Chapter 2. Installing Software and Setting Options
In This Chapter
Installing SPSS
Getting SPSS to run
Understanding your configuration options
This chapter is all about installing your software and setting the options that determine how it works. If the software you'll be using is already installed, you can skip the first part of this chapter and jump right to configuration a little further on. I mention that because it's a For Dummies book, and I was told not to leave anything out.
The installation process guides you, step by step, and then does most of the work itself. The configuration settings all default to something reasonable, so I suggest leaving them alone for now. You can always come back later and make a change if you develop a gripe.
Getting SPSS into Your Computer
Soap powder comes in boxes, paint comes in cans, corn dogs come on sticks, and SPSS comes on the Internet. Well, it can also come on a CD, but the installation process is fundamentally the same. The only real difference is where the files come from.
Warning
Don't lose track of anything. If you get your software on a CD, find a place to put the package and all its contents. Don't throw out anything. That includes the plastic box in which you found the CD and the cardboard stiffener that came inside the mailing package. If you download the software, keep meticulous records of the Web site, which files you download, all numbers and identifiers you encounter. Trust me, you'll need them later.
The Mac and Linux versions ...
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