LabVIEW Executable Runs on the Development Computer but Not on the Deployment Computer

Issue Details

• I have created an executable of my LabVIEW application using the Application Builder and it works fine on my PC but doesn't work on my colleague's PC. Should I create an installer instead? 
• I sent a LabVIEW executable to a customer but my customer is unable to run it on their computer. A dialog box pops up with "LabVIEW: Resource not found." How can my customer run my executable?
• I have downloaded the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine compatible with my system and executable, but the program still will not run on my target machine.

Solution

A system must have all required application dependencies and their corresponding versions. When using NI hardware, the required drivers must be installed. Example dependencies include LabVIEW Run-Time, NI-DAQmx, and NI-VISA. For maximum compatibility, distributions should be compiled on the same operating system they are being deployed on.

One way to make sure we have all the required dependencies is to create an installer to deploy additional software such as hardware drivers and 3rd party software.

The following components are needed to run the LabVIEW executable on a deployment pc:

1. LabVIEW Run-Time Engine:

• Regardless of the nature of your executable, you will need to have the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine installed on your target computer.
• The Run-Time Engine version needs to match the version of LabVIEW that the executable was built in. Starting in 2017, LabVIEW supports backward compatibility for the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine by allowing versions of LabVIEW later than 2017 to load binaries and VIs built with LabVIEW 2017 without recompiling. In order to configure your LabVIEW application to run with a higher version of the Run-Time Engine follow the steps in this article: Configure LabVIEW Executable to Run with Higher Run-Time Engine Versions.
• You can deploy the Run-Time Engine by using a LabVIEW custom installer or by downloading it from our website.

• If there is an additional API from LabVIEW toolkits and/or modules included in the program, additional Runtime Engines (and sometimes licenses for those RTEs) may be required on the deployment machine. Please check the following article for further information: What Do I Need to Deploy My LabVIEW Applications with Toolkits and Modules?

• If your executable utilizes any NI hardware, you will need to install the necessary drivers which can be downloaded from our website or you can deploy them by creating a LabVIEW custom installer.

• If you are using third-party software with your LabVIEW application, then you need to deploy all the necessary files and dependencies. You can do this by manually copying the necessary files and running the installers from the third-party providers or you can automate the process by including the files or drivers into the LabVIEW custom installer. You can do this by following the instructions in this article: Including Third-Party Installers and Drivers in a LabVIEW Installer.
• Note: If you are using a toolkit installed with the JKI VI Package Manager make sure to deploy all the dependencies as instructed by the 3rd party software provider. If you run into issues because of missing dependencies, please check the manufacturer's documentation or contact their technical support for further instructions. If the software provider does not include any additional instructions make sure to include DLLs and files installed by the toolkit in the distribution.

Additional Information

Stand-alone Applications

• Stand-alone applications provide users with executable versions of VIs. Windows utilizes the .exe extension while Mac OS utilizes .app extension. 
• Stand-alone applications do not include the application's required dependencies i.e. run-time engines and hardware drivers. 

Installers (Windows Only)

• Create an installer to distribute an application that packages the application and required dependencies i.e. run-time engines and hardware drivers.