Files won’t upload: unable to create a temporary file

In Options-> Misc is the correct Destination directory and URI of this directory specified?

Yes, they are both correct. Quintuple checked before posting ??

First off, this is a PHP issue, not a WP one. So checking desintation directories and stuff in WP won’t help. ??

Anyway, I assume c:\tmp\ exists?

If so, double check that temporarily directory. The “unable to create a temporary file in Unknown” leads me to believe that PHP doesn’t have a temp directory correctly set.

to deal with file uploads
dont use WP
use a FTP program
or your hosting control panel and create any file you want
then set the necessary permissions.

I appreciate that ftp is the way to go, but I’m a professional web-dev, and strange as it may seem, I’m tired of doing that dance. I was looking to WordPress as a solution to make my own website fun again, and ftp is a pain in the butt (comparatively speaking). I’ll do it if I must resort to it, but I’d rather take a shot at getting the issue fixed, first.

It would be nice to get it fixed for testing, but it’s possible that when I move it to my linux server that it might work as well.

I agree, that it seems like a PHP issue, not a wordpress one. c:\tmp exists indeed, and it’s part of my Windows PATH set up.

I (perhaps incorrectly) assume that Windows doesn’t really have a permissions issue if I’m the sole user. What could cause PHP to choke up on that?

Setting your temp directory in Windows to C:\tmp\ won’t make PHP use to the best of my knowledge. You must tell it to PHP in your php.ini file.

I had a similar problem until I set my server /tmp directory to CHMOD 777

Sorry, I was unclear: I do have c:\tmp set up in my .ini AND (just in case, because I don’t really know PHP; it’s my first time installed, and I haven’t developed using it yet) I have additionally set it up in the Windows path as my default tmp directory.