无法安装任何R包，报错Error in readRDS(dest) : error reading from connection

Hey there, let's tackle that frustrating Error in readRDS(dest) : error reading from connection issue you're hitting when installing R packages. I've seen this pop up a few times, so here are some tried-and-true fixes you can test out step by step:

• 清理损坏的包缓存
  R caches downloaded packages, and corrupted cache files are a common cause of this error. Here's how to fix it:

  1. Run Sys.getenv("R_LIBS_USER") in R to find your personal package library path
  2. Close R completely, then navigate to that path and delete all files with the .rds extension, or clear the entire downloaded_packages folder (that's where cached packages live)
  3. Restart R and try installing the package again

• 排查网络与镜像源问题
  Unstable internet or problematic CRAN mirrors can lead to incomplete package downloads, which trigger this error:

  • Switch to a more reliable mirror (like the official cloud R project mirror, or a regional one with better connectivity)
  • If you're on a work/school network, try using your phone's hotspot to rule out firewall or proxy interference
  • Download the package's .tar.gz (or .zip for Windows) file manually, then install it locally with install.packages("path/to/your/package/file", repos = NULL, type = "source")

• 检查权限与R版本兼容性
  Even though you're using stable R 3.4.x versions, permission issues are often the culprit:

  • Launch R as an administrator (right-click R and select "Run as administrator" on Windows; use sudo R in terminal on Mac/Linux) — sometimes regular user accounts don't have write access to the package library
  • Make sure your system has enough free disk space; a full drive can cause file write failures that lead to this error

• 重置R的包安装配置
  Corrupted configuration settings might be causing the problem. Run this command to reset your CRAN repo to the official default:

  options(repos = c(CRAN="https://cloud.r-project.org/"))
  

  Then try installing the package again.

• 检查杀毒软件拦截
  Some antivirus tools flag R package files as suspicious, which can corrupt the download or block installation. Try temporarily disabling your antivirus, then attempt to install the package. If it works, add your R package library folder to the antivirus's trusted list to avoid future issues.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Sgt Cheddar