SECTOR™ Instruments and MSD® DISCOVERY WORKBENCH® Software

Q: Can Windows® updates be installed on the computer controlling the MSD instrument? A: Many of our customers have installed Windows updates without problems, including Service Pack 4, as long as the original computer operating system remains the same. Q: Can we network the MSD instrument computer? A: If the system is under evaluation, it may not be networked. If the MSD system has been purchased, it can be networked with assistance from our instrument service team. This process will require the creation of proper backups and the removal of the DISCOVERY WORKBENCH software and the SQL database. Following the completion of the networking process, MSD instrument service will rebuild the DISCOVERY WORKBENCH software and the database. Q: I see a 'Client already has a session' error when booting up DISCOVERY WORKBENCH. A: This indicates that a duplicate of the DISCOVERY WORKBENCH software is running. Click 'OK' at the error, close DISCOVERY WORKBENCH and move the mouse to the bottom toolbar to check if another DISCOVERY WORKBENCH session is already running. Click on it and the instrument should be operational. Q: I see 'Communication error' when booting up DISCOVERY WORKBENCH. A: The USB address information is lost or incorrect. Close DISCOVERY WORKBENCH, disconnect the USB cable for a few seconds, reconnect the cable and reboot DISCOVERY WORKBENCH. Q: I see an 'Instrument not ready' error when clicking Run to analyze a plate. A: The camera cooling has not yet stabilized. Click Ok in the error window, go Tools and Status (or click Status button in the toolbar). If you see Too hot or Too cold and a temperature reading in the Status window, the camera is still stabilizing (even if the temperature shows -35 °C). Wait for the warning to disappear and the instrument is ready to measure your plate. If the instrument and DISCOVERY WORKBENCH have been running more than an hour and you see the above error, the cooling control has been lost. Close DISCOVERY WORKBENCH and reboot it in order to restart the camera cooling process. Click the Status button and wait for the Too hot/Too cold warning to disappear. This may take 30 minutes or more. Analyze the plate after cooling is completed. Q: How can I export each spot in 96 (384) well format and do other data file customization? A: Click Run to activate the Run Options window, check the Export Format Custom box, click Edit, select hte existing format and click Modify (or click new, select format template, click OK) and the Export Format Editor window will be open. In the Spot Properties section, from the Spot Layout pull down menu, select Each Spot As Plate and save the format. Now the exported data will have each spot presented as a 96 (384) well plate. The Export Format Editor offers a lot of choices for general file properties, layout properties and header/footer properties. If you have stored a data file in default format, by clicking Select Sample Data and then selecting the default data file, you can see 'on the fly' how the custom export data file format will change when selecting the different formatting choices. Q: The exported data format is incorrect. Can I correct the format? A: The data can be re-exported in correct format by clicking the Plate Data History button in the toolbar and selecting the plate in question (double-click and wait). After the data has been loaded on the screen, go File and Export Data File. Select the correct custom format and click OK. Q: I can't find my data file, where is it? A: Another user may have changed the Output Path in the Run window and hte data may have been stored in a different folder. The Output Path defaults to the previous user's path/folder. Click Run and see what drive and folder is listed in the Output Path box. Check that folder to see if your data is there. Q: Can I backup the database? A: Yes, the Workbench software comes with a backup utility that can be executed in DOS by running DBUtility.bat. Create a folder where you want to store the backup, e.g. c:\DB_Backup. Start the DOS window, by clicking Start, Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt. At the prompt, change the directory by entering command cd\program files\MSD Discovery Workbench\bin. Enter the following command (case sensitive): dbutility LCPRSchema c:\DB_Backup\MyDBbackup (MyDBbackup is the filename of the database backup). Q: Can we upgrade the Windows 2000 operating system to Windows XP? A: Please contact MSD Instrument Service Support before upgrading to XP. This can be done but requires MSD to make all of the proper backups before the upgrade, and then rebuild the configuration files and database after the upgrade. Q: I measured the plate backwards, is my data correct? A: The SECTOR instruments have a sensor that tells the software the plate is backwards. The data (wells and spots) will be 'flipped' (the data will come on the screen from right to left during the measurement, rather than the normal left to right) so the final data file is correct, i.e. A1 data is from well A1, B1 from well B1 etc. Q: Can I use a different PC than the one supplied with the instrument? A: Each computer MSD provides has been configured to a particular instrument so a different PC cannot be used. MSD has tested the software and instruments with the PC provided and will only guarantee functionality with that PC. Q: Can I re-read a plate? A: No, once the plate has been read and the wells have been ‘fired’ through the ECL process, the chemistry of the coating and solution will change. The data from a second read is of poor quality. The plate cannot be washed and reused for another assay. Q: How do I read a partial plate? A: Under Setup, select from the Plate Type pull down menu the exact plate type you are using (96, 96-4spot, 96-7spot … for model 6000 or 2400, PR100, PR400) and a Partial Plate check box will appear. NOTE: A mismatch between your selection and the barcode will make the instrument read the whole plate. Activate it by checking the Read box and the number of plates to read. Checking the Partial Plate box will allow you to select/deselect sectors (Imager systems) or columns (PR systems) in the plate map by clicking on different areas of the map (or the map letters and numbers). You can also click All or None to the left of the map.