R devel - Aug 2007 - Non-administrator can't install packages (PR#9848)

Full_Name: Russ Lenth
Version: 1.5.1
OS: Windows XP Pro
Submission from: (NULL) (128.255.132.36)


I run a Windows system on which I do not have administrator rights.  I am unable
to install R packages, even in a location that I have access to.  I get a
message that it can't write to the specified directory.  I know I WAS able
to do
this last April (version 1.4.1??) on the same system -- I have several installed
packages to show for it.  

Some R session excerpts are below.  I have tried the same things on my laptop,
with no problems; thus, I think this bug is related to my not having
Administrator rights.  

By the way, in each call to install.packages(), I get an offer to create a new
library directory, even though I have specified one explicitly in the
"lib"
argument.  That seems like a bug too.

My current workaround is to just download and unzip the file to that directory,
with R not running.  That seems to work, but I'm not sure everything gets
set up
properly that way.


===== Attempt to install a package to my usual location on a network drive:
R> .libPaths()
[1] "h:/pkg/R/library"              
"C:/PROGRA~1/R/R-25~1.1/library"

R> install.packages( "odfWeave", lib="h:/pkg/R/library")
Warning in install.packages("d:/downloads/odfWeave_0.5.9.zip", lib
"h:/pkg/R/library") :
         'lib = "h:/pkg/R/library"' is not writable
Error in install.packages("d:/downloads/odfWeave_0.5.9.zip", lib
"h:/pkg/R/library") :
        unable to install packages


===== Attempt to install to a local drive:
R> install.packages( "odfWeave", lib="d:")
Warning in install.packages("d:/downloads/odfWeave_0.5.9.zip", lib =
"d:") :
         'lib = "d:"' is not writable
Error in install.packages("d:/downloads/odfWeave_0.5.9.zip", lib =
"d:") :
        unable to install packages


===== Yet, I can write to that location:
R> sink("h:/pkg/R/library/junk.txt")
R> ls()
R> sink()
R> system("cat h:/pkg/R/library/junk.txt")
  [1] "align"              "align.default"     
"align.lm"
  [4] "align.old"          "align.very.old"    
"augment"
.....           
R> system("rm h:/pkg/R/library/junk.txt")
R>