DAQ Assistant Says "No Supported Devices are Found"

Updated Nov 21, 2023

Issue Details

When I use the DAQ Assistant to generate basic DAQmx code, it shows a message saying No Supported Devices Found and will not allow me to proceed. How do I fix this?

Solution

This message indicates that for some reason NI software does not detect any DAQmx devices installed on your local machine. Follow these troubleshooting steps to try and fix this:

1. Ensure that a DAQmx device is installed on your system.
In order to proceed with the DAQ Assistant, you either need to install the hardware locally or try using a simulated device. 
  • NI-DAQmx 7.4 and later support simulated devices, which allow you to simulate the basic functionality of a multifunction data acquisition device without actually having it installed on your local system. For detailed information about simulated devices, please visit NI-DAQmx Simulated Devices.

2. Check if the device shows up properly in Measurement & Automation Explorer.
  • If a device shows up with a white icon with a red X, it is currently not found in your system, and you can proceed to step 3. 
  • If it does show up in this list and has either a yellow or a green picture of a DAQ card to the left of it, right-click on the device and select "Self-Test". 
  • If this passes successfully, right-click on the device and select "Test Panels". Ensure that the device is able to perform basic functionality (Analog Input, Analog Output, Digital Operations, etc). 
  • To test your device for most operations, please run the DAQ Diagnostic Utility.

3. Check if the device shows up in Windows Device Manager. 
To access this list, right-click My Computer and select Properties. Then select the Hardware tab and click Device Manager. Most DAQ devices will be listed under a category called Data Acquisition Devices.  

If either this category or a specific DAQ device is not listed in the Device Manager, the device is not recognized on your computer. If the device shows up with a question mark or an exclamation point, the device driver is having trouble initializing. Try the following steps if either of these conditions occurs.  
  • Ensure that the DAQmx driver is installed. 
  • For PCI and PXI DAQ cards, switch the slots they are using 
  • For USB DAQ devices, try using USB ports on both the back and front of the computer.
  • If using a laptop, sometimes the USB ports do not provide enough power.

Additional Information

Ensure that a DAQmx device is installed on your system.
If you are developing code that will execute on another computer and the hardware is not present on the local machine, you might get this message because the hardware is not present. This is common when using LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI Real-Time module, as the hardware is typically installed on a remote machine.
 
Check if the device shows up properly in Measurement & Automation Explorer.
Click the plus sign (+) next to Devices and Interfaces. Then click the plus sign (+) next to NI-DAQmx Devices.  Here you can find DAQmx devices installed on your local machine (simulated and non-simulated). If this category is not displayed, either the DAQmx driver is not installed on the system or no DAQmx devices are recognized on your system. Ensure that your device is compatible with the NI-DAQmx driver by visiting the NI-DAQmx Release Notes and viewing the readme for the specific version.

National Instruments provides a tool called Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) that provides configuration for National Instruments products (and some IVI devices) on your system. You can launch MAX from Start»Programs»National Instruments»Measurement & Automation. 

Check if the device shows up in Windows Device Manager. 
Most hardware that directly connects to the computer (excluding any accessories such as SCXI accessories, SCXI modules, etc.) should show up in Windows Device Manager.