USB Device Missing In NI MAX but Is Present In Windows Device Manager

Issue Details

• I can't see my 3rd Party USB Instrument listed in NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), but it is present as a USB Instrument in Windows Device Manager.  Why am I seeing this behaviour and how can I fix it so I can communicate with my instrument?
• My USB device is behaving as expected in Windows Device Manager. However, I see a yellow triangle in NI MAX and the following warning:

 There was a problem updating the settings for this device. The operation timed out.

• I can't see my 3rd Party USB devices in NI MAX, but I can communicate with them through the command line so I know they are connected.  What do I need to do to be able to see my devices in MAX?

Solution

If the device shows up in Windows Device Manager, it means that the Windows Machine recognises the USB device and has associated a specific driver to communicate with the device. However, it is possible that the association has not been made to the correct driver, which can cause the device to not show up in NI MAX.

• Check if NI-VISA driver is installed on the computer and its version.
  • If the driver is installed, check if the version of the driver is compatible with LabVIEW and with the computer's OS.
  • If it is not, download and install an appropriate version of the driver from the NI-VISA download page. Make sure the machine is restarted after the installation.
• Reset the NI MAX Database File.
• If third-party VISA devices have been used on the same machine, it may be necessary to set NI-VISA as the primary VISA implementation, as detailed in the article After Installing 3rd Party VISA Software NI VISA No Longer Works.
• Uninstall and reinstall  the NI-VISA driver. When reinstalling, if possible, disable all firewall and antivirus software.
• Re-associate the USB device to the NI-VISA driver. For that:
  1. Go to Windows Device Manager and find the USB device as per the image below.

2. Right-click on the USB device and select Properties.
3. On the Driver Tab, select the Update Driver option.

4. Select Search automatically for updated driver software and then check if the device appears NI MAX. In case the device still does not appear in NI MAX, repeat steps 1-3 and then proceed to step 5.

5. Select Browse my computer for driver software and navigate to C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\ausbtmc.sys or C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\IVI USB Staging\i386\ausbtmc.sys or C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\IVI USB Staging\b841aa80\Windows\i386\ausbtmc.sys. (Note: In 64-bit machines, the folder i386 is named amd64).

6. Select Next and then Finish to complete the driver update.
7. Go to NI MAX and refresh the window to look for the USB device.

• Some vendors include a specific device driver for their instrument. With that, when Windows sees that particular instrument, it associates that vendor specific driver with the instrument. MAX, however, uses the ausbtmc.sys driver to communicate with USB devices. If the above steps don't work, it is worth considering that ausbtmc.sys is part of the IVI VISA Shared Components, which is maintained by the IVI Foundation. You can download the IVI VISA Shared Components directly from the External Link: IVI Foundations Page.  
• It is also possible that the problem is likely still the non-association of driver type (USB test and measurements device (IVI)) to the device, so:

1. On the Update Driver Software window shown in step 4, choose Browse my computer for driver software. Then select: Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
2. Click on USB test and measurements device (IVI)
3. Go to the directory C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\IVI USB Staging\b841aa80\Windows
4. Select the file ausbtmc.inf 

• In case the previous steps do not work going to Windows Device Manager, then right-click on the USB device and select Uninstall Device. Restart the computer and re-associate the USB device following the steps above.
• The device may be able to be used even if, after following the steps above, the USB instrument does not appear in NI MAX. For that, make sure it is possible to communicate with the device in VISA Test Panels or LabVIEW. The USB Instrument Control Article provides steps on how to test communication and run example programs.