[R] uninstalled and reinstalled R, now cannot install packages

[S Ellison]

Inability to access a repository index is very often an indication of a failed internet connection from R. In Windows that is often a result of incorrect proxy settings or other internet connection settings. The R Windows FAQ, 2.19 ("The Internet download functions fail") may have the answer...

As a quick diagnostic, try running  
setInternet2(use = TRUE)

as the _first_ thing after starting R. This will effectively cause R to use the same settings as Internet Explorer. If that works, add the flag --internet2 to the command line in the R shortcut. 
If that fixes the problem, edit the Windows shortcut to include --internet2 in the command lione.

If it fails, see Windows FAQ 2.19 (b). 


have a look at either edit your local R config file to use internet2 instead of the default, or reinstall R, setting the Internet2 option during the installation process.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: r-help-bounces at r-project.org [mailto:r-help-bounces at r-project.org] On
> Behalf Of Sarah Hardy
> Sent: 01 October 2014 00:01
> To: r-help at r-project.org
> Subject: [R] uninstalled and reinstalled R, now cannot install packages
> 
>  Hello,
> 
> I have a student (running Windows 8) who ran into a problem installing the
> RcmdrPlugin.IPSUR package and, despite instructions to the contrary,
> uninstalled R and reinstalled. He uninstalled it using the Windows 8 utility. Now
> he cannot install any packages.
> 
> Here are the error messages he gets when he gets when he trys to use the
> menu to install a package:
> > utils:::menuInstallPkgs()
> --- Please select a CRAN mirror for use in this session ---
> Warning: unable to access index for repository
> http://cran.mirrors.hoobly.com/bin/windows/contrib/3.1
> Warning: unable to access index for repository
> http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/pub/RWin/bin/windows/contrib/3.1
> Error in install.packages(NULL, .libPaths()[1L], dependencies = NA, type =
> type) :
>   no packages were specified
> In addition: Warning message:
> In open.connection(con, "r") :
>   unable to connect to 'cran.r-project.org' on port 80.
> 
> Here are the messages he gets when using the install.packages command (it
> doesn't matter what package he tries to install):
> 
> > install.packages("rpart")
> Installing package into
> ‘C:/Users/michael.bottai/Documents/R/win-library/3.1’
> (as ‘lib’ is unspecified)
> Warning: unable to access index for repository
> http://cran.mirrors.hoobly.com/bin/windows/contrib/3.1
> Warning: unable to access index for repository
> http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/pub/RWin/bin/windows/contrib/3.1
> Warning message:
> package ‘rpart’ is not available (for R version 3.1.1)
> 
> Any help will be greatly appreciated!
> 
> Thank you,
> Sarah
> 
> 
> --
> Sarah Hardy, PhD
> Associate Professor of Mathematics
> University of Maine Farmington
> 207-778-7124    Office: Brinkman 100
> 
> 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
> 
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
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> PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.


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