Add a DLL to the Windows System Folder with a LabVIEW Installer

Distributing LabVIEW applications to other computers may require the placement of files in distinct locations on the new machines. In this tutorial. we step through how to configure an installer to place a DLL in the Windows System folder. The steps provided here can be generalized to the placement of various file types from the LabVIEW project into different file destinations.

Creating an installer requires that you have LabVIEW Application Builder. This can be purchased and installed as a standalone module; however, note that LabVIEW Profession ships with this software innately.

1. Add your DLL to a project
   1. In the LabVIEW Project Explorer, right-click My Computer and select Add >> File.
   2. Navigate to the file location of your dll and select Add File.
2. Right-click Build Specifications in the Project Explorer Window and click New >> Installer to create the Installer.
3. In the Installer Properties window, navigate to the Source Files category.
4. In the Project Files View panel, select your DLL. 
5. In the Destination View panel, select the [System] folder. 
6. Click the right-pointing arrow between the panels to add your DLL to the System folder, as seen in the image below.

Additional Information

• When creating installers using LabVIEW 32-bit and installing them on a 32-bit system, the installer places all files in the [System] folder in C:\Windows\System32.
• When creating installers using LabVIEW 32-bit and installing them on a 64-bit system, the installer places all files in the [System] folder in C:\Windows\SysWOW64.
• When creating installers using LabVIEW 64-bit and installing them on a 64-bit system, the installer places all files in the [System] folder in C:\Windows\System32.