[R] problem of install.packages in windows (R 1.81)

[Uwe Ligges]

mrufino at cmima.csic.es wrote:
> 
> Dear R users,
> 
> I have a problem in the configuration of R:
> I just changed university, and my conection to the net is via a password, which
> permits me to access the packages with no problem via the internet explorer
> (version 6).
> I just updated R to R 1.81, and I cannot download nether upgrade packages (and
> many are not working with the update!!!).
> I have been looking in the help and emails, and saw that many people had the
> similar problems.
> By what I understood, I have to set up the proxy, and do something about
> the 'path'... but although I read RFAQ and R for windows, I could not do it,
> because I dont know where do I go (I looked in the control panel, internet
> options, etc. nothing worked, than also I tried changing the name of the dll
> file (internet2.dll), as recommended and makes R crash, as soon as it is
> conected.
> 
> I think I am very lost in the 'proxy' and 'path'... probably because I am a
> Windows user. By the way I use Win xp and 98.
> 
> I am sorry for the basic question....
> 
> could you help e pleeeeease :-) ?
> thank you
> Marta

Let's study the R for Windows FAQ together:

  "2.17 The internet download functions fail.

  [...]

  (a) Use the alternative internet2.dll [...]
  Note that this does not work  with proxies that 
  need authentication."

OK. You do need authentication, so (a) is nothing for you ...

  "(b) A proxy needs to be set up: see ?download.file. 
  Here are two versions of an example (a real one, but 
  from a machine that is only available locally) of a
  command-line in a short cut:

  /R/rw1081/bin/RGui.exe http_proxy=http://user:pass@gannet:80/
  /R/rw1081/bin/RGui.exe http_proxy=http://gannet/ http_proxy_user=ask

  The second version will prompt the user for the proxy 
  username and password when HTTP downloads are first used."

And here we got it. Just modify your shortcut to start R. 
Right-click the shortcut, select Properties and modify the target as
given above,
where you have to replace "gannet" by your proxy server, and (for the
first version) user by your username and pass by your password. That's
it.

If you don't know what that means, it is the easiest way to ask someone
from your department's computer staff.

Also, you might want to look into ?download.file for more details, as
mentioned in the FAQs.

Uwe Ligges