ReAdW problem with LCQ/LTQ from Xcalibur 2.0 instrument

[wzha...@gmail.com]

Hi there,

I've run into problem when generating mzXML from raw files from LCQ/LTQ
run on Xcalibur 2.0 instrument, the returned mzXML has nothing in it.
I'm using the lastest release of ReAdW.exe (09_21_2005), I think.

Please help, thanks in advance!

David

[Jimmy Eng]

Do you have Xcalibur 2.0 installed on the system running readw.exe?

For raw files generated on Xcalibur 2.0, readw.exe will only convert
them correctly if Xcalibur 2.0 is installed on the machine readw.exe is
being executed from. You can't take an Xcalibur 2.0 file and try to
convert it on a system that has an older version (i.e. 1.3 or 1.4)
installed. Let me know whether or not this is the case.

- Jimmy

[wzha...@gmail.com]

Hi Jimmy,

Thanks for your prompt reply. You're right, the machine I tried on
doesn't have Xcalibur2.0 installed. I used to think ReAdW.exe is
independant of thermo libraries? So current version of ReAdW.exe is
also backward compatible to Xcalibur1.3, or 1.4?
Thanks,

David

[Jimmy Eng]

ReAdW does appear to be independent of the libraries. I was able to use
the existing, same binary to convert data with either Xcalibur 1.4 or
2.0 installed.

However, the raw data files are not independent of the libraries. You
need Xcalibur 2.0 to read data files acquired on 2.0. The Thermo
libraries do appear to be backward compatible but not forward compatible
(at least not when the internal file structure changes like it did with
2.0).

- Jimmy