Hey
I've been using R and R Studio for many happy years until recently (on Windows, currently using Windows 10). I have now encountered a really bizarre and unusual installation issue that I'm unable to solve.
The problem started when I tried to install tidyverse. However, R went crazy after this and I got lots of package-related issues that wouldn't go away. I thought this might be because my R installation was on the D drive. So, for some reason, I decided to uninstall R and re-install the latest version as a fix on my C drive.
I then downloaded and installed the latest version of R (3.5.3). It ran right to the end, but came up with an error prompt: āSet up was unable to create the directory: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Rā as it already exists. I decided to navigate to this path manually via Windows Explorer, and there is nothing there. Even with view hidden files/folders enabled. The installer then ācompletedā.
The issue is that the R directory is now 'invisible'. The installer thinks that the directory is there under the 64bit Program Files folder on the C Drive (and is clearly visible when you are choosing a destination to install R). However, it does not appear when you navigate to that path via Windows Explorer. I checked the 32bit Program Files folder and itās not there either.
The installer can also see previous R installation folders on the D drive that do not appear when you navigate to them via Windows Explorer. I cannot detect R anywhere on the computer. Even via the command line. Which makes me think it isnāt there⦠but the R installer thinks it is? Either that, or the installation aborts when it detects something in that Start Menu path. I can't delete this either, as it does not appear via command line or Windows Explorer.
The end result is that I cannot use R in any form. R studio asks me to point to the R installation on start up, which I canāt because itās not there.
So, Iām really not sure what to do next... Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.