PepTool FAQ

Back to www.biotools.com



Does PepTool operate differently in Windows and Macintosh environments?
All our software is cross platform compatible. This means that the programs operate with the same look and feel, whether being run on either a PC or Mac. 

[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. 

[Back to Top
 

How do I contact BioTools for technical information?
Our technical support staff are available 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday (MST) at 780.423.1133 or via e-mail at support@biotools.com

[Back to Top
 

[Back to Top
 

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. However, in some versions of our demos, you cannot install to a directory which contains a space or '&' in the name.

[Back to Top
 

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
 

When I do an Alignment on long sequences, PepTool crashes or locks up my computer.
The sequences you are aligning requires more memory than is available to PepTool. It is recommended that you save your work before aligning long sequences.

[Back to Top
 

I am trying to run PepTool but it fails to install.
On a Macintosh, you must have a folder called "System Folder" located at the top level of your primary hard disk to install PepTool.  If your system folder is called something else or has been moved, create a folder called "System Folder" on your hard disk  If you have downloaded the PepTool demo but the file is called demo.cgi, rename the file to PepTool-Demo1.exe on Windows, PepTool-Demo1.sea.hqx on Mac, or PepTool-Demo1.tar.Z on UNIX.

[Back to Top

What types of printers are compatible with PepTool?
PepTool has no special requirements of printers under Windows and UNIX.   On PowerMacs, PepTool does not support printing to non-postscript printers.   However, a free software postscript renderer called Ghostscript can be used to print postscript files for many types of printers. See the Ghostscript page for more information about Ghostscript and supported printers. To print to a local printer you then:

  1. If you do not already have a PostScript viewer, download the Ghostscript installer, and run it to install Ghostscript.
  2. Print from PepTool as usual, but save to a postscript file instead of printing directly to the printer.
  3. Start Ghostscript (you may need to exit PepTool if you are low on memory) and open the file you saved in Step 2.
  4. Print from Ghostscript (you may have to select a device from the Devices menu).

[Back to Top

Is it possible to run PepTool as a client on a PowerMac with a network license?
Our license administration software does not support PowerMac clients directly.  However, if you have a Solaris or Irix server and you run a program called MacX (from Apple), you may run 'virtual' clients on a Mac. The program will run on the UNIX server, but can appear as if it is running on the Mac.  You may also run the Windows version of PepTool as a network client on a Mac using a Windows emulator like Virtual PC.

[Back to Top]