[ESS] ESS M-x R failing in a Windows installation

[Marc Schwartz]

[Re-sending, as my prior reply seems to have been problematic]

Hi,

While not a Windows user, I am on macOS, I might point out the R Windows 
FAQ:

   https://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/rw-FAQ.html

which has a section on installation and customization. The relevant 
reference for the current version of R (4.0.4) and the registry is here:

 
https://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/rw-FAQ.html#Does-R-use-the-Registry_003f

Note, that saving the version information to the registry is an optional 
part of the Windows install process. So, the presence of the registry 
keys is not guaranteed.

There may be other relevant FAQ entries as well.

Regards,

Marc Schwartz

Sparapani, Rodney via ESS-help wrote on 3/10/21 1:28 PM:
> Hi Gang:
> 
> Just to follow-up on my own post.  I see that the Windows
> Registry was discussed here in June of 2012 and March of
> 2013 (not 2004 which was my initial guess).  But, whether
> that even exists in modern Windows, IDK!
> 
> Here are the most relevant snippets…
> 
> On 06/15/2012 12:06 PM, Rodney Sparapani wrote:
>> Hi Paul:
>>
>> Very nice thoughts. I'm just going to react to this part which seems
>> to be the most straightforward. I think you can call this from elisp.
>> But, the problem with this code is that it doesn't work, does it? Here's
>> what I get on Windows XP:
>>
>> H:\>reg query hklm\software\R-core\R /v InstallPath
>>
>> Error: The system was unable to find the specified registry key or value
>>
>> H:\>reg query hklm\software\wow6432Node\r-core\r /v InstallPath
>>
>> Error: The system was unable to find the specified registry key or value
>>
>> What do you see?
>>
>> Rodney
>>
> 
> Oh, hang on.  For me, I need
> 
> H:\>reg query hkcu\software\R-core\R /v InstallPath
> ! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0
> 
> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\R-core\R
>       InstallPath REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\rsparapa.MCWCORP\My
> Documents\R\R-2.14.2
> 
> Ok, I think I see what is going on.  You need to check each ROOTKEY
> [ HKLM | HKCU | HKCR | HKU | HKCC ]
> 
> REG QUERY KeyName [/v ValueName | /ve] [/s]
> 
>     KeyName    [\Machine\]FullKey
>       Machine - Name of remote machine,  omitting defaults to the current
> machine
>            Only HKLM and HKU are available on remote machines
>       FullKey  - in the form of ROOTKEY\SubKey name
>            ROOTKEY  [ HKLM | HKCU | HKCR | HKU | HKCC ]
>            SubKey  - The full name of a registry key under the selected
> ROOTKEY
>     /v  query for a specific registry key
>            ValueName  - The name, under the selected Key, to query
>            if omitted, all values under the Key are queried
>     /ve query for the default value or empty value name <no name>
>     /s  queries all subkeys and values
> 
> So, that code is incomplete.  But, it could easily be adapted.
> 
> Rodney
> 
> On 03/28/2013 01:42 PM, Ross Boylan wrote:
>> BTW, the path is available in the registry at
>> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\R-core\R\2.15.3 under InstallPath.  There is
>> also an entry that uses \R32\ instead of \R\ in the registry tree.
> 
> Something like this has been suggested before (for example, see the
> discussion from June 15th).  There are a few problems here:
> 
> 1) Generally, ESS developers are not cracker-jack Windows developers.
> 2) There have been MAJOR changes in Windows especially 7 and 8
> which may (or may not) be at issue here; for example, multi-user
> installs of ESS require omniscience.
> 3) it is not obvious to me why we need to search both the
> HKLM and HKCU root keys (and perhaps others as well?!?).
> 
> So, I don't see this suggestion being acted on UNLESS there is
> a Windows developer lurking out there who wants to work on ESS.
> But, thanks anyways ;o)
> --
> Rodney Sparapani, Associate Professor of Biostatistics
> Chair ISBA Section on Biostatistics and Pharmaceutical Statistics
> Institute for Health and Equity, Division of Biostatistics
> Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Campus
> 
> 
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> 
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