Issue: Missing Logos on Windows 2000 Workstations

Summary

The information in this article applies to LIMS 2.x.

After installing LIMS on a Windows 2000 workstation, your company logo no longer appears on the main menu or system reports.

More Information

When your company logo has been added to LIMS, the image is normally added to LimsCode as a device-independent bitmap (DIB). While images can be added to LimsCode in a number of formats, DIBs tend to be smaller than other formats and are used in LimsCode to minimize the logo’s impact on system resources.

We have learned that Windows 2000 has some problems displaying DIBs. Microsoft has acknowledged the problem and suggests that this issue will be fixed in a future Windows 2000 service pack.

The problem can be corrected by adding the logo to LimsCode as a bitmap image. To update your LimsCode, you will need a copy of your logo in bitmap format (.bmp file extension). Follow the steps below to add the bitmap logo to LimsCode:

1. Use your Edit LimsCode shortcut and log on as LimsAdmin.
2. Double-click table sysGlobalValues in the list of tables to open the table in datasheet view then delete the contents of fields Logo and ReportLogo. These fields will list “Picture” as their contents.
3. Click in the Logo field and use Insert | Object then select Create from File and use the Browse button to select your logo bitmap file. Make sure the Link and Display as Icon options are unchecked then click OK.
4. The Logo field will now show “Bitmap Image” as its contents. If you use a different (perhaps monochrome)logo for system reports, repeat step 3 for the ReportLogo field. To use the same logo on reports, use Ctrl+C within the Logo field to copy the image. Tab into the ReportLogo field and use Ctrl+V to paste the same Bitmap Image.
5. Use File | Close to close sysGlobalValues then double-click frmMainMenu in the list of formst to open the main menu to test.

If the logo appears properly, compact LimsCode then test the updated LimsCode on both Windows 2000 workstations and, if applicable, workstations with other Windows operating systems.