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Home » Newcomers » Newcomers » Error message on start up(Changed Windows User profile name causing error in Eclipse start up)
Error message on start up [message #1167867] Sun, 03 November 2013 00:20 Go to next message
Gavin Campbell is currently offline Gavin CampbellFriend
Messages: 2
Registered: November 2013
Junior Member
Hi all.

I recently had to change my Windows user profile name to get rid of a space in it that was causing a problem with something else, but now Eclipse is trying to access a configuration file on the old path. (User name was "GD Campbell", now it's "GDCampbell")

The message that pops up is

"The configuration area at 'C:\Users\GD Campbell\.eclipse\<eclipse-version>\configuration' could not be created. Please choose a writeable location using the '-configuration' command line option.

I've tried deleting all associated files and folders created by Eclipse in the hopes of forcing it to allow me to reconfigure it but I've not had any luck. I was using 4.3, I've since redownloaded that after deleting all the old files. And I've now used 4.4 hoping that would ask me to set everything up, but it gives me the same error message.

Is anyone able to tell me how to start Eclipse using the command line option? I understand, from searching Google, that this error was a known bug on Windows before due to trailing whitespace after "configuration", however my problem is the path has changed and I can find no way of updating it.

I've also linked to a previous forum post with the same error message from 2011 and no replies, hence the new post.

http://www.eclipse.org/forums/index.php/m/720565/?srch=Please+choose+a+writable+location#msg_720565

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and apologies if this is not the best place to post this.
Re: Error message on start up [message #1169285 is a reply to message #1167867] Sun, 03 November 2013 23:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Russell Bateman is currently offline Russell BatemanFriend
Messages: 3798
Registered: July 2009
Location: Provo, Utah, USA
Senior Member

On 11/03/2013 06:51 AM, Gavin Campbell wrote:
> Hi all.
>
> I recently had to change my Windows user profile name to get rid of a space in it that was causing a problem with something else, but now Eclipse is trying to access a configuration file on the old path. (User name was "GD Campbell", now it's "GDCampbell")
>
> The message that pops up is
>
> "The configuration area at 'C:\Users\GD Campbell\.eclipse\<eclipse-version>\configuration' could not be created. Please choose a writeable location using the '-configuration' command line option.
>
> I've tried deleting all associated files and folders created by Eclipse in the hopes of forcing it to allow me to reconfigure it but I've not had any luck. I was using 4.3, I've since redownloaded that after deleting all the old files. And I've now used 4.4 hoping that would ask me to set everything up, but it gives me the same error message.
>
> Is anyone able to tell me how to start Eclipse using the command line option? I understand, from searching Google, that this error was a known bug on Windows before due to trailing whitespace after "configuration", however my problem is the path has changed and I can find no way of updating it.
>
> I've also linked to a previous forum post with the same error message from 2011 and no replies, hence the new post.
>
> http://www.eclipse.org/forums/index.php/m/720565/?srch=Please+choose+a+writable+location#msg_720565
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated, and apologies if this is not the best place to post this.

No, this is in fact the very best place to ask this question.

By saying, "I've tried deleting all associated files..." I believe
you're talking about Eclipse itself? You downloaded an advance copy of
Luna, not due out until next June, in place of your original Kepler.

What about what's inside of any workspaces you did not delete? And
projects that contained host-specific paths? (It's more likely the
former than the latter).

I would suggest that you either search through the .metadata
subdirectory of your workspace to see if the old pathname isn't used
there or simply toss the workspace and create a new one.
Re: Error message on start up [message #1171008 is a reply to message #1169285] Tue, 05 November 2013 01:32 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Gavin Campbell is currently offline Gavin CampbellFriend
Messages: 2
Registered: November 2013
Junior Member
Hi Russell, thanks for replying.

Yeah, I should have been a bit more descriptive about which files I had deleted when I said that. I have deleted the "install folder" (for want of a better term), the .eclipse folder that was in my root directory, and the workspace folder as there weren't any projects of worth in it and I thought it might help to remove it.

Following on from your advice about the .metadata folder, I've recovered the workspace folder from the Recycle Bin and checked the files in there and found a configuration file referencing the old path. I've now changed that and redownloaded 4.3 again and it's working!

Thank you very much for your help. Do you know if there's a way for this topic to be marked as solved or answered?

Thanks again,
Gavin
Re: Error message on start up [message #1171131 is a reply to message #1171008] Tue, 05 November 2013 03:32 Go to previous message
Russell Bateman is currently offline Russell BatemanFriend
Messages: 3798
Registered: July 2009
Location: Provo, Utah, USA
Senior Member

On 11/04/2013 06:32 PM, Gavin Campbell wrote:
> Hi Russell, thanks for replying.
> Yeah, I should have been a bit more descriptive about which files I had
> deleted when I said that. I have deleted the "install folder" (for want
> of a better term), the .eclipse folder that was in my root directory,
> and the workspace folder as there weren't any projects of worth in it
> and I thought it might help to remove it.
> Following on from your advice about the .metadata folder, I've recovered
> the workspace folder from the Recycle Bin and checked the files in there
> and found a configuration file referencing the old path. I've now
> changed that and redownloaded 4.3 again and it's working!
> Thank you very much for your help. Do you know if there's a way for this
> topic to be marked as solved or answered?
> Thanks again,
> Gavin

There's no need to close this issue out formally.

Please note that (I think) the .eclipse folder is only used in shared
scenarios, something I've never done myself.
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