Troubleshooting: What to do when Prism won't start (Windows).

Here are some troubleshooting tips If Prism for Windows won't launch (won't even get to the Welcome dialog). If you use a Mac, use these troubleshooting tips. 

Before following the steps below, check that you have the current version and update if you don't. 

If you are having trouble launching Prism 4, please submit your request at help.graphpad.com with your serial number and we will try to help. 

1. Delete preferences files

When Prism starts, before displaying any dialog, it looks for a configuration file that contains your preferences, list of recently used files, user-defined equations, etc. In very rare circumstances, this file can get corrupted and Prism can't even begin. To solve this problem, delete the Prism preferences file, whose name depends on which version of Prism you are running: Prism3.cnf (which shows up as "Prism 3 speed dial file"!), Prism4.cfg,  Prism5.cfg or Prism 6.cfg

Each version of Prism tries fist to load its own preference file. If it can't find that, it will try to load choices from the preference file of prior versions. So to test the idea that a corrupt preference file is causing problems, delete or rename the preference file for all Prism versions.

The location of the preferences file depends on which version of Windows you use, and which version of Prism. The last digits in the paths below show the Prism version number, so can be adjusted accordingly. When Prism does not find a preference file specific to the version running, it will look for an older one. So delete preference files from all versions when troubleshooting why Prism won't start. 

In Windows Vista  and Windows 7 - 10, it is located at:

   Users\(your username)\AppData\Roaming\GraphPad Software\Prism\7.0    (or \6.0 or  \5.0 or  \4.0)

In Windows XP and 2000, it is located at:

  Document and Settings\[user]\Application Data\GraphPad Software\Prism\6.0       (or  \5.0 or  \4.0)or

  Document and Settings\[user]\Application Data\GraphPad Software\Prism\6.0         (or  \5.0 or  \4.0)

In Windows 98 and ME, it is located at: C:\Windows

In Windows NT, it is located at: C:\NT

2. Reboot your computer

Hey, it can't hurt and actually ends up solving many computer problems.

3. Prevent checking for updates

When Prism  (Windows) first starts, it tries to check for updates via the web. If it can't connect, it normally just keeps going. But in very rare cases, it tries to check for updates and then can't get past this step so never gets to the Welcome dialog. This is quite rare but easy to work around. There are two ways to tell Prism to stop trying to check for updates. 

One way to do this is to unplug the internet and change the preference in Prism:

1. Disconnect the computer from the internet. This requires unplugging the ethernet cable and/or turning off wifi.
2. Start Prism. If the problem was indeed with checking for updates, Prism will now start fine.
3. Drop the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
4. Go to the Internet tab.
5. Uncheck the option to automatically check for updates.
6. Quit Prism.
7. Reconnect the internet.
8. Launch Prism again. If the problem was with update checking, it will now start just fine.

The other method is to place  /U in the command line (requires Prism 5.02 or later):

1.  Right click on the Prism shortcut on the desktop or start menu, and select Properties.
2. Add "/U" (without the quotes) to the target so it looks something like this (with quotes around the path, but not around the /U, and a space between the quotation mark and the slash): 
   "C:\Program Files\GraphPad\Prism5\prism.exe" /U
3. Close Properties and launch Prism. 

4. Check that Prism is not already running

Prism won't start if it thinks Prism is already running on your computer. It is possible that Prism is running, but not in the taskbar. To find out, open the Task Manager (control+alt+delete) and look for Prism in both the list of applications and the list of processes. You can end the Prism process from that dialog. Write to us if this happens repeatedly.

5. Delete any auto backup files. 

Prism's auto backup system stores its files in different locations depending on Prism and Windows version. If you use Prism 4 or later and Windows Vista or later, the files are in:  C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Temp\

If you use Prism 4 or 5 and WinXP, the files are in: C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Local Settings\Temp\

If there are files in these locations, try deleting them and then restarting Prism.

6. Delete the serial number file

In very rare circumstances, Prism can get stuck trying to read the file that contains the serial number. The solution is to delete that file. Then Prism will prompt you to enter the serial number and activate it on your computer the first time it runs. Details here. 

7. Make sure the path is not too long and doesn't contain any Unicode characters

Windows only allows a total of up to 260 characters in the full path. The path includes the drive, the nested list of folders, and the file name (Prism.exe). If you are launching Prism from a shortcut and the path is longer than that, Prism won't launch. That path should only contain "regular" characters and not Unicode (Cyrillic, Japanese...) characters. 

8. Make sure you are not running Prism in compatibility mode

One person found that Prism 7.02 would not start in Windows 10. No Welcome dialog. No error message. Turned out that the properties of Prism.exe were set to run in compatibility mode for Windows 8. Got rid of that setting, and Prism ran fine. 

9. Send us a startup log file

Before writing us for personal help, create a Prism log file that will help us figure it why it won't launch.

You don't have to do anything to create a startup log file with Prism 7.02 or later, as it creates one every time it starts up. You'll find it at this location:

You can navigate to that folder using Windows File Explorer. But there is an easier way. Within Prism, hold the Control key while dropping the Edit menu and choosing Preferences. This opens the Preferences dialog. Click the Support tab (which you'll only see if you hold Control). You'll see a link to open the log file, and a button to open the folder that contains the file. 

With Prism versions earlier than 7.02, follow these steps:

1. Right click on the Prism shortcut on the desktop or start menu, and select Properties.
2. Add "/L" (without the quotes) to the target so it looks something like this (with quotes around the path, but not around the /L, and a space between the quotation mark and the slash):
   "C:\Program Files\GraphPad\Prism5\prism.exe" /L
3. Close Properties and launch Prism. If you can, go past the Welcome dialog and create a new data table. But the log file will be useful even if the Welcome dialog never appears. 
4. Exit Prism.
5. Email us the log file. The Prism log file is named "Prism 7 log.txt",  "Prism 6 log.txt", or "Prism 5 startup log.txt" and it is located on the windows desktop. If you still use Prism 4, its log file is named pz4log.log and is located in the Prism program folder.

With Prism 6 and later, Prism keeps logging even after startup and this can noticeably slow the program. So don't forget to turn off logging when it is no longer needed. 

TIPS FOR OLDER VERSIONS OF PRISM

Disable the VPN if one is in use (Prism 6.00 and 6.01 Windows only)

Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a technology that allows you to connect to remote computers over the Internet when such computers would otherwise be inaccessible. For example, you might need to use a VPN to connect to a computer at your corporate office when you are working from home. When connected to a VPN, Prism 6.00 and 6.01 Windows have a problem determining the network configuration and as a result crash during startup.  To resolve this issue, please update to Prism 6.02 or later.  If there still is a problem with 6.02, delete your Prism serial number file. You'll then be prompted to activate Prism again when it next starts, and this will solve the VPN problem.

Reinstall Flash and Internet Explorer (Prism 5 only)

Prism 5 uses Flash to show the introductory tour movie. It talks to Flash on startup, so a damaged Flash installation could prevent Prism from starting. Prism 6 does not use Flash. Likewise, Prism relies on some components of Internet Explorer, so it makes sense to reinstall or upgrade it.

Delete the Tour folder (Prism 5 only)

Prism can show a tutorial movie (tour) on the welcome dialog. To display this requires Flash and some components from Internet Explorer. In very rare circumstances, these components are missing or damaged and Prism can't even start. To fix this problem, delete (or rename) the Tour folder within the Prism program folder. If that folder is missing, Prism won't try to load Flash or the other components, so this should bypass whatever problem you had. You know you have this problem with Prism presents a "Script error" message box that mentions an URL that ends with "/tour/swfobject.js".