ACQUITY or MS is missing from the console in MassLynx - WKB11456

SYMPTOMS

• The mass spectrometer or ACQUITY module is missing from the MS console
• The console may only show the ACQUITY modules
• Rebooting the PC does not resolve the issue
• May have an Unhandled Exception XML error when opening the console: 

ENVIRONMENT

• 3100 Mass Detector
• ACQUITY console
• ACQUITY QDa Mass Detector
• ACQUITY UPLC
• MassLynx
• SQ Detector
• SQ Detector 2
• SYNAPT G2
• SYNAPT G2-S
• SYNAPT G2-Si
• SYNAPT XS
• TQ Detector
• Xevo QTof 
• Xevo G2
• Xevo G2-S
• Xevo G2-XS
• Xevo G3 QTof
• Xevo TQ MS
• Xevo TQD
• Xevo TQ-S
• Xevo TQ-S micro
• Xevo TQ-S cronos
• Xevo TQ-XS

CAUSE

Corrupt XML file

FIX or WORKAROUND

1. Close MassLynx and associated windows.
2. Run the StopACQUITYProcesses.cmd and StopMasslynxProcesses.cmd from "C:\Program Files (x86)\Waters Instruments\Bin".
3. Navigate to C:\MassLynx\IntelliStart\Configuration.
4. Rename as "old_name" or cut and paste to the desktop any of the XML files that are blank or corrupted when opened. The usual culprits are UserCustomConfigurations.xml or vialfunctionsettings.xml, but there could be others that are corrupted.
5. Replace the culprit files with good ones (see attachments for Tof or Quad Configuration folders).
6. Restart MassLynx.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In one case, it was reported the new files were found in following location: C:\Users\administrators

This solution has also worked in cases where the MS was missing from the console but no Unhandled Exception error occurred.

Sometimes the plots for the MS are missing from the console. Flip to the pump plot, open the plot properties, and then go back to the MS plot. After a few minutes, the missing plots populate.