EXE built with Applications Builder working on one PC but not on another PC

[Aleksi-]

Hello.

I have the following problem:

An old .EXE -conversion of a VI (built with LabVIEW 8.2.1) works correctly with a PC with LabVIEW 2013. (This is not the PC that was originally used to build the original VI.)

However, when I move this EXE to another PC (with the latest LabVIEW runtime engine (LVRTE2013std) installed) it doesn't work properly. It does run but it does some weird stuff. Because of these specific "symptoms" I am quite sure that it has something to do with the custom scales used in the original VI. Anyhow I can't be sure of this because the EXE does not have the automated error handling enabled.

Lastly, building a new EXE from the old VI would be quite challenging at this stage for several reasons so I would really like to get this old EXE to run properly.

Thank you in advance!

[crossrulz]

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@Aleksi- wrote:

Because of these specific "symptoms" I am quite sure that it has something to do with the custom scales used in the original VI.

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Custom scales?  That sounds like a DAQmx setup issue.

Can you share some more information about the executable?  What drivers does it use?

[Aleksi-]

Thank you for quick reply.

Now that I think of it, the needed scales are currently NOT included in the MAX but it still works in the PC that has the LabView 2013 installed on but not the other PC. What do you mean by "driver version" of the exe? Where can I find that information?

Edit. Shouldn't the EXE include all the scales etc. that are needed for an exe to run?

[Aleksi-]

Never mind the previous post. The MAX DOES has the required custom scale. However so does the MAX in the another PC altough that MAX is version 4.6 and the another one is version 5.5 (the on that it works with).

Is it correct that you need MAX to run exes made with application builder? I thought that you only need the runtime engine.

I just still don't understand why the exe runs well on the other PC but not on the other. After all it is made with an old version of LabVIEW (8.2.X) so it shouldn't demand the latest version of MAX. Should I update the MAX on the PC that doesn't run the exe properly or what is your suggestion? There is some information on that MAX that I wouldn't want to lose.

[Dennis_Knutson]

You say you have the 2013 runtime installed but an exe created with 8.2.1 requires the 8.2.1 runtime. You provided the versions of MAX but the most important information is the versions of DAQmx that you installed on the standalone pc. Also, with the installer you created, did you do an export of the settings on MAX and did you then do an import on the standalone?

[Aleksi-]

When I see installed programs from the Control Panel it says that the 8.2.1 version of the Runtime engine is also installed. And finally: there is no installer, it was never created. Only the EXE version of the VI. How should I continue?

Edit. And lastly: Do I really need to install the DAQmx to the standalone PC? I thought that EXE files created with the Applications Builder wouldn't need that.

[TylerDurden]

Hi,

we had sometimes similar "problems". Does your Software correctly start up? Do you have other external dependencies like .NET calls or DLL-calls? In our case it was the missing .NET framework.

Andreas

[Aleksi-]

Yes, the EXE -program starts and runs but does some weird stuff. I am not sure about any external dependencies. The application should be pretty straight forward and simple. I am now trying to reinstall the runtime engine and DAQmx (or do I really need the DAQmx?)

[TylerDurden]

From my understanding you need DAQmx when you're using custom scales inside your program, because there're available with the driver.

Do you have the same operating systems on both PCs?

What OS do you have?

Sometimes when you're porting "old code" to a new OS you have to remember the UAC security issues. So when you need some kind of configuration file with your software and this is located beside your EXE-file you will surely face some issues by executing that on a Windows 7 when you did not execute the EXE with Administrator privileges. All this together with an unproper error handling in the software (Default values for parameters, Error thrown away, ...) can cause symptoms like correct started software but unexpected behaviour.

There're just some quick ideas without looking deeper into the problem because we don't have more information.

Andreas

[Aleksi-]

Thanks for youf advice Andreas.

Both PC:s are running on 32bit Windows 7 but apparently the original VI was developed on XP (Labview 8.2.1). I am currently reinstalling the runtime engine (8.2.1) and the DAQmx (8.9.5) on the PC that doesn't run the EXE properly. After that I'll surely try running in the administrator -mode as you adviced. (why didn't I think of that...).

And yes, there is no doupt that the error handling is unproper in this case but right now I'll just have to live with it. However I still think that the main cause of the problem is that for some reason the EXE can't acces the needed custom scale @ MAX. I came to this conclusion by deleting this scale from the MAX of the PC that does run the EXE correctly and after that I got the same exact weird behaviour from the EXE.

What could cause the problem accessing the scale @ MAX? It is there, and it is named exactly the same as in the MAX of the another PC that runs the exe ok?