serial port

[XBX]

Hi, There,

 I have a working application designed and built by LabView 7.1. It works OK on Windows-XP for a couple of years. Now some costumers want to run the application on Windows-Vista and Windows-7. After a search I learnt I have to upgrade to LabView-2010. I purchased  the newer LabView version. And I have no problem to upgrade the VIs from V7.1 to V2010. 

My problem is that the exe type application built by LabView 2010 can not find the serial port installed on a Windows-7 computer. Here is the detail: 

- The application works OK on the computer with Windows-7 and LabView-2010 server. It has no problem to locate the serial ports;

- If the exe type Application built by the LabView-2010 is installed on a Windows-XP, It works OK and has no problem to locate all the serial port;

- If the same exe type Application installed on Windows-Vista and Windows-7, the Application can not locate any serial port;

- I use a Serial-USB bridge between the computer and my device. The computer assign a serial port number, such as COM4 or COM5 to the bridge. The serial port status and port number can be checked on the computer's Device List and the status is "Works properly".

- I use" VISAConfigureSerialPort" to define the serial port. 

I actually had the same problem when run the Application built by LabView 7.1 on Windows-Vista and Windows-7. The upgrade LabView-2010 version doesn't help.  

Please help.

 Thanks in advance. 

XBX

[Dennis_Knutson]

You are not providing some essential information. What version of NI-VISA did you install and are the ports listed in MAX?

[XBX]

Thanks, Dennis.

I have an Application designed with LabView-7.1. It works well for a couple of years. And it is working well under the newly purchased LabView-2010. When the design runs under LabView 7.1, the serial ports can be automatically located and listed without going through MAX device list. And I don't think I need to go through MAX to located serial ports under LabView-2010 now.

After the exe files and the Installer are built, they are installed on a different computer where there is normally no MAX is available.All the serial port problems I mentioned in The Post are on the computers running the "*.exe" application in Windows-7. I suppose you don't need MAX to be installed on the computers running exe application.

With LabView 7.1, you can find a check box specified for "serial port" in the Installer Builder. Once that box is checked, you would have no problem to find the serial ports on the installed application. There is no "serial port" check box in LabView-2010 Builder.

The "VISA Configure Serial Port" VI is from LabView-7.1.

Thanks.

[Dennis_Knutson]

I'm confused as to what you are and what you aren't running. For windows 7 and LabVIEW 2010, you have to separately install an NI-VISA runtime that is compatible with windows 7 and with LabVIEW 2010. LabVIEW 7.1 is not supported on windows 7 If you don't want to install MAX, that is your choice but with it, you can see whether the driver is correctly installed.

[XBX]

Thanks, Dennis.

I thnk I clarified where my problem is at the very bigining of this Post. I'm trying to do it again as below:

I have two computers:

- one Window-7 installed with LabView-2010 and all necessary drivers, including MAX. On this computer my Application is designed. I also purchased a Application Builder with which an exe file and associated Installer was built to distribute to some other computers without LabView software installed.

- Another computer or computers without LabView software installed can run the same Application by installing  the exe file. On this computer, you don't need to install MAX. And my problems are happened on this computer.

Thanks,

[Dennis_Knutson]

So it's just one pc with Windows 7 that the 2010 exe will not run? I'll repeat, You HAVE to install a current NI-VISA here. Your old LabVIEW 7.1 is just irrelevant to a Windws 7 installation.

[XBX]

The problem is not how many PCs run exe files. I need to distribute the Application in exe format to my hundrends of customers. I can not ask all my customers to install VISA or MAX.

The truth is I have distributed exactly the same application for >4 years in LabView 7.1 and I never need to ask my customers to install any additional drivers if they instal the Application in Windows-XP computers. One Installer file, that's all!

More truth is that the exact "exe" file built by this Windows-7 + LabView 2010 has no probelm to locate serial port installed on a Windows-XP computer. Everything is OK on Windows-XP and no additional drivers are installed.

Again, the problem is why the said exe and Installer can not work on Windows-Vista and Windows-7 which works OK on Windows-XP. The reason I purchased the new LabView 2010 was to solve this problem but the problem is not solved.

Dennis: may I ask your background in building LanView exe files? Are you an NI employee? No offends.

Thanks.

[Dennis_Knutson]

It does not matter what you or the customer wants. If you use NI-VISA functions in your program, you have to install it. It's just as simple as that. LabVIEW 2010 does not have the same option as 7.1. You've already seen that. In 2010, you simply need to include the VISA run-time when you create your installer. This is a clearly visible option on the additional installers page. You still have one installer to distribute. Otherwise, tell your 'hundreds' of customers to stick with xp so you can stay with your existing 7.1. Vista and Windows 7 requires compatible hardware drivers. Go complain to Microsoft.

I have been building exe's for a very long time and I am done telling you the same thing over and over again.

[XBX]

Thanks, Dennis.

Could you do me once more favor? Please give some detailed instructions as how to include the VISA installer in the building project. I find 3 check boxes in "Additional Installer" are related to VISA: NI-VISA Configuration Support 9.2.3; NI-VISA RunTime 5.0.3 and NI-VISA Server 5.0. Which one I need to check?  Or all of them?

Thanks again.

[XBX]

Dennis,

I tried to select NI-VISA Runtime 5.0.3 in the Additional Installer. After clicked Build, it asks me to insert the Drver disk. I inserted the disk but the computer can not find the files. I went through all the subforlders, expecially those folders start with NI-VISA, such as "NI-VISA_RT, NI-VISA_Runtime and NI-VISA_Server. None of them contains the matched files.

Please advise where to locate the files.

Thanks.