LabVIEW Generic Error: File Could Not Be Loaded

Updated May 3, 2024

Reported In

Software

  • LabVIEW

Issue Details

  • When I build a new project in LabVIEW I receive the following errors: 

LabVIEW: Generic file I/O error
The file could not be loaded.
The VI is not executable. The full development version of LabVIEW is required to fix the errors.

  • When I am trying to open a LabVIEW VI I get the following error:

LabVIEW: Generic error
The file 'Test.vi' could not be loaded.


 

Solution

The LabVIEW: Generic Error can occur due to multiple causes, incorrect dependencies location, corrupted VIs, outdated .NET framework versions could raise this error. To solve this issue follow the next suggestions:
  • Verify the project and all the dependencies are saved in the same location, follow the steps below:
    1. In your Project Explorer window, right click on your project file (.lvproj) and click Show in Files View.
    2. Go to the Files tab and verify that your project and all project items are saved in the same location.
    3. If any project items are not saved in the same location as the project, move them to where the project is saved. 
Note: if you have issues finding one specific VI you can click in Edit>>Find Project Items (<CTRL+F>), in the Find Project Items window you can search the specific VI name and confirm the location in the project and the Path of the file in disk
  • If you also get a This VI is not Executable error the issue may be related to an outdated version of the .NET framework on the non-development computer.  To resolve this issue, see the article This VI is not Executable Error.
  • The cause of this could also be VI corruption. To confirm this try to open the failing VI, in case a VI corruption happens the VI may need to be recreated, using a backup copy, if available, could be an option to avoid developing the VI from scratch. For information on source code control software that can manage VIs and backups refer to Software Configuration Management and LabVIEW.

Additional Information


A LabVIEW generic error combined with the failure to load a VI usually means that the VI got corrupted. VI corruption can be caused by a wide range of reasons such as an internal LabVIEW error while saving or an improper shutdown of the VI, such as after a power failure.  Completing a Mass compile can be useful to determine if there is the presence of any Bad VIs in the project that could be corrupted.