R help - Feb 2009 - NOT an R problem: cannot install packages from distant repository

I met today a computer crash and our maintenance officer had to reinstall
some components of the OS (MS Windows XP Pro) as well as the Internet
browser (among other things). Now, I cannot install packages from a distant
repository:
> utils:::menuInstallPkgs()
Error in .readRDS(pfile) : unknown input format
> traceback()
5: .readRDS(pfile)
4: .packages(all.available = TRUE)
3: .install.winbinary(pkgs = pkgs, lib = lib, contriburl = contriburl,
       method = method, available = available, destdir = destdir,
       installWithVers = installWithVers, dependencies = dependencies,
       ...)
2: install.packages(NULL, .libPaths()[1], dependencies = NA, type = type)
1: utils:::menuInstallPkgs()
> sessionInfo()
R version 2.8.1 Patched (2009-02-17 r47956)
i386-pc-mingw32

locale:
LC_COLLATE=French_France.1252;LC_CTYPE=French_France.1252;LC_MONETARY=French_France.1252;LC_NUMERIC=C;LC_TIME=French_France.1252

attached base packages:
[1] stats     graphics  grDevices utils     datasets  methods   base

other attached packages:
[1] fortunes_1.3-6

loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
[1] tools_2.8.1

*********************************************

My browser and e-mail client are working, and I can display the list of
packages when I run utils:::menuInstallPkgs().

Did anybody meet the same problem, and how can I solve it ?

Renaud
-- 
Renaud Lancelot
EDEN Project, coordinator
http://www.eden-fp6project.net/

UMR CIRAD-INRA "Contrôle des maladies animales exotiques et
émergentes"
Joint research unit "Control of emerging and exotic animal diseases"

CIRAD
Campus International de Baillarguet TA A-DIR / B
F34398 Montpellier
http://www.cirad.fr  http://bluetongue.cirad.fr/

Tel.  +33 4 67 59 37 17  -  Fax  +33 4 67 59 37 95
Secr. +33 4 67 59 37 37  - Cell. +33 6 77 52 08 69

	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]

Still searching what's going on.... In fact, I can download manually any
package and install it. The problem occurs when updating the html files. I
can reproduce it with this:
> link.html.help()
Error in .readRDS(pfile) : unknown input format
> traceback()
5: .readRDS(pfile)
4: .packages(all.available = TRUE, lib.loc = lib)
3: sort(.packages(all.available = TRUE, lib.loc = lib))
2: make.packages.html(lib.loc)
1: link.html.help()

Any hint ?

Renaud


2009/2/20 Renaud Lancelot <renaud.lancelot@gmail.com>
> I met today a computer crash and our maintenance officer had to reinstall
> some components of the OS (MS Windows XP Pro) as well as the Internet
> browser (among other things). Now, I cannot install packages from a distant
> repository:
>
> > utils:::menuInstallPkgs()
> Error in .readRDS(pfile) : unknown input format
> > traceback()
> 5: .readRDS(pfile)
> 4: .packages(all.available = TRUE)
> 3: .install.winbinary(pkgs = pkgs, lib = lib, contriburl = contriburl,
>        method = method, available = available, destdir = destdir,
>        installWithVers = installWithVers, dependencies = dependencies,
>        ...)
> 2: install.packages(NULL, .libPaths()[1], dependencies = NA, type = type)
> 1: utils:::menuInstallPkgs()
> > sessionInfo()
> R version 2.8.1 Patched (2009-02-17 r47956)
> i386-pc-mingw32
>
> locale:
>
>
LC_COLLATE=French_France.1252;LC_CTYPE=French_France.1252;LC_MONETARY=French_France.1252;LC_NUMERIC=C;LC_TIME=French_France.1252
>
> attached base packages:
> [1] stats     graphics  grDevices utils     datasets  methods   base
>
> other attached packages:
> [1] fortunes_1.3-6
>
> loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
> [1] tools_2.8.1
>
> *********************************************
>
> My browser and e-mail client are working, and I can display the list of
> packages when I run utils:::menuInstallPkgs().
>
> Did anybody meet the same problem, and how can I solve it ?
>
> Renaud
> --
> Renaud Lancelot
> EDEN Project, coordinator
> http://www.eden-fp6project.net/
>
> UMR CIRAD-INRA "Contrôle des maladies animales exotiques et
émergentes"
> Joint research unit "Control of emerging and exotic animal
diseases"
>
> CIRAD
> Campus International de Baillarguet TA A-DIR / B
> F34398 Montpellier
> http://www.cirad.fr  http://bluetongue.cirad.fr/
>
> Tel.  +33 4 67 59 37 17  -  Fax  +33 4 67 59 37 95
> Secr. +33 4 67 59 37 37  - Cell. +33 6 77 52 08 69
>
>

-- 
Renaud Lancelot
EDEN Project, coordinator
http://www.eden-fp6project.net/

UMR CIRAD-INRA "Contrôle des maladies animales exotiques et
émergentes"
Joint research unit "Control of emerging and exotic animal diseases"

CIRAD
Campus International de Baillarguet TA A-DIR / B
F34398 Montpellier
http://www.cirad.fr  http://bluetongue.cirad.fr/

Tel.  +33 4 67 59 37 17  -  Fax  +33 4 67 59 37 95
Secr. +33 4 67 59 37 37  - Cell. +33 6 77 52 08 69

	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]