ [R=301,L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule . – [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(wp-.*) $2 [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(.*\.php)$ $2 [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]

<IfModule mod_security.c>
<Files async-upload.php>
SecFilterEngine Off
SecFilterScanPOST Off
</Files>
</IfModule>
# For security reasons, Option all cannot be overridden.
#Options All -Indexes
Options ExecCGI Includes IncludesNOEXEC IncludesNOEXEC MultiViews SymLinksIfOwnerMatch Indexes -Indexes