Fwd: Unable to install TeXLive

[Siep Kroonenberg]

On Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 06:06:51PM -0500, Matthew Elmer wrote:
> Here is my cmd.exe log from when I opened it to when the error occurred:
> Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.18363.1016]
> (c) 2019 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
> 
> C:\Users\Frijoles con Arroz>cd Desktop
> 
> C:\Users\Frijoles con Arroz\Desktop>cd install-tl-20200820
> 
> C:\Users\Frijoles con Arroz\Desktop\install-tl-20200820>dir
>  Volume in drive C is OS
>  Volume Serial Number is EC4E-1F94
> 
>  Directory of C:\Users\Frijoles con Arroz\Desktop\install-tl-20200820
> 
> 08/21/2020  06:02 PM    <DIR>          .
> 08/21/2020  06:02 PM    <DIR>          ..
> 06/13/2020  03:03 PM           105,829 install-tl
> 05/31/2020  03:09 PM             4,770 install-tl-windows.bat
> 09/28/2006  11:31 AM             2,098 LICENSE.CTAN
> 11/19/2019  09:36 PM             5,267 LICENSE.TL
> 04/06/2020  10:03 AM               350 release-texlive.txt
> 08/21/2020  06:02 PM    <DIR>          texmf-dist
> 08/21/2020  06:02 PM    <DIR>          tlpkg
>                5 File(s)        118,314 bytes
>                4 Dir(s)  708,200,132,608 bytes free
> 
> C:\Users\Frijoles con
> Arroz\Desktop\install-tl-20200820>install-tl-windows.bat
> '""C:\Users\Frijoles' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
> operable program or batch file.
> 
> C:\Users\Frijoles con Arroz\Desktop\install-tl-20200820>

So the problem is installation FROM a folder with a space in the
path. You can create a virtual drive with e.g.:

subst k: "C:\Users\Frijoles con Arroz\Desktop\install-tl-20200820"
cd /d k:\
install-tl-windows.bat

And after installation:
cd /d c:
subst k: /d

I'll apply some such fix to our installer.

> I am going to investigate the solutions provided by John Frain now.
> 
> On Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 2:01 PM Siep Kroonenberg <siepo at bitmuis.nl> wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 09:06:32AM -0500, Matthew Elmer wrote:
> > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> > > From: Matthew Elmer <matthewelmer at tamu.edu>
> > > Date: Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 9:05 AM
> > > Subject: Re: Unable to install TeXLive
> > > To: Philip Taylor <P.Taylor at hellenic-institute.uk>
> > > Cc: Julius Dittmar <Julius.Dittmar at gmx.de>, <texhax at tug.org>
> > >
> > >
> > > Thank you everyone for your help. Would it be possible for me to change
> > my
> > > username for installation and change it back afterwards? Would it break
> > > anything for currently installed programs? It seems as though it would
> > be a
> > > simple fix to allow for usernames with spaces as you just put the quotes
> > in
> > > and it works fine. Also very strange that Philip Taylor had no issues.
> > Now
> > > that I look back at the error, it seems as though the batch file
> > attempted
> > > to put quotes in to accommodate usernames with spaces but somehow
> > inserted
> > > two at the beginning and none at the end. In any case, I'll just use
> > > Microsoft Word for now instead. I won't be able to use the templates for
> > my
> > > computer science course but at least there's no hacky fixes involved.
> > >
> > > Forwarding to texlive list.
> > >
> > > On Fri, Aug 21, 2020 at 3:47 AM Philip Taylor <
> > > P.Taylor at hellenic-institute.uk> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Julius Dittmar wrote:
> > > >
> > > > the best fix would be to rename your account name.
> >
> > Although quoting rules for cmd.exe are horrible, and I am not sure
> > whether all quoting problems with cmd.exe can be solved, a space in
> > the installation path should not cause problems, as Philip Taylor
> > writes.
> >
> > What exact error message do you get, and what exact path do you try
> > to install to? I mean the real path, as listed by cmd.exe or
> > powershell, which may differ from the path shown in file explorer.
> >
> > > > This may sound like a fix in the wrong place to you, but there's good
> > > > reason: The texlive installer will not be the only program choking on
> > the
> > > > space in your account name.
> > > >
> > > > Spaces have special meaning in commands: They separate command
> > arguments.
> > > > Thus any path containing your account name (which is any path to any of
> > > > your files) will be read as at least three different arguments instead
> > of
> > > > one argument combined. Any work-around making that space-containing
> > path
> > > > work will only be a local work-around. There will always be places
> > where
> > > > such work-arounds have been forgotten.
> > > >
> > > > In the long run, you save yourself from a lot of trouble if you change
> > > > your login name to something without spaces (perhaps use underscores
> > > > instead or just omit the space) and if you refrain from using spaces in
> > > > file or directory names.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > From the perspective of a Windows 7 user :
> > > >
> > > > My account name, "Philip Taylor", which clearly contains an embedded
> > > > space, causes me no problems whatsoever, either with TeX Live or with
> > > > anything else.
> > > >
> > > > *Philip Taylor*
> >
> > --
> > Siep Kroonenberg
> >
> 
> 
> -- 
> *Matthew Elmer '22*
> *AERO **(CSCE minor)*
> *VP Internal, TAMU AIAA*
> *Texas A&M University*

-- 
Siep Kroonenberg