r - Error in install.packages : cannot remove prior installation of package ‘DBI’

Question

I attempted install.packages("RMySQL") and it runs for a second and then says:

Error in install.packages : cannot remove prior installation of package ‘DBI’

I did remove.packages("DBI") and it says:

remove.packages("DBI") Removing package from ‘/Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Versions/3.2/Resources/library’ (as ‘lib’ is unspecified)

Then I retry install.packages("RMySQL") and it says:

Error in install.packages : cannot remove prior installation of package ‘DBI’

The DBI dependency is not actually getting removed or something. Or possibly I removed it from the wrong area? I'm confused.

Answer 1

Try starting R without any startup files to prevent DBI from being loaded (however that happens on your box).

You should then be able to just delete the unattached package.

Alternatively, just remove the DBI/ directory from library directory.

It should look similar to this:

$ R --vanilla     ## prevent inits at load

R version 3.4.1 (2017-06-30) -- "Single Candle"
Copyright (C) 2017 The R Foundation for Statistical Computing
Platform: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu (64-bit)

R is free software and comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
You are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions.
Type 'license()' or 'licence()' for distribution details.

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'citation()' on how to cite R or R packages in publications.

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Type 'q()' to quit R.

> ls()               ## no variables
character(0)
> search()           ## no packages besides Base
[1] ".GlobalEnv"        "package:stats"     "package:graphics" 
[4] "package:grDevices" "package:utils"     "package:datasets" 
[7] "package:methods"   "Autoloads"         "package:base"     
>