Receiving “Fatal Error!! Required NIPathsDir property MAXAFWDIR Message” when Running a NI Installer

Updated Dec 8, 2022

Reported In

Software

  • LabVIEW

Issue Details

I am getting the following error "Fatal Error!! Required NIPathsDir property MAXAFWDIR is undefined." when I tried to install a NI software.


Why do I receive this error and how can I fix it?

Solution

This error may occur if you move or delete the My Documents or My Picture folders on your computer. NI installers require the existence of both folders.

Make sure they both exist and verify the following points:
  • The folders can have different name or location.
  • They are on a different network location (which is not accessible at the installer runtime),
  • The folders do not exist.

You can fix the issue by assigning 'Documents' or 'Pictures' folders manually.
  1. Right-clicking on Documents from quick access menu or from the location of Documents folder and Select Properties.
  2. Go to Location tab and edit the Target folder location field and make sure that the paths to the folders are correctly
 

Also you can choose to edit a registry location directly from windows.

The key value can be found at :

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders.

NOTE: Editing the registry carries inherent risks. Make sure you are familiar with the registry before editing the registry, manually or programmatically. It is highly recommended to create a backup of the registry before modifying it.


If assigning the paths manually does not solve the problem, You will need to create a temporary User Account in windows and run the installer from there.

Additional Information

You may also receive this error if you are trying to install on a virtual machine. Make sure your settings are correct for shared folders.