Explorer Operational FAQs

1. There aren't any points on my ion diagrams!
2. Why can't I see my regression line on my Scatter or Time Series plot, even with "Show Regression Line" checked in the popup menu?
3. I ran Uninstall and all my files are still there - what happened?
4. Restarting during installation
5. Using the Apply button in Plot Options
6. How do I include graphs in my documents?

1. There aren't any points on my ion diagrams!
   Make sure there are ion values for the well & date ranges that you've chosen.
   OR
   Check Settings > Set Ion Information to make sure you have ion information defined. If necessary, click on Restore to reload the ion configuration file.
      
   
   
2. Why can't I see my regression line on my Scatter or Time Series plot, even with "Show Regression Line" checked in the popup menu?
   The calculation of the regression line always ignores nondetects, because their variation does not represent variation in the concentration of an analyte. If a particular analyte is never detected (all samples are nondetects) then there are no points on which to base a regression analysis, and the line is not drawn.
      
   
   
3. I ran Uninstall and all my files are still there - what happened?
   This will happen if either the Acrobat or MDAC installers are allowed to reboot in the middle of the Explorer installation.
      
   
   
4. Restarting during installation
   During installation, if you are installing either MDAC 2.6 (Database components) or Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may be given the choice to restart your computer before the Explorer installation has completed. Please don't allow the MDAC or Acrobat installations to restart the computer until the main installation has finished.
   
   If the MDAC installation is allowed to reboot your computer before the main installation has completed, it will successfully install MDAC, but you will need to re-run the Explorer installation.
   
   If the Acrobat installation is allowed to reboot your computer before the main installation has completed, you don't need to re-run the installation, but you may see the message "Unable to open INSTALL.LOG" if you try to uninstall Explorer from the Control Panel. If this happens, it means that the uninstall program will be unable to remove the program from your system.
   
   You may not be able to tell if a particular request to reboot your computer is coming from MDAC, Acrobat, or the main Explorer installation. If the dialogs do not make clear who's requesting the reboot, then simply say No to ALL reboot requests until the installation is over, then restart your computer by choosing "Shut Down..." from the Windows Start menu.
      
   
   
5. Using the Apply button in Plot Options
   With Time Series and Scatter plots, you can bring up the Plot Options dialog (by either right-clicking on the plot, or choosing Settings > Plot Options), change the settings, and click on Apply. You can watch the changes as you make them, and decide whether or not to keep them.
   
   Since the Plot Options dialog comes up in front of the graph you're trying to change, drag it out of the way and then click on Apply to see what your graph will look like - you can continue to make changes and apply them, accept them by clicking on OK, or click on Cancel to return the plot to its original settings.
      
   
   
6. How do I include graphs in my documents?
   Printing to Encapsulated Postscript (EPS) allows you to have a scalable graphic that you can use in MS Word, PowerPoint, or other software supporting EPS placement.
   
   You will need the full version of Adobe Acrobat to create your EPS file — the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software won't work.
   
   To create an EPS file with Adobe Acrobat 4:
   1. In Explorer, print the output to PDFWriter or Distiller.
   2. Open the PDF file in Acrobat.
   3. Choose File > Export > PostScript or EPS.
   4. Choose "EPS with Preview" for "File Format," choose "Language Level 1" for "PostScript option," click "Save," and follow the prompts.
      
      
   To create an EPS file with Adobe Acrobat 5:
   1. In Explorer, print the output to PDFWriter or Distiller.
   2. Open the PDF file in Acrobat.
   3. Choose File > Save As...
   4. Choose "Encapsulated PostScript (*.eps)" for "Save as type," navigate to the directory where you want to put the new EPS file, provide a filename for the EPS file that will be created, and click "Save."
      
      
   Import the EPS file into the desired document. You should be able to scale it without losing any resolution detail.