Almost always, you need(ed) to install multiple versions of LabVIEW "oldest first", as LabVIEW code written in Version N couldn't be opened in any earlier Version than N. In the early days of NIPM (around the time of LabVIEW 2017 and 2018), this changed, but, in general, the "oldest first" rule is the first thing to try when you get errors such as you've described.
I'd advise you to do this first on a VM or on a PC that doesn't (yet) have LabVIEW installed. Install LabVIEW, the oldest version you want to run, in the "configuration" (meaning the (minimal!) set of Toolkits, Modules, Features, and Drivers) you require, booting the PC between installations Then install the next version. I'm not sure I'd recommend doing more than three, because if something go awry, you have to "start all over again".
Starting all over again means that you open Control Panel, go to Programs and Features, and uninstall all National Instruments Software. Doing this will open NIPM -- try to "Select all" (there's a box to check on the left -- make sure you are looking at "everything") and let NIPM remove everything except itself (it won't let you remove itself until it's the only thing left). Reboot, and do another round of Removal. If you've done it right, the only thing left will be NIPM. Go ahead and remove it, and reboot. Now, do it once more. Depending on what you had on your PC, a few more (several hundred, in my experience) thing will be left to uninstall.
Once you have a LabVIEW-less PC, start installing. Be judicious in your choices -- you can always add a "missing module" later, if needed (again, oldest first).
As each LabVIEW version gets installed, I recommend starting it, configuring it, and making sure it functions. Don't forget to check that MAX also runs.
If you get weird error messages during the installation, you probably have run into one or more NIPM "features" that plagued me over the years. Report your problems here ...
Bob Schor
