`user-emacs-directory' directory is inaccessible

Question

I had recently started to get

Warning (initialization): Unable to access `user-emacs-directory' (~/.emacs.d/).

message upon startup.

I'm on

Windows 7 (X64)
using the latest x64 emacs-25.0.94.2 build
and .21 spacemacs.
My $HOME is set to C:\HOME (with the "normal" Windows environment variable way), and in which there is the .emacs.d directory and my not so tailored .spacemacs, which gets processed upon startup,
and I can access via dired ~ so I assume that it is set properly.

Could someone point me in the right direction what should I do with it?

Can you access "dired ~/.emacs.d"? Generally I set HOME to the traditional home directory "C:\Documents and Settings\User" which is a holdover from Windows XP. On Windows 7 you could presumably update this to "C:\Users\User". I think either of these is a better idea than the root directory. — InHarmsWay, Jun 25, 2016 at 11:00
Thanks @InHarmsWay ou had pointed out that I don't have access to ~/.emacs.d only in emacs, because for some reason it had belonged to the domain administrator's user. I had reowned it and now the warning had gone, and I have access to it. Please add your answer so I can accept it! — Zsolt Botykai, Jun 25, 2016 at 12:51

InHarmsWay · Accepted Answer · 2016-06-25 13:14:35Z

2

Generally I set HOME to the traditional home directory

C:\Documents and Settings\User

which is a holdover from Windows XP. On Windows 7 and later you could presumably update this (although I haven't tried this) to

C:\Users\User

I think either of these is a better idea than something in the root directory.

answered Jun 25, 2016 at 13:14

InHarmsWay

1,3197 silver badges8 bronze badges

I use the C:\Users\USERNAME setting, works fine. Emacs' default is C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming (see HOME and Startup Directories on MS-Windows).
– npostavs
Jun 25, 2016 at 13:52

Add a comment |

Ayrton Massey · Accepted Answer · 2016-11-06 15:35:35Z

I use symlinks to link ~/.emacs and ~/.emacs.d to the actual files which are stored elsewhere. I had used:

cmd /c mklink C:\Users\<me>\.emacs.d C:\<elsewhere>\.emacs.d

to create the link, but you actually need to create a hard link to the directory (or junction as Windows calls them) with the /J flag:

cmd /c mklink /J C:\Users\<me>\.emacs.d C:\<elsewhere>\.emacs.d

I also created a hard link to my .emacs file with the /H flag:

cmd /c mklink /H C:\Users\<me>\.emacs C:\<elsewhere>\.emacs

2 Answers 2