Dear SPM list,
 I'm running into a major estimation problem with a fixed effects model, 85 scans each for 11 subjects, block paradigm, with motion parameters as covariates for each subject, using Matlab 7.0.1 on a Windows XP machine.  (Actually, two different Windows XP machines and two different models, so the error's reproducible.)  The fix that someone recommended to the list:
feature('jitallow','structs','off');
as in
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0504&L=SPM&D=0&I=-3&P=28182
doesn't help either.
The error message is the same as the one mentioned in that e-mail, and this one:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0504&L=SPM&P=R48484&I=-3
 
>SPM2: spm_spm (v2.66)                              12:09:43 - 07/04/2005
>=======================================================================
>Initialising parameters                 :
>...computing??? Index exceeds matrix dimensions.
>
>Error in ==> spdiags at 114
>          a((len(k)+1):len(k+1),:) = [i i+d(k) B(i+(m>=n)*d(k),k)];
...
 
Yes, this is with all spm2 updates; I just downloaded and installed those but got the same error.
Just to make things more frustrating, Matlab 6.5 will estimate the same model, but then after four contrasts the SPM.mat gets corrupted and can no longer be read by spm, marsbar, or even Matlab itself. (The error here wasn't very informative: "Can't read file.")  Unfortunately it's taking about twelve hours to estimate this model, so it's impractical to re-estimate it each time for just four contrasts. 
 
Hope somebody has found a fix or has a suggestion!
 
Alex Dresner
 
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Alex Dresner, Ph.D.
fMRI Physicist
Imaging Sciences Department
Hammersmith Hospital
Imperial College London
020 8383 4516 (w)
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