Labwiew 8 won't start without internet connection

[biqbal]

I have Labview 8.0 installed on a NI PXI-1050 chasis with Windows XP and Service Pack 2 installed.  The problem is that Labview will not load up (it locks up at finishing initialization) if I do not have the chasis connected to the internet via ethernet connection.  When I connect to the internet and reboot the computer, Labview is able to start fine.  The chasis is installed in a mobile vechicle and cannot always be connected to the internet.  I've read that Labview 8 needs to connect to the internet to make sure the copy it is running is legitimate?  Is this copy protection messing me up?  Is there a way to run Labview 8 without internet connection?

Thanks.

[smercurio_fc]

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biqbal wrote:

I've read that Labview 8 needs to connect to the internet to make sure the copy it is running is legitimate? 

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Where did you read this? There's an initial activation that you do when you first install LabVIEW. but there's no "phone home" each time you launch LabVIEW. I can start up LabVIEW without an internet connection.

More than likely what's causing it are services that run and/or MAX. Software firewalls installed on a computer can block this communication even it's happening on a loopback, but you said that the problem goes away once you connect to the internet, so it's likely not a firewall issue. Is the PXI chassis normally connected directly to the internet through a modem, or is it connected to a router (when it's connected)? Are you using a static IP address on your PXI chassis?

[biqbal]

I read that a while back off of some website.  Honestly I don't remember exactly where and don't know how much truth it holds.  I was just thinking that it may be a possibility.  Ive checked my firewalls and nothing is blocking the Labview/NI software.  The PXI chassis is not normally connected to the internet.  However when it is, it goes through a router and I believe the ip address is static, but I'm not 100% positive. 

Also, I've talked to NI tech support.  They recommend that I uninstall and then reinstall Labview 8.   Currently this is a problem since the chasis did not come with a cd/dvd drive.  We would need to get hold of a usb cd/dvd drive before I could reinstall the software.  Do you think reinstallation might solve the problem?

Thanks.

[biqbal]

I've looked up the reference that  "Labview 8 needs to connect to the internet to make sure the copy it is running is legitimate?"  It seems that this applies if a volume license is used.  It does not apply to my situation as I do not use a volume liscense.  Sorry for any confusion.

[DanRichards]

Hi biqbal,

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "LabVIEW locks up..." If you need an activation code for your product, give us a call at 866.ASK.MY.NI to get that code. If you need a code does not require a MAC address reference, just call an AE and they can walk you through the process of getting the correct activation code. That is what I would recommend. Have the AE reference KB 32R9NA6E if you need the MAC address.

Thanks,

Dan Richards

[biqbal]

No, I have the activation code and Labview does start fine when the unit is connected to the internet via ethernet cable.  However, when the ethernet cable is unplugged and I double click on the Labview icon, the program tries to start.  The loading labview window comes up, the window stays up and the bottom righthand portion of the window  says "finalizing initialization".  It stays in this state and will not finish loading the program no matter how long I wait.  If I click in the window, I get a prompt in the upper lefthand corner of the window that says "not responding.  This is what I mean by "Labview locks up".

Thanks.

[DFGray]

Do you have source code control active?

[Sima]

Something I've seen happen is on a Windows machine, if your My Documents folder is mapped to a server then LabVIEW throws an error because it can't find some local settings or do the auto save, etc. Does that apply to you?

[biqbal]

No, I do not use source code.  I don't think it is even offered in the full development version I use (only professional version).  Also, the My Documents folder is not mapped to a server.

I think my next step would be to reinstall Labview 8 and see what happens or maybe reinstall windows and then Labview 8, or maybe upgrade to 8.6.  I have to see what management wants.

Thanks.

[CMal]

biqbal,

Before you go through the process of reinstalling LabVIEW, try deleting (or renaming) the "LabVIEW.ini" file from the LabVIEW 8.0 folder.  I've sometimes seen this file become corrupted, causing LabVIEW to not be able to start up properly.  It's a long shot, but it's worth trying before you take the more extreme measure of reinstalling.

Chris M