Running R from cmd in windows

Question

I'm trying to install rtools, so that I can install another package (Google's causalimpact) and the process has indicated I have a problem with my path environment for R.

Main issue

I can't run R from the cmd window.

The expected behaviour is to output below and give > prompt:

R version 3.1.1 (blah blah)

...

Type 'demo()' for some demos, 'help()' for on-line help, or
'help.start()' for an HTML browser interface to help.
Type 'q()' to quit R.

However the actual result is:

'C:\Program' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

Additional info

I can however run Rcmd and Rgui (everything apart from R) from cmd without error.

Where R prints output C:\Program Files\R\R-3.1.1\bin\x64\R.exe

Where Rcmd prints output C:\Program Files\R\R-3.1.1\bin\x64\Rcmd.exe

Where Rgui prints output C:\Program Files\R\R-3.1.1\bin\x64\Rgui.exe

Return the same paths pointing to their respective exe files.

This is clearly a problem with my global environment paths, but I cant see why it would produce this error

The paths look like (the R path on the last line) :

     c:\Rtools\bin      
     c:\Rtools\gcc-4.6.3\bin      
     C:\RBuildTools\3.1\bin 
     C:\RBuildTools\3.1\gcc-4.6.3\bin   
     c:\Rtools\bin
     c:\Rtools\gcc-4.6.3\bin  
     C:\Python27\   
     C:\Python34\     
     C:\Python34\Scripts      
     C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\iCLS Client\   
     C:\Program Files\Intel\iCLS Client\ 
     C:\windows\system32  
     C:\windows 
     C:\windows\System32\Wbem      
     C:\windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\    
     C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\OpenCL SDK\3.0\bin\x86 
     C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\OpenCL SDK\3.0\bin\x64  
     C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\DAL    
     C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\IPT    
     C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\DAL   
     C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\IPT     
     C:\Program Files (x86)\QuickTime\QTSystem\  
     c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\VSShell\Common7\IDE\    
     c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\      
     c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\   
     c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\DTS\Binn\  
     C:\strawberry\c\bin  
     C:\strawberry\perl\site\bin   
     C:\strawberry\perl\bin    
     C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64\    
     C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64\
     C:\Program Files\R\R-3.1.1\bin\x64  

I can run Python and Perl from just typing either's name into the cmd window, and as R is pointed to in the same way I can't understand the above error.

If anyone has any suggestions on how I can fix this error I would be very grateful.

I've not asked a question of this nature on here before so any editing / pointers greatly appreciated too.

The raw path:

PATH=C:\Program Files\R\R-3.1.1\bin\x64;C:\Program Files\R\R-3.1.1\bin\x64;c:\Rt
ools\bin;c:\Rtools\gcc-4.6.3\bin;C:\RBuildTools\3.1\bin;C:\RBuildTools\3.1\gcc-4
.6.3\bin;c:\Rtools\bin;c:\Rtools\gcc-4.6.3\bin;C:\Python27\;C:\Python34\;C:\Pyth
on34\Scripts;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\iCLS Client\;C:\Program Files\Intel\iC
LS Client\;C:\windows\system32;C:\windows;C:\windows\System32\Wbem;C:\windows\Sy
stem32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\OpenCL SDK\3.0\bin\x
86;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\OpenCL SDK\3.0\bin\x64;C:\Program Files\Intel\In
tel(R) Management Engine Components\DAL;C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Manageme
nt Engine Components\IPT;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine
 Components\DAL;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Componen
ts\IPT;C:\Program Files (x86)\QuickTime\QTSystem\;c:\Program Files (x86)\Microso
ft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\VSShell\Common7\IDE\;c:\Program Files (x86)\Microso
ft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\;c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Bi
nn\;c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\DTS\Binn\;C:\strawberry\c\bi
n;C:\strawberry\perl\site\bin;C:\strawberry\perl\bin;C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9
\miktex\bin\x64\;C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64\;C:\Users\Tariq.Muma
n\AppData\Local\Pandoc\

Answer 1

This happen because of the space. CMD understand : execute "C:\Program" with argument "Files\R\R-3.1.1\bin\x64\R.exe".

You should quote the whole string:

"C:\Program Files\R\R-3.1.1\bin\x64\R.exe"

... A trick is to drag and drop the exec file in your command windows from your Windows explorer, your will get the correct string to use.