Can't start SPSS 21

I'm having the same problem, SPSS 21, 10.8.4, and the terminal trick does not work. I get the error "A file specification does not meet the host system's requirements or exceeds 255 characters." But opening SPSS in another user account works fine. I've removed every single file SPSS could've possibly installed anywhere, then reinstalled, and the problem persists.

Hey guys, I am having the same problem and it's been driving me mad. I, too, found that Dutch site and have been running SPSS as root to avoid having to kill off my user account and open another, which would be a nightmare.

One thing you can do, though, is make that command into an executable shell script, so you don't have to remember it every time.

Just open a text editor that actually saves files as just plain text (I heartily recommend TextWrangler), and type this in:

#!/bin/sh

sudo /Applications/IBM/SPSS/Statistics/21/SPSSStatistics.app/Contents/MacOS/stats

--All that's doing is sending the Dutch guy's little command to the terminal.

Then save it as whatever (I called mine "Launch SPSS"), but instead of a .txt or .sh extension, make it .command, as below:

Launch SPSS.command

So now OSX knows it's a shell script, but we want it to run on a double-click, because we're lazy.

Open up Terminal and type:

chmod +x [Then drag the file to the Terminal window and it'll put in the path automatically!]

And hit return. It'll ask for your password.

So now when you want to start up SPSS, you double-click that script, it'll open the Terminal, asking for your password (since you are telling the computer to run that file as root, same as if you typed the command), type in your password, and SPSS will launch.

Then you just quit Terminal.

I admit it still *****, and wouldn't happen if IBM didn't take some sick glee in selling software for $2000 that almost never works when you need it, but it's better than trying to type all that every time.

Also, if you've had it with IBM's prices, check out the RKWard GUI for R. It's getting really good, and basically makes R work like SPSS for a lot of things. The only reason I'm using SPSS is that I'm teaching a course and learned my lesson about trying to get a room full of undergrads to install open-source software. I swear there were tears in some kids' eyes when the package manager came up. For my own work, I've been on RKWard for a year now.

Good luck!

I've had this error pop-up out of the blue on several Macs now, drives me crazy. We have an institute-wide license, I had our ICT department contact IBM support (you can't do this yourself, annoyingly). They are aware of the problem and refer to a solution for SPSS under Linux

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21474844

Apparantly the 'statistics' and 'spssengine' processes are being bound to different versions of TCP/IP (v4 vs. v6)

They say disabling IPv6 should solve this issue, however, no luck here. If anybody has had success at solving this without setting up a brand new user account or running SPSS as su from the terminal I'd be very interested to know how they did it. Support from Big Blue is lacking, as usual.

Cheers

Hi,

we also had this problem with OS 10.6.8 and I think we found the solution.

You have to install SPSS into your user folder "/Users/USERNAMEXXX/applications" (the one with the little house as icon) and not in the general application folder "/Machintosh HD/applications".

For us it worked (Terminal command didnt work!) and it seems to make sense because if you create a second user profile it will be the same effect.

I think mainly people with only one user profile got this error.

Cheers

I have had the same problem of not being able to open SPSS up. The icon jumps up once and an initial first screen appears which shows the licensed rights etc but nothing else.

The terminal solution hasnt worked and neither have any of the other ones posted on here. However, what has worked for me was logging into the VPN connection of my institution, as I am off-side from campus, and then reopening SPSS again. WORKED IMMEDIATEY.

It's a font issue.

The spssengine crashes during application startup, leading to the localhost problem.

Disable all local fonts and it should work again.

I tried to implement your shortcut, and created a plain text file (using Word) with the .command extension. I was able to create the file, but whenever I click on it, I get the error message that I do not have access privilege. The same error message tells me to change the access privilege by going to file > get info, which I did and made sure that I have "read & write" access to the file (which I did in the first place anyway). But it still gives me the same "no access privilege" message. Any solutions?

Never mind. When I downloaded TextWrangler and created a .command file (rather than using Word), it solved all the problems and it now works. Thanks for the shortcut tip!

I have been dealing with the problem from this thread for a while, and alternating sessions was a pain.

Please follow the advice from this comment and open SPSS by copying the sudo command line in terminal, it will grant you access and let you work in your main administrative user!

--> sudo /Applications/IBM/SPSS/Statistics/21/SPSSStatistics.app/Contents/MacOS/stats

It works, SPSS runs in the new application but still not in the original

If the shortcut does not work, ask it to run from the user where SPSS runs, for example, if it runs in Temp create the shortcut

sudo -u Temp /Applications/IBM/SPSS/Statistics/21/SPSSStatistics.app/Contents/MacOS/stats

Hi guys,

in my case neither the Terminal or the Administration solution works. Also the SPSS 23 update doesn´t improve the situation.

The solution was very easy:

Just use your iPhone as HotSpot! Connect your MacBook before you start SPSS and then start the program regularly... nothing more :-D

SPSS works perfect with no disgusting start window. After the program start you can switch off your HotSpot, of course.

Hope for some of you this is also a alternative solution!

Cheers,

Manu

I made an account just to say THANK YOU!

This worked for me after trying absolutely everything with no avail.
I can't believe a trick so simple WORKED.