[ESS] install.packages() fails on Windows 7; can't choose CRAN mirror

[Joshua Wiley]

Paul,

I have had similar problems using XEmacs 21.4.22 + ESS 5.10 (and
older) on Win 7 where the popup windows did not really work.  It's not
a true fix but I just added:

r <- getOption("repos")
r["CRAN"] <- "http://cran.stat.ucla.edu"
options(repos = r)
rm(r)

to the .Rprofile file in my working directory.  It ended up being more
convenient anyways, because I *almost* always choose the same CRAN
mirror.  I can also 'unstick' XEmacs by interrupting using C-c C-c.

I tried Richard's suggestion, but the CRAN choosing menu does not show
up in the mini-buffer or elsewhere.  I have noticed that the second
time I try install.packages("xyz") or update.packages(), it will pop
up a menu.

Another option that works for me is to set:

options("menu.graphics"=FALSE)

then R does not try to use a graphical interface, you just punch in
the number for your desired CRAN mirror, and that has always worked
like a charm for me.

Best regards,

Josh

On Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 1:33 PM, Paul Johnson <pauljohn32 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Can you try install.packages on Windows 7 to see if you hit this same trouble?
>
> On a Win 7 system we have the newest Emacs / ESS from Prof Goulet's
> website. ESS is version 5.10.
>
> We run into a problem similar to the "File Chooser" panel won't work
> problem that existed in older ESS. Remember when R would ask you to
> choose a working directory and it would not let  you pick one?  Now a
> similar happens, but it won't pop up a menu chooser.  When we run
> install.packages("xyz"), the *R* window stops saying select CRAN
> mirror, nothing ever pops up to let us choose a site.
>
> Emacs appears "stuck".   We have to open the ordinary Rgui and run
> install.packages.
>
>
> pj
>
> --
> Paul E. Johnson
> Professor, Political Science
> 1541 Lilac Lane, Room 504
> University of Kansas
>
> ______________________________________________
> ESS-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/ess-help
>



-- 
Joshua Wiley
Ph.D. Student
Health Psychology
University of California, Los Angeles