GeneTool FAQ
[Back to Top ]
[Back to Top ]
My demo key code does not allow me access to the
program.
Check the following:
Do I have to install the demo on my hard drive to
access the program?
Yes, the demo must be installed onto your hard drive. To avoid any potential
system errors while running the demo after installation, please remove the CD
from the drive.
[Back to Top ]
During installation of the demo,
do I have to use the default directories?
No, you may change the destination directory.
[Back to Top ]
I am trying to run
GeneTool but it fails to install.
If you have downloaded the GeneTool demo but the file is called demo.cgi,
rename the file to GeneTool-Demo.exe on Windows, GeneTool-Demo.sea.hqx on
Mac, or GeneTool-Demo.tar.Z on UNIX.
[Back to Top ]
What should I do when an error message appears on my
screen?
Click on the Save Report button to save the error report. Enter a full path for
the directory to which you would like to save the file. For example
C:\error.txt. Email the error report to biotools-support@poker-academy.com as a file
attachment.
How do I increase the number of network users?
Call a BioTools Sales Representative with the new, additional users you wish to
add to your network installation. BTI will issue you with a new key to reflect
the total number of concurrent network users. You will be invoiced for the
additional users. A sales representative may be reached at
biotools-support@poker-academy.com or by
telephone at 780.423.1133.
[Back to Top ]
How do I transfer information from GeneTool to
PepTool?
If you have a copy of PepTool on your computer, GeneTool is capable of
transferring translated sequences or the results from remote BLAST protein
searches to PepTool. Choose Sequence Editor, select Analyze and then the
Translate option. Selecting Transfer will bring you into PepTool, for protein
sequence analysis.
[Back to Top ]
Can I transfer foreign sequence information into
GeneTool's sequence editor?
GeneTool is capable of importing a number of different types of foreign
sequence files into the Sequence Editor. These include GenBank, DDBJ, EMBL,
dbEST, dbSTS, dbGSS, FASTA, ABI Chromatogram, SCF Chromatogram, and raw
sequence files. If a file specifies sequence features, the Sequence Editor will
automatically assign a unique colour and button to each feature, and it will
highlight the relevant sequence segments. Sequence information is also
extracted from foreign sequence files and may be viewed by clicking the
"i" button in the Sequence Editor.
[Back to Top ]
Can I export files in foreign formats from
GeneTool?
Yes, GeneTool is capable of exporting DNA sequences to a foreign sequence file.
Currently, GeneTool can export in GenBank, DDBJ, EMBL, and FASTA formats.
[Back to Top ]
How much memory do I need to run GeneTool?
GeneTool requires a minimum of 32MB of physical RAM to run the program. 64MB
RAM is recommended.
[Back to Top ]
When performing a search or alignment on the Macintosh,
I get an error message during the procedure saying that I have insufficient
memory.
You need to reduce the buffer size used by GeneTool. To do this, open the
Preferences window from the GeneTool Launcher, under the Advanced category,
select the Memory page. Click on the Restore Default Settings button and the
buffer size will be recalculated. After clicking on the OK button, you will be
able to perform this analysis.
[Back to Top ]
When I do a Fast Alignment Search or a Find
Repeats/Vectors Search, I get an error message that my buffer size is too
small.
The sequence you are searching against requires more memory than GeneTool is
configured to use. To allow the search to use more memory, open the Preferences
window from the GeneTool Launcher, under the Advanced category, select the
Memory page. Enter a larger number in the Buffer Size field and click OK. It is
not recommended that you set this number larger than the amount of physical
memory available to GeneTool, because setting a buffer size that is too large
for your computer may cause the search to run very slowly or not at all. You
may find that you are not able to run these searches on sequences of this
length with the amount of memory your machine has. On a Macintosh, you
may also need to increase the Prefered Size of the GeneTool:program:GeneTool
application using Get Info from the Finder file menu.
[Back to Top ]
I have installed more memory on my computer but
GeneTool continues to give me errors that my buffer size is too small and I am
not able to run larger alignments.
You need to recalculate the buffer size. Open the Preferences window from the
GeneTool Launcher, under the Advanced category, select the Memory page. Click
on the Restore Default Settings button, and the buffer size will be
recalculated. After clicking on the OK button, GeneTool will be able to use the
new memory. On a Macintosh, you may also need to increase the Prefered
Size of the GeneTool:program:GeneTool application using Get Info from the
Finder file menu.
[Back to Top ]
How do I do a database search against a sequence in
GeneTool?
Once you have a sequence open in a Sequence Editor, select Fast Alignment
Search or Remote BLAST Search from the Analyze menu. The Sequence
Editor's Fast Alignment Search command searches databases for sequences with
matching or similar regions to the currently loaded sequence or selected
sequence fragment using the local machine. BLAST searches may be used to
identify sequences of common ancestry or of similar function to the currently
loaded sequence or selected sequence fragment by connecting to a BLAST server.
[Back to Top ]
How do I integrate my personal database with GeneTool?
You can install non-BioTools database files using the Add File button in the
Browse All Databases dialog box. GeneTool recognizes the following database
formats: GenBank, DDBJ, EMBL, and FASTA. The Browse All Databases command can
be found in the Maintenance menu of the Database Search window.
Browse help to obtain a better understanding of GeneTool's database utilities: