Get .htaccess files working on Ubuntu after LAMP installation

Step 1. Configure Apache mod_rewrite
sudo a2enmod rewrite

Step 2. Within the file /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
Under the section labelled <Directory /var/www/>
Change the line
AllowOverride None
to
AllowOverride All

Step 3. Restart apache
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart