[R] R doesn't want to update packages (Windows 7)

[Prof Brian Ripley]

See 
http://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/rw-FAQ.html#Does-R-run-under-Windows-Vista_003f

which does cover this.  Most likely you need to 'Run as 
Administrator'.

There's lot of other useful information in that FAQ that you would do 
to familiarize yourself with.

On Tue, 5 Oct 2010, Dimitri Liakhovitski wrote:

> Hello!
>
> I've just installed R 2.11.1 on my new home PC. Just the base R. My PC
> has Windows 7.
> R was installed in C / Program Files (x86) / R - R-2.11.1
>
> Then - through the menue - I went to Update packages, chose the mirror
> and R detected the few packages that needed to be updated. After I
> clicked on OK I got the following error message:
>
>> update.packages(ask='graphics')
> --- Please select a CRAN mirror for use in this session ---
> Warning in install.packages(update[instlib == l, "Package"], l,
> contriburl = contriburl,  :
>  'lib = "C:/PROGRA~2/R/R-211~1.1/library"' is not writable
> Error in install.packages(update[instlib == l, "Package"], l,
> contriburl = contriburl,  :
>  unable to install packages
>
> I've tried several times, then uninstalled R and reinstalled it. Same problem.
> Can it be because R is installed in Program Files (x86) and not in
> Program Files (I have both folders)?

Not at all, assuming you installed a 32-bit version of R (you didn't 
tell us).  It *is* because you installed in a special Windows area.

> Thank you!
>
> -- 
> Dimitri Liakhovitski
> Ninah Consulting
> www.ninah.com
>
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>

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595