Mac OS X 10.3.4: More on SPSS issues, password problems

SPSS issues On Friday we noted issues running SPSS 11 under OS X 10.3.4. Reader Claire Middleton confirms these problems and provides further details from SPSS:

"I am currently trying to complete some research and had purchased SPSS 11 specifically for the analysis. After running a software update this morning and upgrading to OS 10.3.4, SPSS 11 has been rendered completely unusable. After waiting a good half an hour for the start up, I found I could not even do something as simple as scroll without it taking around 20 mins to register with the program for each 'space.' Two bloody hours I spent on the thing and I got to type in one number!!! Upon attempting to open an output file the whole program crashed. The SPSS website had this to say:

Problem Subject:  SPSS 11 for Mac runs unacceptably slowly on OS X 10.3.4.
Problem Description:  I just upgraded my operating system to OS X 10.3.4 and now SPSS runs too slowly to be usable. What can I do?
Resolution Subject: Uninstall and reinstall SPSS, unless running on a G3 machine.
Resolution Description: First, be advised: SPSS 11.0.x has not been tested on, nor is it certified for, systems running OS X 10.2.5 and above. Informally, we have found that in many circumstances SPSS will in fact run under those later operating systems, but it is not supported. Next, anyone running SPSS 11 for Mac should be running SPSS 11.0.2. This is an upgraded version containing a number of fixes to problems users have encountered. This may in itself resolve the problem. If not, some users running G4 machines have resolved the slowness problem by uninstalling SPSS 11 for Mac completely and reinstalling, but results have been inconsistent. If running a G3 machine with OS X 10.3.4, DO NOT uninstall the product. SPSS has run on G3 machines running OS X 10.2.5 and later, but it will only properly install under OS X 10.2.4 or earlier. You should instead downgrade the OS to a supported version, or at least to 10.3.3. For information on downgrading your OS, see Apple's support site. Once the downgrade is completed, users should then run Software Update and install whatever security updates are available. While these same security updates are included in operating system updates they are not exclusive to the OS update and can be applied to earlier versions of OS X."

Password not accepted: drive problems? We've noted several reports of users being unable to log in after applying the OS X 10.3.4 Update, as well as a few suggested solutions. Reader David Vancil reports that using DiskWarrior to repair the drive's directory fixed this issue for him:

"I had the same 'correct password not accepted' problem, on a G4 Tower AGP with a GigaDesigns upgrade. I resolved the problem by booting up from a Disk Warrior CD and [repairing the hard drive] in question (lots of red ink!) [repairs -Ed.]. After that the machine booted fine, no issues at all."

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