R devel - Feb 2006 - R, Rcmdr crash on WinXP PRO laptop (PR#8583)

My system is a Dell laptop running Win XP Pro with SP2 and all current 
updates. R is version 2.2.1, Rcmdr is version 1.1-6 (also happens with 1.1-5).

First attempt to import data from text file (in Rcmdr) works correctly with 
no errors or warnings. Second, third or fourth attempt to load same data or 
a similar dataset will cause all R windows, including Rcmdr and R console 
windows, to disappear when cursor is placed over data file icon in file 
selection window. Although R appears to have crashed and exited, use of the 
Windows taskmanager reveals that Rgui is still an active process consuming 
99% of cpu. Each subsequent reload and crash of R will yield another Rgui 
process, until the system slows to a halt (or I manually delete the Rgui 
processes). System and Application event viewers show no errors or warnings.

Same R and Rcmdr installed on a Dell Dimension desktop with Windows 2000, 
SP4, all current updates, does not exhibit this problem.

Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.

Thankyou

Bill Parker

On 2/9/2006 9:02 AM, parker at quartz.gly.fsu.edu wrote:
> My system is a Dell laptop running Win XP Pro with SP2 and all current 
> updates. R is version 2.2.1, Rcmdr is version 1.1-6 (also happens with
1.1-5).
> 
> First attempt to import data from text file (in Rcmdr) works correctly with
> no errors or warnings. Second, third or fourth attempt to load same data or
> a similar dataset will cause all R windows, including Rcmdr and R console 
> windows, to disappear when cursor is placed over data file icon in file 
> selection window. Although R appears to have crashed and exited, use of the
> Windows taskmanager reveals that Rgui is still an active process consuming 
> 99% of cpu. Each subsequent reload and crash of R will yield another Rgui 
> process, until the system slows to a halt (or I manually delete the Rgui 
> processes). System and Application event viewers show no errors or
warnings.
> 
> Same R and Rcmdr installed on a Dell Dimension desktop with Windows 2000, 
> SP4, all current updates, does not exhibit this problem.
> 
> Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.
This might be an R bug, but it may also be some other software that you 
have installed that's integrated into Explorer, e.g. an anti-virus 
program.  When you open a file dialog all sorts of DLLs run, depending 
on what you've got installed.  It sounds as though one of them is 
incompatible with R/Rcmdr.

If you can give specific instructions for reproducing the crash, I'll 
try it, but I just tried a version of your description above and saw no 
problems.  I'm using the same version of XP, R, and Rcmdr as you, so I 
suspect that I was either doing something different than you, or you 
have something installed that I don't.

Duncan Murdoch