LabVIEW Installation

[samir1]

I am new to LabView. A while back while I was reading on my own on electronic circuits, I downloaded NI-Elvis on my desktop as the textbook I was reading suggested. It did not work. Exploring more I found out that NI-Elvis driver depends on LabView. I am now enrolled in a Circuit Analysis course that uses the "Circuits" textbook by Ulaby, Maharbiz and Furse. I purchased the NA MyDAQ and LabView 18 Student Edition. The LabView installation guide states that LabView, the NI-DAQmx driver and the NI-ELVISmx driver should be installed in that order. My question is the following:

1. should I uninstall the NI-ElVISmx driver that is currently on my desktop and then install Labview 18, the NI-DAQmx driver and reinstall the NI-ELVISmx driver in that sequence, or

2. should I install LabView 18 and NI-DAQmx driver and then re-install NI-ELVISmx driver (which will update my installed driver).

I appreciate your response and thanks in advance.

[oscarfonseca]

samir1,

I recommend you install the LabVIEW Development Environment first, and then both hardware drivers: DAQmx and ELVISmx. More information here: Installation Order for Multiple NI Software Products

All the best,

[Bob_Schor]

Having done hundreds of LabVIEW Installation (and re-Installations, the latest this week involving removing LabVIEW 2016, 2017, and 2018 and re-installing all three of them, a long story), here is my recommendation for your situation:

• You are starting with an "unknown" (presumably older) installation of some NI Software.
• You have a LabVIEW 2018 Student Edition and want to use it with your NI myDAQ (which probably came with its own drivers).
• I would begin by opening Control Panel and looking under Programs and Features.  You should see an entry for National Instruments Software.  You may also see one for NI Package Manager.  My recommendation would be that you begin by uninstalling (via Control Panel, very important!) all earlier NI Software, and then doing a "clean Install" of LabVIEW 2018.

The method of doing the Uninstall depends on whether you see NI Package Manager in the list of Programs.  This routine was introduced in LabVIEW 2017 to "manage" LabVIEW Installation and Uninstallation, and has some quirks.  Here's how to proceed if you do NOT have NI Package Manager:

• In Control Panel, Programs and Features, select National Instruments Software and choose "Remove All".  Be patient -- this can take a while (tens of minutes).  Reboot when finished.
• Re-open Programs and Features and check that National Instruments Software (and, of course NI Package Manager, which wasn't there before) are not shown.  If so, you are ready to start installing.  If not, come back here and ask for help.

OK, so what if you also have NI Package Manager?  You start the same way:

• In Control Panel, Programs and Features, select National Instruments Software and choose "Remove All".  This should take you to NI Package Manager (hereafter NIPM) which should show you some installed routines.  Check all of them (there's a Check Box on top that checks them all) and choose Remove.  Reboot when done.
• You'll probably still see National Instruments Software in the Programs and Features list.  Select it again, and return to NIPM.  Look in the Upper Right and see if there are other things showing as Installed.  Click that button and do another Remove All.  Reboot, and repeat until there doesn't seem to be anything left except NIPM itself.
• Now choose NIPM to remove.  Be sure there's nothing else left to remove.  [This might not be 100% accurate, but never mind ...].  You should get a warning message and "Are you sure?".  Yes, you are.  Reboot.
• Now, what's left in Programs and Features?  You might still see so NI Software -- if so, one more Remove All (when I got to this final Step, there were 422 "hidden" things still to remove!!).

Now you have a PC without LabVIEW.  Time to install LabVIEW 2018 Student Edition.  Go ahead and start the Installation Process.  You'll see multiple choices. 

• Choose LabVIEW (32-bit -- do not install 64-bit) and VIPM (this includes the LabVIEW Tools network -- you want this).
• You don't need (or want) any of the Add-Ons.  Skip directly to the last entry, Device Drivers.
• Choose NI-DAQmx, NI-VISA (which lets you "talk" over USB or serial lines to things like Arduino), and NI-ELVISmx (to communicate with myDAQ).
• You'll need your License Code at some point, so be sure you have that.
• Reboot when everything finishes.

When you get to the Activation step, choose LabVIEW Student Edition and put in your License Key.  If there are several things to Activate, try just doing LabVIEW, let it "do its thing", and see if you get another prompt (probably not).  That should do it.

Bob Schor