[R] trouble installing R from source on Windows 8

[Jeff Newmiller]

Stop using administrator. If and only if Windows prompts you for permission to install, give it your password. Stay as far away from administrator as you can.
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Sent from my phone. Please excuse my brevity.

On November 29, 2014 8:51:23 PM PST, Erin Hodgess <erinm.hodgess at gmail.com> wrote:
>Hello everyone!
>
>I'm trying to install R-3.1.2 from source on a Windows 8 laptop.
>
>I installed Rtools 3.1 as administrator and is was fine so far.
>
>Then I downloaded the R-3.1.2.tar.gz file and attempted to use the tar
>command,
>also from the shell as administrator.
>
>I keep getting the following:
>tar -xf R-3.1.2.tar.gz
>tar(child): gzip: Cannot exec: no such file or directory
>tar(child): Error is not recoverable: exiting now
>tar: Child returned status 2
>tar: Exiting with failure status due to previous errors
>
>I have downloaded from several different mirrors, (both Rtools and
>R-3.1.2.tar.gz), and have turned off the firewall (McAfee).
>
>Has anyone else run into this, please?
>
>Thanks so much,
>Sincerely,
>Erin