Eew. Looks like something awful happened to the compiler and/or libraries.
Uninstall IDE.
Delete C:/users/(your username)/AppData/Arduino15 (note that appdata is a hidden folder) - obv. the arduino15 folder is in a different location on mac/linux; google will tell you where if you're on those.
Hello-
I have the exact same problem ("error: cannot access device-specs for..."), and no threads on this issue appear to provide a resolution. A little background:
I am running Windows 10
I have been using Arduino 1.6.10 forever with no problems.
I recently installed wxWidgets and mingw. I could not compile wxW and got "g++: error: CreateProcess: No such file or directory" error. The wxW forum seemed to point to possible PATH problems, but this problem was never resolved for me.
I mention this because I went BACK to Arduino to compile existing code that worked fine with the unaltered Arduino install, and I suddenly got the SAME "CreateProcess" error in Arduino. Gee, maybe something in Win10 is messing up both?
Following guidance in this and related threads, I interchangeably and repeatedly either backed up or removed the Arduino15 directory in Users\Glen\AppData\Local (does not exist in Roaming directory), and removed 1.6.10 and reinstalled a fresh 1.8.5 (after each attempt).
I now get the "error: cannot access device-specs for..." error, regardless of which board is selected. All boards have proper specs in device-specs directory. I am just trying to compile the default Blink program in the examples/01.Basics directory of 1.8.5.
A related thread on this subject suggested that the guy reporting this problem found a worm on his computer. I therefore scanned my computer with both Avast and TotalAV, and I have no viruses, worms, etc.
Therefore, this is NOT a problem with the IDE install. This is NOT a problem with the Arduino15 directory. This is NOT a problem with whatever board is selected, since they are all in device-specs.
Several years ago, I had a different computer with Win7, with both Arduino and wxW/mingw, and had no problems with either Arduino or mingw/wxW. This points to something in Win10 that is messing up both.
Do I need an environment variable for Arduino that is somehow not getting set? Do I need something in (or removed from) PATH that is wrong?
The problem in the origional post was that the wrong type of Arduino was selected in the IDE.
This can happen if you are using rip off clones and you don’t know what type of real Arduino it is ripped off from.
Grumpy_Mike:
The problem in the origional post was that the wrong type of Arduino was selected in the IDE.
This can happen if you are using rip off clones and you don’t know what type of real Arduino it is ripped off from.
Or just (like me) you did buy a genuine product but it’s not clear which settings to use!
I have a genuine Arduino Mega (easy), an Adafruit 5v Pro Trinket (not so easy) and a stand-alone ATTiny chip programmer (works completely different to how the website (and Customer support emails) says it does and I have to refer to the notes I made every flippin’ time...
Plz disregard my post as follows due to I will submit an issue on the appropriate github site.
I'm joining in on this thread - I get the same Arduino-builder error trying to compile for the uno board:
avr-g++: error: cannot access device-specs for ‘atmega328p’ expected at ‘device-specs/specs-atmega328p’
Compiled sketch is to be loaded into the uno by arduino-builder, not the IDE b/c I'm not using a GUI, this machine being a headless server hosting the Arduino for purposes of home automation. At one time, prior to breakage (suspected from package updates), I was using Arduino-Makefile (GitHub - sudar/Arduino-Makefile: Makefile for Arduino sketches. It defines the workflows for compiling code, flashing it to Arduino and even communicating through Serial.), but that project under the present state of the packages now evidently has irreconcilable path/environment problems in my configuration. In my efforts to regain my system's ability to up/download arduino sketches, I'm hoping to get success by switching from Arduino-Makefile to Arduino-builder (GitHub - arduino/arduino-builder: A command line tool for compiling Arduino sketches). Arduino-builder success has been hampered by the error msg shown above. I've already tried to get past this error msg by placing links in various directories for both the device-specs directory as well as the .a files associated with the spec files.
