SPSS Statistics error at launch: The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect.

IBM SPSS Statistics on a Windows computer may present at least one of the following error messages on startup:

Message 1

The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect. Please see the application event log for more detail.

Message 2

The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0150004). The SPSS Statistics software will not start.

The behaviors are the result of an incorrect and/or missing the C++ Runtime component for your type of system. (x86 or x64). SPSS Statistics ships with the required version of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable libraries needed, but they were unable to be installed. The most likely cause is not having the correct write file permissions, the installation did not complete, or the installation was terminated early.

Solution

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Navigate to the directory corresponding to your software products version (vernum).  Replace '<vernum> with the version number of your product (i.e. 20, 21, 22, 23, etc). The default directory for version 26 is: C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS\Statistics\26
3. Open the 'VC9' folder.
4. In the folder will be an executable file (ending in .exe) called either vcredist_x86.exe or vcredist_x64.exe, depending on the version of SPSS Statistics installed.

   *32-bit version of Statistics installed on 64-bit Windows operating system* C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\SPSS\Statistics\<vernum>\VC9\vcredist_x86.exe

   *32-bit version of Statistics is installed on a 32-bit Windows operating system* C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS\Statistics\<vernum>\VC9\vcredist_x86.exe

   *32-bit version of Statistics is installed on a 32-bit Windows operating system* C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS\Statistics\<vernum>\VC9\vcredist_x86.exe

5. Run this file as Administrator by right-clicking on the file and selecting 'Run as administrator'. 
6. The Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable libraries will now begin to install. Installation may take a few minutes.
7. Once the installation is complete, close all open windows and launch the Statistics software. The Statistics software should now start normally without the 'side-by-side' error message.