LabVIEW Installation Troubleshooting Guide

The instructions for installing the Application Builder depend on which package of LabVIEW you purchased.

• LabVIEW Professional Development System—The LabVIEW Professional Development System includes and automatically installs the Application Builder. Therefore, you do not install the Application Builder separately. (Windows) During installation, the serial number for LabVIEW also activates the Application Builder.
• LabVIEW Full Development System or Base Development System—If you also purchased the Application Builder, you receive a separate package for it.
  • (Windows) Install LabVIEW from the LabVIEW Platform media. During installation, you must enter a serial number for the Application Builder. Locate this serial number on the Certificate of Ownership in the LabVIEW Add-On Software package. If you do not activate the Application Builder during installation, it runs in evaluation mode. You can activate the Application Builder after installing LabVIEW from the License Status window that appears when you launch LabVIEW.
  • (macOS and Linux) After you finish installing LabVIEW, insert the installation media for the Application Builder.

Installing LabVIEW 2018 does not overwrite previous versions of LabVIEW that are installed on a computer because each version of LabVIEW resides in a separate directory. To use files from the user.lib directory of a previous version of LabVIEW, copy those files into the user.lib directory of LabVIEW 2018.

For detailed recommendations about upgrading VIs and projects from a previous version of LabVIEW, refer to the LabVIEW Upgrade Notes.

To use a module or toolkit with LabVIEW 2018, you must install a version of the module or toolkit that is compatible with LabVIEW 2018. Otherwise, the VIs, project items, dialog boxes, and other features associated with the module or toolkit do not appear in LabVIEW.

Complete the following steps to locate and install missing modules and toolkits:

(Windows)

1. Locate and install the module or toolkit.
   • Modules and toolkits that ship on the LabVIEW Platform media—Insert the LabVIEW Platform media and enter the serial number of the module or toolkit. To determine if a module or toolkit ships on the LabVIEW Platform media, refer to the LabVIEW Platform Readme.
   • All other LabVIEW modules and toolkits—Follow the instructions for add-ons not included on the LabVIEW Platform media.
   • Third-party add-ons—From the Getting Started window of LabVIEW, select Find Drivers and Add-ons»Find LabVIEW Add-ons to access the latest versions of third-party add-ons.
2. Modify the device drivers. If you install LabVIEW or an add-on after installing device drivers, LabVIEW cannot recognize the device drivers.

(macOS and Linux)

Install a version of the module or toolkit that is compatible with LabVIEW 2018. You can obtain a compatible version of the module or toolkit from the following locations:

• For NI add-ons—Download the latest version of the add-on from ni.com/downloads.
• For third-party add-ons—Download the latest version of the add-on from the LabVIEW Tools Network at ni.com.

For installation instructions, refer to the readme file on the installation media of the module or toolkit.

To identify the parts of a VI that cause it to behave differently in LabVIEW 2018 than in the version of LabVIEW in which it was created, refer to the Upgrade and Compatibility Issues section of the LabVIEW Upgrade Notes. Review the section for each LabVIEW version since the version in which the VI was created.

If you are upgrading a VI from LabVIEW 5.1 or earlier, you cannot open the VI in LabVIEW 2018. To upgrade a VI from one of these versions of LabVIEW, you must first upgrade to an intermediate version of LabVIEW or use the LabVIEW Conversion Package. Refer to the How to Upgrade or Revert a VI to a Different Version of LabVIEW support document at ni.com for more information about upgrading from your specific legacy version of LabVIEW.

When troubleshooting a persistent installation issue, you might choose to uninstall LabVIEW and other NI software to retry installation on a clean machine.

(Windows)

1. Create a system configuration report in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), which is a hardware configuration program that is installed when you install LabVIEW. The system configuration report records the state of your system before you erase all information about your NI software installations. If you eventually need to file a service request at ni.com/ask, the support engineer who addresses your request may need this information.
   1. Open MAX.
   2. Select File»Export and create a report for your entire system.
   3. Refer to the KnowledgeBase at ni.com for more detailed instructions about creating MAX system configuration reports.
2. Save the system configuration report and all VIs to an external location, such as a USB or network drive.
3. Turn off the computer and remove or unplug all NI hardware.
4. Uninstall LabVIEW 2018 by navigating to the Programs applet in the Control Panel and selecting National Instruments Software. Select and uninstall LabVIEW, modules, toolkits, and device drivers.
5. Restart the computer.

(macOS)

1. Save any files that you modified or added to the LabVIEW 2018 directory in another location.
2. Uninstall LabVIEW 2018 by double-clicking the Uninstall.command shell script file located in the LabVIEW 2018 directory or on the installation media.

Note  If you moved the LabVIEW 2018 directory after installing LabVIEW, LabVIEW does not uninstall and remove the LabVIEW 2018 directory unless you move the directory back to the default location.

(Linux)

Run the UNINSTALL script from the mounted installation media. This script is available only on the installation media.

Refer to the LabVIEW Platform Readme on the LabVIEW Platform media. This document includes a list of all the modules and toolkits that ship on the LabVIEW Platform media.

The NI Device Drivers media contains LabVIEW 2018 device drivers for most NI hardware devices. If you cannot locate a particular driver on the Features screen of the installer, install the driver from one of the following locations:

• For NI devices—Use the driver media packaged with the device or download the latest version of the driver from ni.com/drivers.
• For third-party devices—Search for and download drivers for third-party instruments on the Instrument Driver Network at ni.com.

Some LabVIEW modules and toolkits ship separately from the LabVIEW Platform media. Complete the following steps to install these non-platform add-ons:

1. Install LabVIEW 2018.
2. Refer to the LabVIEW Module and Toolkit Compatibility Information section of ni.com to verify that the add-on is compatible with LabVIEW 2018.
3. Insert the installation media for the add-on and follow the onscreen installation instructions.
4. For more information about the add-on, refer to the readme file on the installation media for the add-on.

LabVIEW may not be able to locate certain subVIs, palettes, or Property Nodes for the following reasons:

• You did not install the LabVIEW 2018 versions of the drivers used by your VIs. To communicate with hardware devices, LabVIEW 2018 requires that the LabVIEW 2018 versions of the related device drivers be installed. If you do not update your drivers to run with LabVIEW 2018, the associated driver VIs, palettes, and Property Nodes are not available, making it impossible for LabVIEW to communicate with the device. To correct this problem, reinstall the related drivers from one of the following sources:
  • For most NI devices—Use the NI Device Drivers media packaged with the LabVIEW Platform media.
  • For NI devices not included on the NI Device Drivers media—Use the driver media packaged with the device or download the latest version of the driver from ni.com/drivers.
  • For third-party devices—Search for and download drivers for third-party instruments on the Instrument Driver Network at ni.com.
• You installed a module or toolkit after you installed the drivers used by your VIs. If you install an add-on, such as LabVIEW FPGA or the LabVIEW Real-Time Module, after installing device drivers, you must modify the device drivers in order for the module to recognize them and their associated VIs. Complete the following steps to modify device drivers:
  1. Navigate to the Programs applet in the Control Panel.
  2. Select National Instruments Software from the list of programs.
  3. Select each device driver and click Modify.
• Your VIs require files from the user.lib directory of a previous version of LabVIEW. If you created custom VIs in a previous version of LabVIEW, you must copy those VIs to the user.lib directory of LabVIEW 2018 to continue using them as subVIs.

NI-DAQmx Base is the only version of NI-DAQmx available for LabVIEW 2018 on macOS. To use NI-DAQmx Base for LabVIEW 2018 on macOS, complete the following steps:

1. Verify that NI-DAQmx Base supports your device by referring to the NI-DAQmx and NI-DAQ Driver Support page at ni.com.
2. Download NI-DAQmx Base Software from ni.com.

LabVIEW may not be able to locate certain subVIs, palettes, or Property Nodes for the following reasons:

• You did not install the LabVIEW 2018 versions of the drivers used by your VIs. To communicate with hardware devices, LabVIEW 2018 requires that the LabVIEW 2018 versions of the related device drivers be installed. If you do not update your drivers to run with LabVIEW 2018, the associated driver VIs, palettes, and Property Nodes are not available, making it impossible for LabVIEW to communicate with the device. To correct this problem, reinstall the related drivers from one of the following sources:
  • For the latest version of the driver for any NI device—Download the latest version of the driver from ni.com/drivers.
  • For NI-DAQmx Base—Download the NI-DAQmx Base Software at ni.com.
  • For third-party devices—Search for and download drivers for third-party instruments on the Instrument Driver Network at ni.com.
• Your VIs require files from the user.lib directory of a previous version of LabVIEW. If you created custom VIs in a previous version of LabVIEW, you must copy those VIs to the user.lib directory of LabVIEW 2018 to continue using them as subVIs.

Complete the following steps to mount the LabVIEW 2018 installation media:

1. Log into the system as root.
2. Insert the LabVIEW 2018 installation media.
3. If the media does not mount automatically, use mount /mnt/cdrom to mount the media.
4. To change the current directory to the mounted media, enter the following command:
   cd /mnt/cdrom

NI-DAQmx Base is the only version of NI-DAQmx available for LabVIEW 2018 on Linux. To use NI-DAQmx Base for LabVIEW 2018 on Linux, complete the following steps:

1. Verify that NI-DAQmx Base supports your device by referring to the NI-DAQmx and NI-DAQ Driver Support page on ni.com.
2. Download NI-DAQmx Base Software from ni.com.

Launch errors on 64-bit systems—If LabVIEW fails to launch on a 64-bit Linux system, verify that you have installed the 32-bit compatibility libraries for your distribution.

LabVIEW may not be able to locate certain subVIs, palettes, or Property Nodes for the following reasons:

• You did not install the LabVIEW 2018 versions of the drivers. In order to communicate with hardware devices, LabVIEW 2018 requires that the LabVIEW 2018 versions of the related device drivers be installed. If you do not update your drivers to run with LabVIEW 2018, the associated driver VIs, palettes, and Property Nodes are not available, making it impossible for LabVIEW to communicate with the device. To correct this problem, reinstall the related drivers from one of the following sources:
  • For NI-VISA drivers—Download the latest version of the driver from ni.com/linuxdrivers.
  • For other NI devices—Use the driver media packaged with the device or download the latest version of the driver from ni.com/drivers.
  • For NI-DAQmx Base—Download the NI-DAQmx Base Software at ni.com.
  • For third-party devices—Search for and download drivers for third-party instruments on the Instrument Driver Network at ni.com.
• Your VIs require files from the user.lib directory of a previous version of LabVIEW. If you created custom VIs in a previous version of LabVIEW, you must copy those VIs to the user.lib directory of LabVIEW 2018 to continue using them as subVIs.

Refer to the following resources for additional help troubleshooting your LabVIEW installation:

• ni.com/gettingstarted—Provides more detailed installation and configuration instructions for a subset of NI products.
• ni.com/support—Highlights various support resources, including live access to support engineers if you have a current service contract.