• Are Origin 9 projects back-compatible with older versions of Origin?

    Using an older version of Origin to manipulate and re-save Origin Project files created with Origin 9 is not recommended. You can, however, open your version 9 OPJ files in older versions of Origin to view your numeric data and graphs.
     

    Before opening your project in an older version, you should consider the following:
     

    1. New features in version 9 such as 3D graph based on OpenGL, new graph types etc. will not be visible in older versions. These may open as empty windows. Certain formatting options in Origin 9 may also return errors such as "Project contains unrecognized graphic objects..."
     

    2. If the project file includes any analysis feature which is not supported in the older version, and the Recalculation mode is set to Auto or Manual, the lock will be broken in the older version and thus the auto recalculation will be lost.

  • Can I send data to Origin from other applications such as LabVIEW?

    It is very common to work with other people and other applications while using Origin. We anticipate that you may need to frequently share Origin files with colleagues and connect to Origin using other applications to facilitate your work.
     

    Collaborate with other Origin users

    Origin not only allows you to share project files (*.OPJ), but users may also customization settings such as graph templates (.OTP).
     

    Which kinds of Origin files can be shared?

    The following is a list of Origin files that can be shared:

    - General Files: project files (*.OPJ), graphs (*.OGG), workbooks (*.OGW), matrix (*.OGM), LabTalk Script files (.OGS) and X-Functions (.OXF)

    - Customization Settings: graph templates (*.OTP), themes (*.OTH), Analysis Templates (*.OGW or *.OPJ), Dialog Themes (*.OIS), Curve Fitting Functions (*.FDF) and Import Wizard Filters (*.OIF),

    - Package Files (version 8.0 and higher): a group of Origin files (can be any of the types above), packed into a single file (*.OPX)
     

    Share Files directly

    A quick and easy way to share a particular file with another user is to simply send them the file such as via e-mail, and the file can be added to their Origin installation by drag-and-drop onto Origin.
     

    Sharing Files between Multiple Machines (Single User)

    In the situation where one user needs to access Origin files between multiple computers, the User Files Folder (UFF) can be placed in a shared location such as a network drive, or even a USB flash drive, and the same UFF path can be specified with each installation.
     

    Sharing Files with Other Users in a Network

    If your Origin installation is part of a concurrent network, Origin provides a Group Folder mechanism to share files among multiple users. There can be multiple groups within a concurrent network, and each group can have a specific user acting as the group manager who can utilize the Group Folder Manager tool to publish custom files for sharing with other members of the group.
     

    Connect Origin with other Software (Connectivity)

    Origin can function as an automation server (or COM, Component Object Model) whereby other applications communicate with Origin using methods and properties exposed by Origin. Any application that supports COM programming, such as Visual Basic, Microsoft Excel, National Instruments LabVIEW, or similar can function as the client application that connects with Origin. Such applications can exchange data back and forth with Origin and can send commands to be executed by Origin.
     

    LabVIEW Connectivity

    Origin provides a collection of custom building-block Virtual Instruments (VIs) that enable the user to create their own VIs to communicate with Origin. For more details, please refer to LabVIEW Connectivity.
     

    Matlab Connectivity

    Origin offers a MATLAB Console tool which can allow Origin users to use MATLAB commands within the Origin environment. With this tool, you can easily transfer data between the two applications.
     

    Mathematica Connectivity

    The Origin Link for Mathematica tool can easily connect Mathematica with Origin and then to exchange worksheet and matrix data between them. Other operations such as evaluating Mathematica expressions and creating Origin graphs using Mathematica functions are also allowed. For more details, please refer to Mathematica Connectivity.
     

    Excel Connectivity

    Origin can directly open Excel 97–2007 workbooks (XLS, XLSX) and it also offers a collection of menu options to operate on Excel Workbooks. Likewise, the features of Origin can also be easily accessed from Excel.

  • How do I add a second nonlinear x or y axis to my graph layer?

    Opposite Axes in Same Layer

    A single layer is comprised of 4 axes: bottom X, top X, left Y and right Y. The graph below is a single layer where both the bottom X axis and the top X axis are displayed. The bottom X axis is wavelength in nanometers as present in the raw data. The top X axis represents energy, which in this case is related to the wavelength by the equation: Energy (ev) = 1240 / Wavelength (nm) is energy.


    The top X axis was created as follows:

    1. Select Graph:Layer Management.

    2. Go to the Axes tab.

    3. Expand the Top or Right branch, and check the Axis and Tick Label check boxes.

    4. Enter a Formula of 1240/x.
     

    This will place labels on the top X axis, at the same positions corresponding to labels in the bottom X axis, and these new labels will represent values that are computed using the specified formula.
     

    Image:image020.gif
     

    Note: The labels on the Top appear at the same X value as the Bottom labels. If they do not display as nice rounded numbers, you can change the displayed numbers by setting the number of decimal places. To do that, double-click on the labels and the Axis Dialog will open. Use the controls on the Tick Labels tab.
     

    A New Layer

    In the example above, the tick marks line up for the Bottom and Top X, and the spacing between ticks is linear. If you wish to get the correct spacing, you can use a reciprocal scale. In this case, you need two layers. To reproduce the graph below, please follow these steps:

    1. Select Graph:Layer Management. The Layer Management dialog opens.

    2. Go to the Add tab.

    3. Select Top-X (Linked Y Scale and Dimension) from the Type drop down list. Leave the Link To as 1. Set the X Scale to Reciprocal. Click Apply.

    4. Go to the Link tab.

    5. Under Layer Selection on the left hand side of the dialog, select TopX.

    6. Set the X Axis Link to Custom. Enter these formulas:

    7. X1 1240/x1

    8. X2 1240/x2

    9. Click Apply.


    Image:image022.gif
     

    Note: You may need to modify the Scale From and To values for layer 1 in order for layer 2 to update.
     

    Tick Location From a Dataset

    This option allows you to position tick marks at locations specified by values in a dataset

    1. Double-click on an axis to open the Axis dialog.

    2. Go to the Scale tab.

    3. Check the Ticks Locations checkbox and select a dataset from the drop down list.

  • How do I calculate the FWHM?

    There are many ways to output the FWHM.
     

    - When a graph is active, select Gadgets:Quick Peaks... or Gadgets:Integrate....
     

    - You can fit your data, choosing the Analysis: Fitting: Single Peak Fit or Analysis: Peaks and Baseline: Multiple Peak Fit menu. When fitting with the Gauss function, the FWHM is output to the report. If your function is Gaussian (note that it is different from Gauss) or Lorentz, the w parameter is the FWHM.
     

    - You can also select Analysis: Peaks and Baseline: Peak Analyzer.

  • How do I delete every nth row or column from my worksheet?

    Delete every nth row or column by looping

     

    With your worksheet active, open the Script Window (menu item: Window: Script Window), copy-paste the following lines of code, select all lines, and press Enter.
     

    To delete columns:

    // Delete every nth column, counting from the left
    int ndel = 3; change this number as needed;
     
    int ncols = wks.ncols;
    int nlast = ncols - mod(ncols, ndel);
     
    // Start deleting from the right to the left
    for(int ii = nlast; ii > 0; ii -= ndel)
    {
       delete wcol(ii);
    }


    To delete rows:

    // Delete every nth row, couting from the top
    int ndel =3; // change this number as needed;
     
    int nrows = wks.nrows;
    int nlast = nrows - mod(nrows, ndel);
     
    // Start deleting from the bottom to the top
    for(int ii = nlast; ii > 0; ii -= ndel)
    {
       range rr = wcol(1)[$(ii):$(ii)];
       mark -d rr;
    }


    Delete every nth row using the Worksheet Query dialog

     

    With the worksheet active, open the Worksheet Query dialog by clicking Worksheet: Worksheet Query from main menu.

     

    Enter mod(i,3)==0 (refer to mod function) in the Condition box, which means select the every 3rd row. Then click the Test -- Select if True button to highlight these rows.

     

    Close this dialog and delete these rows from worksheet by selecting Delete from right-click menu.

  • How do I export graphs with exact size and resolution as specified by publishers?

    The dialog for exporting graphs can be launched using the File:Export Graphs menu item. This dialog offers a preview, as well as the ability to select output file format, output size, resolution (DPI) in case of raster images, and other controls for customizing your export. Once you have set desired values for various parameters, your settings can be saved as a theme file for future use.
     

    Consider the following:
     

    - Find out exactly what the publisher wants
    You should know the format required (such as PDF, EPS, TIFF etc), the image dimensions, the resolution/DPI (in the case of raster images such as TIFF), and font size requirements.
     

    - Do you need to set both width AND height of the output independently?
    The graph export dialog defaults to allowing you to change width, and height is scaled automatically to maintain aspect ratio. You can choose Height Rescaling and do the reverse. If you need to change both, before opening the export dialog, go to your graph and open Plot Details (Format: Page). You can then set the page dimensions at the Graph node level by accessing the Print/Dimensions tab.
     

    - Did the publisher specify a font size?
    If a particular font size was specified, such as say minimum font size of 6 pt then open Format: Layerto the Display tab and check Fixed Factor and set the value to 1. Repeat this setting for each Layer. This ensures that any layer you may have re-sized is not scaling fonts. Set all font sizes to meet the requirements.
     

    - How do I set resolution/DPI for raster formats
    For raster file formats such as TIFF and JPEG, the graph export dialog will have a DPI Resolution control located under the Image Settings node. Use this control to set DPI. Note that publishers often specify DPI and not the image size. While this is fine for Vector formats, Raster formats require physical dimensions and DPI to determine Pixel Size. If you left the page width as default value such as 10.7 inches, and set the DPI to a large number such as 1200, you can end up with a very large export file size that may cause system resource issues, plus your publisher is not going to be happy to receive a very large file with more pixels than really necessary. The Pixel Size of a Raster format is determined by physical size and DPI and is shown in the export dialog.
     

    - What size will my image be?
    Vector image formats can resize to fill any size container. Raster image formats are rendered into physical containers based on DPI and dimensions. For high resolution devices - such as printers - 1000 pixels (width or height) rendered at 1200 DPI will result in a physical size of 0.833 inches ( 1000 / 1200 ), while low resolution devices - such as your computer screen - will render that same 1000 pixels as about 10 inches in size (assuming a screen DPI of 100 : 1000 / 100).

  • How do I know if my fit result is good?

    When performing nonlinear curve fitting, an iterative procedure is employed that minimizes the reduced chi-square value to obtain the optimal parameter values. The reduced chi-square is obtained by dividing the residual sum of squares (RSS) by the degrees of freedom (DOF). Although this is the quantity that is minized in the iteration process, this quantity is typically not a good measure to determine the goodness of fit. For example, if the y data is multiplied by a scaling factor, the reduced chi-square will be scaled as well.
     

    A better measure would be the r square value, which is also known as coefficient of detemination. The closer the fit is to the data points, the closer r-square will be to the value of 1. A larger value of r-square does not necessarily mean a better fit because the degress of freedom can also affect the value. Thus if more parameters are introduced, the r-square value will rise, but this does not imply a better fit. The adjusted r-square value accounts for the degrees of freedom and this could be a better measure of the goodness of fit.
     

    Origin reports r-square and adjusted r-square values for linear and polynomial fitting as well as nonlinear fitting, and it also reports reduced chi-square value for nonlinear fitting. The output report sheet can be customized to include, or leave out, any of these quantities.
     

    Statistically speaking, rather than asking whether a particular fit result is good, it is more appropriate to compare two fit results. There are statistical tests that OriginPro provides, to compare the fit results to a single dataset using two different models. Thus one can, for example, compare the fit to decay data with one-term and two-term exponential fitting functions, and determine whether using the two-term fit is justified for the given data. One can also compare two datasets with one fitting function to determine if the two datasets represent the same population, for example.

  • How do I make negative values in a column graph to plot downwards from zero?

    If you want your X axis to be shown at the position where Y=0:

    1. Select Format: Axes: X Axis or double-click on the X axis to open the X Axis dialog.

    2. Click the Title & Format Tab.

    3. Select "At Position=" from the Axis Position drop-down list.

    4. Enter 0 in the Percent/Value textbox.

    5. Click OK.

    If you want your X Axis to be shown at the bottom but the negative bars point downwards, some additional steps are needed, namely to add a line at Y=0:

    1. Select Format: Axes: X Axis or double-click on the X axis to open the X Axis dialog.

    2. Click the Title & Format Tab.

    3. Select Bottom from the Axis Position drop-down list.

    4. Click the Grid Lines Tab

    5. Select the Y = 0 check box in the Additional Lines group.

    6. Click OK.

  • How to compute EC50IC50 in Dose Response fitting?

    Origin automatically computes and reports EC20, EC50, and EC80 values in the output Report Sheet when fitting with Dose Response function in the nonlinear fitter dialog.
     

    This computation is performed post-fit, using the Derived Parameters feature for fitting functions. The information provided below show how the formulas for EC20, EC50, and EC80 were derived:
     

    First, let's look into how Origin defines the Dose Response fitting function. Open the Fitting Function Organizer (press F9) and select the DoseResp function under the Growth/Sigmoidal Category. At the bottom of the page, the derived parameters are defined as:

    span=abs(A1-A2)
    EC20=10^(LOGx0 + log(0.25)/p)
    EC50=10^LOGx0
    EC80=10^(LOGx0 + log(4)/p)


    From the formula tab, we can know the DoseResp function is:

    Image:How_to_compute_EC50_IC50_in_Dose_Response_fitting_001.png


    When fitting this function, the X values are supposed to be the logarithm of dose, and LOGx0 is the center of the curve, that is, the concentration for half response. so we can compute the EC50 by:

    Image:How_to_compute_EC50_IC50_in_Dose_Response_fitting_002.png


    How about EC20? Since EC20 is the concentration where 20% response, we can deduce the formula from DoseResp function that:

    Image:How_to_compute_EC50_IC50_in_Dose_Response_fitting_003.png


    So EC20 equals to:

    Image:How_to_compute_EC50_IC50_in_Dose_Response_fitting_004.png


    For more general cases, you can always calculate the EC/IC-anything by derived parameters using this equation:

    Image:How_to_compute_EC50_IC50_in_Dose_Response_fitting_005.png


    where F is the percentage of response. For example, for EC80, we have:

    Image:How_to_compute_EC50_IC50_in_Dose_Response_fitting_006.png
  • How to insert greek symbols and subscript in plot legend and axis titles from worksheet headers?

    Axis Title and Legend in graphs are special text labels, which are automatically created using the contents of the Long Name/Units/Comments header rows in the worksheet with Escape Sequences. Even though you might be tempted to directly Insert greek symbols from graph, we would recommend do this in worksheet column labels.
     

    - You can add subscript or superscript in worksheet column labels directly with Escape Sequences.  The shortcoming here is that no subscript or superscript will show in worksheet. E.g. in \+(o) will make o as superscript.

    image:superscript_longname.png
     

    - The Axis Title and Legend in Graph show superscript fine.

    image:superscript_legend.png
     

    - To insert greek symbol, subscript and superscript in worksheet column labels and also see it correctly in worksheet, you need to first enable Rich Text mode using the following steps:

    Image:set_style.png
     

    or
     

    Once Rich Text is enabled, some advanced setting such as Wrap TextFloat and Ellipse are not allowed.




    If the worksheet header row has already been set as Rich Text, you can double-click in a cell to go into Rich Text edit mode. Add greek symbols using Symbol Map (Ctrl+M); and add subscript/superscript using the Format toolbar directly.

    Image:Style.png
     

    - Right click on the corresponding column label row and set its style as rich texts in the context menu. For example, if you want to make the Long Name to be rich text, right click on Long Name label row, then in the context menu, point to Set Long Name Styles and check Rich Text(Minimum version: 9.0 SR1)
     

    - Select Format: Worksheet from Origin menu to open the Worksheet Properties dialog
     

    - Select Format tab, and then change the Apply To drop down list to the desired header row, such as Long Name, and select the Rich Text check box as in the screenshot below:

    Image:Wks prop.png
     
  • I want to double-click on my project file (OPJ) to start Origin but Origin doesn't start. What is the problem?

    When I double-click on an OPJ to start Origin, I see an error message. How can I solve this?
     

    On some computers running Windows Vista or 7, you cannot double-click on an OPJ file to launch Origin with the OPJ loaded. Often this problem can be solved as follows: 

    1. Right click on an Origin Project file and select Open With:Choose Programs

    2. Choose the Origin shortcut and check "Always use the selected program for this file" 


    Normally the double click should work the next time you try to open an Origin project file. In case this doesn't work, you may try the following: 

    1. Run Origin from the Origin program icon

    2. Select Window:Script Window to open the Origin script window

    3. In the script window, type the following command and then press the ENTER key after you type the last character 1: doc -ddde 1 

  • Is there a Mac version of Origin?

    Using virtualization software, you can easily install and run Origin and OriginPro on a Mac. This page outlines what you will need and shows you how easy it is to get started.
     

    Installing Origin or OriginPro software on a Mac computer requires the following:

    - An Intel®-based Mac®.

    - The virtual computer needs to meet these System Requirements.

    - Virtualization software: VMWare® Fusion 5.0 or later, Parallels® Desktop 8.0 or later, or VirtualBox.
     

    Steps to install Origin/OriginPro:

    1. Install the virtualization software on your Mac computer.

    2. Using the virtualization software, create a new virtual computer and install Windows on the virtual computer.

    3. Run the virtual computer on which Windows is installed. When Windows is ready, install Origin.
     

    Benefits of using the virtual computer

    - Seamlessly run Origin as an application on your Mac desktop.

    - Drag-and-drop an OPJ from a Mac folder onto the Origin workspace.

    - Export graphs and other output from Origin to a folder in the Windows partition, and then drag-and-drop the exported file onto Mac applications.
     

    Tips for running Origin on Mac:

    - What license types are supported using this configuration?
    ALL license types have been found to run successfully on an Intel-based Mac using virtualization software. This includes node-locked, dongle-managed, and concurrent licenses.
     

    - Why can't I paste the licence text from the web page onto the Origin dialog?
    Note that the shortcut keys for copy and paste are different for Mac (cmd+c and cmd+v) and for Windows (ctrl+c and ctrl+v). If you copied the licence text from browser running on Mac OS using cmd+c, you should use ctrl+v to paste the text onto the Origin dialog.
     

    - Can I paste an Origin graph to Word as an OLE embedded object?
    If you are running Word for Mac, then the pasted object is treated only as an image and you cannot double-click the image to open the Origin project. If, on the other hand, you are running Word on the Windows partition, then you can OLE-paste your graph from Origin onto Word.
     

    - How do I exchange files between Mac and Windows?
    Just drag-and-drop the file between the Mac and Windows partitions! The virtual machine creates a copy when a file is dragged and dropped in either direction. You could thus easily open an OPJ by dragging and dropping the file from a Mac folder right onto the Origin workspace. Similarly, you can export a graph from Origin to a folder in the Windows partition and then drag-and-drop the exported file to a Mac application for publication purposes.

  • My Origin project file is very slow to work with. How can I improve this?

    You may try the following four approaches and improve the speed of your Origin project:
     

    - Try clearing the Results Log. You can open it from the View menu, or use Alt-2 key. Right-click and choose Clear All. Prior to Origin 8.6, logging for many functions were enabled by default, for importing, and thus these entries can accumulate over time. Starting with 8.6, default was changed not to log such entries, but for older OPJ files, the log might have already been very big. Clearing a big Results Log can greatly improve OPJ loading and saving speed. You may want to save the Results Log contents of a Notes window, but most likely that is not necessary.
     

    - OPJ files created with Origin version 8.5.1 might have some redundent internal objects(empty operations) saved unnecessarily. Later version of Origin had fixed this problem but the OPJ files may already contain many of these. You can try deleting the empty operations in the opj file. Click Window:Script Window to open the script window, run the script:  del -op;
     

    - If you have a big OPJ that you find it slow to work with periodically, it may be the result of Autosave. You can choose to turn off Autosave from Tools:Options and select the Open/Close tab. Uncheck Autosave.
     

    - If you have hundreds of windows in a folder, try moving some into subfolders. You can also use Project Explorer to hide windows which reduces demand on system resources. (Note: Older versions of Origin had a View: View Windows : Windows in Active Folder & Subfolders menu option which has been removed, this menu option would cause problems when you organized large numbers of windows into subfolders and viewed the top level folder.)

  • The Plot Setup dialog will not open! How do I fix this?

    Why is the Plot Setup dialog box not opening? Why is the Theme Gallery (Organizer) not opening? Why is the NLFit fitter not opening? Why is Plot Details not opening?
     

    If any one of these dialogs is not opening, please try to open one of the others. If one of the other dialogs doesn't open either, then please continue reading. Note: The Plot Setup dialog opens when plotting, if you don't have a worksheet selection. The Theme Organizer (Theme Gallery) opens from the Tools:Theme Organizer menu in Origin 8.x or the Format:Theme Gallery menu in Origin 7.x.
     

    These dialogs use an ActiveX control that is normally registered on your system during installation. If it failed to register properly, then the dialog will never appear. This could happen if security settings during installation were such that registration of ActiveX controls were blocked.
     

    Note: If you are running Origin on Windows 7 or Vista, you must run Origin as an administrator to perform the solution below. To do this, right-click on the Origin program icon and select Run As Administrator.
     

    You can register the control from within Origin by using the Script Window. Open the Script Window by selecting Window:Script Window. Copy the following script to the window:
     

    %A = system.path.program$;
    run -e regsvr32 "%Avsflex8l.ocx";
     

    Select the two lines of script in the Script Window and press Enter. You should get a message confirming registration or indicating failure. If it fails, consult your Systems Administrator about getting sufficient privileges.
     

    If you see a message reporting that the registration succeeded, but still you cannot open the Plot Setup or other dialog, please contact OriginLab Support for further assistance.

  • When I insert my dongle to start Origin, I see a dongle driver error message. What is wrong?

    Updated dongle drivers are now available for running Dongle-managed Origin and OriginPro. This latest driver fixes the following:

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 dongle driver conflict if installed on the same PC.

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 compatibility on Windows XP 64bit, Windows Vista 32bit and 64bit, Windows 7 32bit and 64bit and Windows 8 32bit and 64bit.

    - Origin/Pro 8.5 SR1 installer not installing successfully.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5, 8.x and 9 Windows Standby mode problems.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5 compatibility on Windows Vista and Windows 64bit.
     

    The following instructions can be used to install the updated Dongle driver.

    1. Close Origin/Pro if it is running.

    2. Remove the Dongle from the USB port.

    3. Download and save the Dongle Driver named Install.zip to your computer.

    4. Double-click on the Install.zip file.

    5. Double-click on the Install.exe file to run the driver installer.

    6. Check the Uninstall check box and click on Begin Uninstall. **This is necessary to clean out the old driver if it has installed or installed improperly.

    7. Click Finish when the uninstall has completed.

    8. Double-click on the Install.exe file again to run thd driver installer.

    9. Check the USB Dongle check box and click on Begin Install.

    10. Click Finish when the installation has completed.

    11. Plug the Dongle into the USB port and wait for the Windows Found New Hardware Wizard to complete the installation.

    12. Start Origin.

  • Why do I see "No driver found" when I plug in my Dongle?

    Updated dongle drivers are now available for running Dongle-managed Origin and OriginPro. This latest driver fixes the following:

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 dongle driver conflict if installed on the same PC.

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 compatibility on Windows XP 64bit, Windows Vista 32bit and 64bit, Windows 7 32bit and 64bit and Windows 8 32bit and 64bit.

    - Origin/Pro 8.5 SR1 installer not installing successfully.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5, 8.x and 9 Windows Standby mode problems.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5 compatibility on Windows Vista and Windows 64bit.

     

    The following instructions can be used to install the updated Dongle driver.

    1. Close Origin/Pro if it is running.

    2. Remove the Dongle from the USB port.

    3. Download and save the Dongle Driver named Install.zip to your computer.

    4. Double-click on the Install.zip file.

    5. Double-click on the Install.exe file to run the driver installer.

    6. Check the Uninstall check box and click on Begin Uninstall. **This is necessary to clean out the old driver if it has installed or installed improperly.

    7. Click Finish when the uninstall has completed.

    8. Double-click on the Install.exe file again to run thd driver installer.

    9. Check the USB Dongle check box and click on Begin Install.

    10. Click Finish when the installation has completed.

    11. Plug the Dongle into the USB port and wait for the Windows Found New Hardware Wizard to complete the installation.

    12. Start Origin.

  • Why do I see "The system cannot find the file specified" when I plug in my Dongle?

    Updated dongle drivers are now available for running Dongle-managed Origin and OriginPro. This latest driver fixes the following:

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 dongle driver conflict if installed on the same PC.

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 compatibility on Windows XP 64bit, Windows Vista 32bit and 64bit, Windows 7 32bit and 64bit and Windows 8 32bit and 64bit.

    - Origin/Pro 8.5 SR1 installer not installing successfully.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5, 8.x and 9 Windows Standby mode problems.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5 compatibility on Windows Vista and Windows 64bit.

     

    The following instructions can be used to install the updated Dongle driver.

    1. Close Origin/Pro if it is running.

    2. Remove the Dongle from the USB port.

    3. Download and save the Dongle Driver named Install.zip to your computer.

    4. Double-click on the Install.zip file.

    5. Double-click on the Install.exe file to run the driver installer.

    6. Check the Uninstall check box and click on Begin Uninstall. **This is necessary to clean out the old driver if it has installed or installed improperly.

    7. Click Finish when the uninstall has completed.

    8. Double-click on the Install.exe file again to run thd driver installer.

    9. Check the USB Dongle check box and click on Begin Install.

    10. Click Finish when the installation has completed.

    11. Plug the Dongle into the USB port and wait for the Windows Found New Hardware Wizard to complete the installation.

    12. Start Origin.

  • Why do I see a 3 min expiration warning?

    Updated dongle drivers are now available for running Dongle-managed Origin and OriginPro. This latest driver fixes the following:

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 dongle driver conflict if installed on the same PC.

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 compatibility on Windows XP 64bit, Windows Vista 32bit and 64bit, Windows 7 32bit and 64bit and Windows 8 32bit and 64bit.

    - Origin/Pro 8.5 SR1 installer not installing successfully.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5, 8.x and 9 Windows Standby mode problems.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5 compatibility on Windows Vista and Windows 64bit.

     

    The following instructions can be used to install the updated Dongle driver.

    1. Close Origin/Pro if it is running.

    2. Remove the Dongle from the USB port.

    3. Download and save the Dongle Driver named Install.zip to your computer.

    4. Double-click on the Install.zip file.

    5. Double-click on the Install.exe file to run the driver installer.

    6. Check the Uninstall check box and click on Begin Uninstall. **This is necessary to clean out the old driver if it has installed or installed improperly.

    7. Click Finish when the uninstall has completed.

    8. Double-click on the Install.exe file again to run thd driver installer.

    9. Check the USB Dongle check box and click on Begin Install.

    10. Click Finish when the installation has completed.

    11. Plug the Dongle into the USB port and wait for the Windows Found New Hardware Wizard to complete the installation.

    12. Start Origin.

  • Why does my Origin 8.6 crash, even when making simple graphs?

    Some users have experienced crashes when creating even simple graphs in Origin 8.6 when running on Windows XP and using the Windows XP Theme (the default).

     

    To fix the problem:

    1. Check if you are running 8.6 Service Release 0 (SR0) by selecting Help:About Origin. If you are running SR0, try patching to SR1 to fix this problem. You can patch to SR1 by running Help:Check for Updates or manually downloading and applying the SR1 patch.

    2. If patching to SR1 did not fix the problem, or if you were already running SR1, then run the Display app in Control Panel.

    3. On the Themes tab, change the Theme to Windows Classic.

  • Why does Notepad open when I try to run my Dongle-managed Origin?

    Updated dongle drivers are now available for running Dongle-managed Origin and OriginPro. This latest driver fixes the following:

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 dongle driver conflict if installed on the same PC.

    - Origin/Pro 8.x and 9 compatibility on Windows XP 64bit, Windows Vista 32bit and 64bit, Windows 7 32bit and 64bit and Windows 8 32bit and 64bit.

    - Origin/Pro 8.5 SR1 installer not installing successfully.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5, 8.x and 9 Windows Standby mode problems.

    - Origin/Pro 7.5 compatibility on Windows Vista and Windows 64bit.

     

    The following instructions can be used to install the updated Dongle driver.

    1. Close Origin/Pro if it is running.

    2. Remove the Dongle from the USB port.

    3. Download and save the Dongle Driver named Install.zip to your computer.

    4. Double-click on the Install.zip file.

    5. Double-click on the Install.exe file to run the driver installer.

    6. Check the Uninstall check box and click on Begin Uninstall. **This is necessary to clean out the old driver if it has installed or installed improperly.

    7. Click Finish when the uninstall has completed.

    8. Double-click on the Install.exe file again to run thd driver installer.

    9. Check the USB Dongle check box and click on Begin Install.

    10. Click Finish when the installation has completed.

    11. Plug the Dongle into the USB port and wait for the Windows Found New Hardware Wizard to complete the installation.

    12. Start Origin.

  • Why is my Reduced Chi-Sqr value very different from 1?

    The Nonlinear Curve Fitter tool in Origin computes and reports Reduced Chi-Sqr value as one of the goodness of fit measures. 

     

    Typically a Reduced Chi-Sqr value close to 1 indicates a good fit result, and it implies that the difference between observed data and fitted data is consistent with the error variance. Note that for the Reduced Chi-Sqr value to be in this range, you need to select the correct variance when fitting your data. If the error variance is over-estimated, the Reduced Chi-Sqr value will be much less than 1. For under-estimated error variance, it will be much greater than 1.

     

    For instance, say the Reduced Chi-Sqr value in a fitting result is close to 1 in your current data. If you then simply scale your y data by a factor of 10, and the error variance is also scaled by 10 (if you choose the Statistical weighting method), the Redcued Chi-Sqr value will also scale, and will no longer be close to 1. Only if you scale the error variance by 100, the Redcued Chi-Sqr can be close to 1 again. The reason is that for a random variable X with variance \sigma^2\, then variance for nX will be

     

    E(nX-E(nX))^2=n^2E(X-E(X))^2=n^2\sigma^2\.

     

    Also note that in addition to Reduced Chi-Sqr, Origin outputs many other quantities such as R-Squareand Adjusted R-Square which can also be used to estimate goodness of fit.