R help - Apr 2009 - update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE) returns Error: invalid version specification NA in 2.9.0

I installed R-2.9.0 yesterday, and followed the instructions in the R for
Windows FAQ, 2.8 What's the best way to upgrade?  It reads "run
update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE, ask=FALSE) in the new R and then delete
anything left of the old installation."  I did this but it returned an
error.  It's the checkBuilt=TRUE which causes it, though I don't know
why:
leaving it out or changing it to checkBuilt=FALSE do not return errors.
> update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE, ask=FALSE)
--- Please select a CRAN mirror for use in this session ---
Error: invalid version specification NA
> update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE)
Error: invalid version specification NA

Peter Keller
Wildlife Biologist
Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge
	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

Just a guess: We had an issues with malformed PACKAGES files in the 
Windows repositories.

Maybe you are affected here.
Can you please try in 24 hours from now to do that again using the 
mirror in Austria.

If the problem persists, please let me know.

Thank you,
Uwe Ligges


Peter_Keller at fws.gov wrote:
> 
> I installed R-2.9.0 yesterday, and followed the instructions in the R for
> Windows FAQ, 2.8 What's the best way to upgrade?  It reads "run
> update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE, ask=FALSE) in the new R and then delete
> anything left of the old installation."  I did this but it returned an
> error.  It's the checkBuilt=TRUE which causes it, though I don't
know why:
> leaving it out or changing it to checkBuilt=FALSE do not return errors.
> 
>> update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE, ask=FALSE)
> --- Please select a CRAN mirror for use in this session ---
> Error: invalid version specification NA
> 
>> update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE)
> Error: invalid version specification NA
> 
> Peter Keller
> Wildlife Biologist
> Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge
> 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
> 
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide
http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.

Peter_Keller at fws.gov wrote:
> Just tried a minute ago with the Austria mirror as you said, and I still
> get the error.

Can you please tell us the result of
traceback() after you did that.

Are you sure you have no *old* base packages in the library you want to 
run update.packages() on?
Are you sure that all packages within your library are valid?
Do you have others than just the standard library?

Uwe Ligges

> Peter Keller
> Wildlife Biologist
> Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge
> 
> 
> 
>                                                                            
>              Uwe Ligges                                                    
>              <ligges at statistik
>              .tu-dortmund.de>                                          
To
>                                        Peter_Keller at fws.gov
>              04/24/2009 12:24                                           cc 
>              PM                        r-help at r-project.org
>                                                                    Subject 
>                                        Re: [R]                             
>                                        update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE)    
>                                        returns Error: invalid version      
>                                        specification NA in 2.9.0           
>                                                                            
>                                                                            
>                                                                            
>                                                                            
>                                                                            
>                                                                            
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just a guess: We had an issues with malformed PACKAGES files in the
> Windows repositories.
> 
> Maybe you are affected here.
> Can you please try in 24 hours from now to do that again using the
> mirror in Austria.
> 
> If the problem persists, please let me know.
> 
> Thank you,
> Uwe Ligges
> 
> 
> Peter_Keller at fws.gov wrote:
>> I installed R-2.9.0 yesterday, and followed the instructions in the R
for
>> Windows FAQ, 2.8 What's the best way to upgrade?  It reads
"run
>> update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE, ask=FALSE) in the new R and then
delete
>> anything left of the old installation."  I did this but it
returned an
>> error.  It's the checkBuilt=TRUE which causes it, though I
don't know
> why:
>> leaving it out or changing it to checkBuilt=FALSE do not return errors.
>>
>>> update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE, ask=FALSE)
>> --- Please select a CRAN mirror for use in this session ---
>> Error: invalid version specification NA
>>
>>> update.packages(checkBuilt=TRUE)
>> Error: invalid version specification NA
>>
>> Peter Keller
>> Wildlife Biologist
>> Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge
>>            [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>>
>> ______________________________________________
>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>> PLEASE do read the posting guide
> http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>