NI MAX keeps resurrecting deleted files

[B_Strange]

I've been working with several different cameras and configuring them in MAX. I find there are old entries in the interface from devices I don't even have any more. Clearing the MAX database does not work. Deleting the iid files also does nothing. Apparently these files are stored elsewhere and on bootup (I checked the folder even before running max after a reboot) those files are restored. I'm thinking the next logical step is uninstalling and reinstalling MAX, but since the files get restored even before running MAX, I can't be sure that will have any effect.

Has anyone faced this before?

[Bob_Schor]

You provide very little "helpful" information for us to offer too many useful suggestions.  The following will help us to help you --

• What Operating System are you running?
• What version(s) of LabVIEW are you using?  [Use format such as "LabVIEW 2024 Q3 (32-bit)"]
• Are you using IMAQ or IMAQdx?
• Has LabVIEW Vision ever worked for you (such as "It worked when running LabVIEW 2021, but stopped working when I installed LabVIEW 2025 Q1")?
• Sending "useful code" we can examine and try for ourselves would help.  Do you know about LabVIEW Snippets (which make .png files that we can convert to executable LabVIEW code)?  You can also attach the actual .VI file itself, but if you are using the latest version of LabVIEW, you should do a "Save f Previous Version" and go back 2-4 years, since LabVIEW "Experts" who have been using LabVIEW for years are the least likely to have the latest version installed.

In my years of installing and "repairing" LabVIEW installations, I've been "burned" by "selective repair" attempts such as your "Uninstall/Reinstall MAX" suggestion.  I find it much safer (and faster!) to use Control Panel to uninstall all NI Software (you usually have to run this at least 3 times to get everything out) and then doing fresh installs of the version(s) of LabVIEW you want to run.  Note that if you have multiple versions of LabVIEWin on your machine, and you are installing versions more recent than LabVIEW 2015, you get the best results if you install the most recent version first, then work backwards to earlier versions.  [It took me 4 years to learn why I couldn't set up a "Quadruple LabVIEW" system with LabVIEW 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 together.  Marina, from Tech Support, convinced me to try installing "newest first" ...].

Final note -- on my laptop, which only has the laptop camera installed, the IMAQ .icd and .iid files are in C:\Users]Public\Documents\National Instruments\NI-IMAQdx\Data.

Bob Schor

[alexderjuengere]

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@B_Strange wrote:

... but since the files get restored even before running MAX...

Has anyone faced this before?

---

no, is restoration via NI Max a thing?

lets have an example with imaqdx, webcams and a virtual camera (cam2)

the .iid files contains serialnumbers and the infamous interface name,

.icd does contain most of the parameters you want to configure via NI Max manually,

the XML folder is downloaded from your imaging device,

the first time when you (physically) connect your computer with your imagingdevice 

e.g. cam2 is a virtual camera, which will spawn after you have run OBS studio.exe for the first time.

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@B_Strange wrote:

 Deleting the iid files also does nothing.

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I suggest to delete the whole data folder, not just the .iid

a fresh install is the ultima ratio, I guess

[B_Strange]

Bob:

Windows 11

LV2025 32 bit

IMAQdx

This install has only ever been LV2025 and I was able to set up a different network camera in MAX according to the "IP Camera" portion of this guide: https://knowledge.ni.com/KnowledgeArticleDetails?id=kA03q000000kO2kCAE&l=en-US

FYI the camera is an Axis PoE camera. It definitely works - verified using other tools.

This is all happening without opening LabVIEW at all so including code would only confuse things. 

[B_Strange]

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@alexderjuengere wrote:

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@B_Strange wrote:

... but since the files get restored even before running MAX...

Has anyone faced this before?

---

no, is restoration via NI Max a thing?

lets have an example with imaqdx, webcams and a virtual camera (cam2)

the .iid files contains serialnumbers and the infamous interface name,

.icd does contain most of the parameters you want to configure via NI Max manually,

the XML folder is downloaded from your imaging device,

the first time when you (physically) connect your computer with your imagingdevice 

e.g. cam2 is a virtual camera, which will spawn after you have run OBS studio.exe for the first time.

---

@B_Strange wrote:

 Deleting the iid files also does nothing.

---

I suggest to delete the whole data folder, not just the .iid

a fresh install is the ultima ratio, I guess

---

After deleting the data folder, I open MAX again. The data folder is immediately created and the iid files are as well. Only when I go into max and select the specific instances under Devices and Interfaces do the icd files begin to appear.

I would have thought the iid files would be the source of the data, but they appear to be ornamental. It would be nice to know where they're really saved.

[JÞB]

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@B_Strange wrote:

I've been working with several different cameras and configuring them in MAX. I find there are old entries in the interface from devices I don't even have any more. Clearing the MAX database does not work. Deleting the iid files also does nothing. Apparently these files are stored elsewhere and on bootup (I checked the folder even before running max after a reboot) those files are restored. I'm thinking the next logical step is uninstalling and reinstalling MAX, but since the files get restored even before running MAX, I can't be sure that will have any effect.

Has anyone faced this before?

---

The "Otherwhere" location that you are not finding is the Windows Registry.   Yes, when you plug in a plug n pray device,  the OS Registry registers that device.  I know, it seems shameless.  😗

You would need to edit the registration to clean the system.   RegEdit can help. 

[alexderjuengere]

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@B_Strange wrote:

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After deleting the data folder, I open MAX again. The data folder is immediately created and the iid files are as well. Only when I go into max and select the specific instances under Devices and Interfaces do the icd files begin to appear.

I would have thought the iid files would be the source of the data, but they appear to be ornamental. It would be nice to know where they're really saved.

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I expect the data folder to be recreated as soon as you open Max again -after previously deleting the data-folder- 

but not the other files, those are created, when your devices are "online" for the first time.

are those recreated files due to cameras which are connected to your computer, signaling "I'm ready"? that is expected behavior.

>I find there are old entries in the interface from devices I don't even have any more

those cameras can't be connected to your computer - and those files are also recreated after previously deleting the data folder?

that would bother me too

[B_Strange]

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@alexderjuengere wrote:

are those recreated files due to cameras which are connected to your computer, signaling "I'm ready"? that is expected behavior.

>I find there are old entries in the interface from devices I don't even have any more

those cameras can't be connected to your computer - and those files are also recreated after previously deleting the data folder?

that would bother me too

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This happens with no external devices attached whatsoever. Even when I attach a new camera and follow the steps in the guide linked above, it will not recognize the new device, but continues to populate information for the previous devices.

[B_Strange]

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@JÞB wrote: You would need to edit the registration to clean the system.   RegEdit can help. 

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I've done a bit of searching through the registry, namely the obvious stuff, but it's kinda like looking for a needle in a haystack it seems. Do you happen to know where these values might be stored in the registry?