[R] downloading packages and AntiVirus program

[(Ted Harding)]

On 18-Jun-03 RINNER Heinrich wrote:
> Dear R-users!
> 
> I am using R 1.7.0, under Windows XP;
> I also have Internet Explorer 6.0.2600.0000, Norton AntiVirus 7.60.926.
> 
> Our firewall seems to want to "protect" me from downloading precompiled
> packages for Windows.
> When I try to download packages, like
> http://cran.at.r-project.org/bin/windows/contrib/1.7/RODBC_1.0-3.zip
> for example, I am not allowed to and get a message like this:
> 
> "The content you just requested had a problem and was blocked by the
> Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine based on local administrator settings."
> 
> I called our network hotline, but they insisted that these files
> contain viruses and wouldn't let me download them.

I think you may be a victim of the blind paranoia that is increasingly
afflicting system administrators in these virus-prone days. The file
you are trying to download is a *.zip file, and you may find that your
network admins have simply blocked all ingress of files with a ".zip"
extension. I know of sites where ".exe", ".doc", ".xls" etc. are all
automatically blocked, regardless of content, simply because _some_
such files contain viruses.

As to your network hotline, it seems to me that it is staffed by dumb
clucks sitting at terminals consulting their ARS (Action Request System
-- I invent not -- which supplies on-line canned answers for user
problems).

I don't know what to suggest, if that's what you're up against.

The best of luck.
Ted.


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E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding at nessie.mcc.ac.uk>
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Date: 18-Jun-03                                       Time: 11:28:06
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