[R] save.image() issue resolved - I hope

[Marc R. Feldesman]

I've been combing through logs I keep of all my activities.  I've found a 
possible correlation between the save.image() problem I'm having and one 
particular event.

My system has a rewriteable DVD drive.  I keep a 4.7 GB DVD/RW disk in the 
E: drive and have a system scheduler synchronize the contents of the g: 
drive with the e: drive every Friday night.  Interestingly, both times I've 
discovered the save.image() problem have been on Saturday mornings.  I 
discovered that if I copy the entire data directory on the g: drive to a 
new directory on the same drive, I don't have the save.image() 
problem.  However, if I manually synchronize the two drives (G -> E), 
save.image() fails.  The only difference I can see between the data 
directory *before* synchronization and *after* synchronization is that 
synchronization "unsets" the archive bit.  If I make a new directory, the 
"archive bit" is set and save.image() works.

I'm not sure why this is a problem for the routines in R -- it certainly 
doesn't seem to be a problem with other programs -- but either avoiding 
synchronization (a straight copy also works, but copies far more than is 
actually necessary), or manually resetting the archive bit before using R 
seems to "solve" the problem.

BTW, I've been using a program called Powerdesk 5.0 (for Windows XP) to do 
the synchronization.  The DVD-RW is prepared using Roxio's Direct CD/DVD 5.14.




Dr. Marc R. Feldesman
Professor and Chairman
Anthropology Department - Portland State University
email:  feldesmanm at pdx.edu
email:  feldesman at attglobal.net
fax:    503-725-3905

"I've proved who I am so many times,
the magnetic strip's worn thin"   Bruce Cockburn

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