Hey there! I totally get how frustrating it is to hit a wall updating Spyder when you're still getting comfortable with cmd or Anaconda Prompt. Let's walk through some practical troubleshooting steps to figure out what's going wrong and fix it:

1. Start with checking your Anaconda environment basics #

• First, open Anaconda Prompt and run conda info. If this command throws errors (like network timeouts or corrupted environment messages), your base conda setup might be the issue. Fix that first before trying to update Spyder.
• Make sure you're working in the right environment. If you installed Spyder in a custom environment (not the default base), activate it first with conda activate your_env_name. If you're not sure, run conda env list to see all your environments.

2. Run the update command explicitly and capture error details #

Stop guessing—use a precise command and watch the output closely. The error message will tell you exactly what's broken:

• For conda users: Run conda install spyder=4.0.0b2. If you get a "package not found" error, try adding the conda-forge channel: conda install -c conda-forge spyder=4.0.0b2.
• For pip users: Run pip install spyder==4.0.0b2.
• Common error scenarios to look for:
  • Network issues: If you see timeout messages, switch to a faster conda mirror. Run conda config --add channels https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/anaconda/pkgs/free/ then try updating again.
  • Dependency conflicts: The output will list which packages are incompatible. You can try forcing a reinstall with pip install --force-reinstall spyder==4.0.0b2 (pip) or conda install --force-reinstall spyder=4.0.0b2 (conda)—just note this might override some existing packages. Alternatively, create a fresh environment specifically for this Spyder beta:

    conda create -n spyder_beta python=3.7
    conda activate spyder_beta
    conda install spyder=4.0.0b2
    

3. Rule out permission problems #

• On Windows: Right-click Anaconda Prompt and select "Run as administrator" before executing the update command. Sometimes regular user permissions block writing to system folders.
• On macOS/Linux: If using pip, try adding sudo to the front of the command (e.g., sudo pip install spyder==4.0.0b2). Avoid using sudo with conda though—it can mess up your user environment.

4. Clear corrupted caches #

Corrupted installation caches are a common culprit:

• For conda: Run conda clean -a to delete all unused packages and caches, then retry the update.
• For pip: Run pip cache purge to clear pip's cache, then reinstall.

If none of these steps work, copy the full error message (every line of red text or warning) and share it—specific details like error codes or missing packages will help pinpoint the exact issue.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者fffrost