FAQ - PDF printer warning

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In order to save time and paper, it is common nowadays to configure a virtual PDF printer driver as the default printer in the Windows operating system instead of a physical printer. However, this procedure now causes a message to be displayed each time Agilent MassHunter or MSD-ChemStation is started, indicating that a PDF printer is set as the Windows default. In addition, the message is output in a modal dialog box that blocks further loading of the software until the <OK> key is pressed. This annoying and time-consuming message can easily be suppressed by inserting a new entry in the msdchem.ini file.

The ini file can be opened and edited as a normal text file using Notepad, the Windows standard editor. To save the changes, however, administrator rights are mandatory from Windows 7. To do this, press Start or <Windows Logo> key, enter notepad in the lower search field, right-click on notepad.exe and select Run as administrator. Under the menu item File|Open or key <Ctrl + O> open the file selection window, select the display all files *.* settings in the dropdown list and navigate to the msdchem.ini file. Depending on the Agilent software used, the active configuration file is located in two different locations:

MSD-ChemStation: C:\Windows\msdchem.ini

MassHunter: C:\GCMS\MSEXE\msdchem.ini

As shown in the figure, insert a new line directly below the [PCS] entry of line one and enter the key text PDFprinter_OK=1 here. If an identical entry already exists within the [PCS] block, just change its numerical value from 0 (false) to 1 (true). After the Ini-file has been saved, the message should no longer appear the next time the program is started.

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