Installing and Upgrading LabVIEW 2009 and the FTC Toolkit (Archived)

[MarkBlack]

Update: Update: This example applies to the 2010 FTC competition software and may is not applicable for current competiton software. Please check the FTC homepage for software installation instructions.

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Overview

These instructions are for all users who are installing LabVIEW Education Edition 2009 for this first time or upgrading their LabVIEW and FTC software from a prior FTC season.

Installing LabVIEW Education Edition 2009

The 2010-2011 FTC software from National Instruments includes LabVIEW Education Edition 2009, which ships with your FTC kit, and the FTC 2010-2011 Toolkit, which can be downloaded here.  LabVIEW Education Edition 2009 includes the LabVIEW 2009 NXT Module, so you do not have to download and install the software from another location.  It is recommended to all users installing or upgrading LabVIEW Education Edition to do so from DVD media shipping with your FTC Kit.

1. (Windows) Log on as an administrator or as a user with administrator privileges.
2. Disable any automatic virus detection programs before you install.  Some virus detection programs interfere with installation.
3. Insert the appropriate LabVIEW Education Edition installation DVD for the operating system you are using.
4. (Mac OS) Double-click the NI LabVIEW Education Edition.mpkg file to launch the installer.
5. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
6. After installation, enable any virus detection programs you disabled.

Installing the LabVIEW for FTC Toolkit 2010-2011

The FTC Toolkit can be downloaded here.

Windows Instructions

1. Run the self-extracting installer by choosing Run or saving the file to disk and double-clicking on NIFTCToolkit_2010_f3.exe.
2. Click OK when prompted if you want to proceed with the self-extracting archive.
3. Click Unzip to begin installing the FTC 2010 Toolkit.

Mac OS Instructions

1. Double click NIFTCToolkit_2010_f3_Mac.zip to extract the compressed disk image.
2. Double click the disk image, FTC Toolkit 2010f3.dmg, to mount it.
3. Open the mounted FTC Toolkit image and double-click FTC_2010_f3_Toolkit.mpkg to launch the installer.

Activating your software

LabVIEW Education Edition 2009 is activated using the serial number printed on a sticker attached to the DVD sleeve LabVIEW Education Edition shipped in.  If you do not activate your software it will run in evaluation mode for 30 days.  This serial number will not activate any products other than LabVIEW Full Development System.  The NXT Module and FTC Toolkit do not require activation.  Activation is only required on the Windows platform.  You do not need to Activate software if you are installing on Mac OS.

Activation During Installation

1. At the following installer screen...
2. 
3. Enter you Name, Organization, and Serial Number.
4. Click Next >>.
5. Complete the rest of installation by following the on screen instructions.

Activation After Installation

If you chose not to enter a serial number during installation and leave LabVIEW in evaluation mode, you will have to activate LabVIEW from the NI License Manager.

1. Launch NI License manager by navigating to Start » All Programs » National Instruments » NI License Manager.
2. Expand the twisties so Full Development System is visible. 
3. 
4. Right-click Full Development System and Select Activate....
5. Follow the on screen instructions and enter your serial number when prompted.

Why am I prompted to activate software when I launch LabVIEW?

Although your serial number activates LabVIEW and does not activate Application Builder, Application Builder will run in evaluation mode for 30 days after installation.  When you launch LabVIEW you will see a dialog like shown in the following screenshot.

This dialog is prompting you because Application Builder is unlicensed.  You can dismiss this dialog and prevent it from opening again by checking the box Do not show this dialog again. 

[pallen]

Excellent document Mark!

Thanks for putting this all together.