Reassociate Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) Device with NI-DAQmx Driver

Updated Dec 28, 2023

Environment

Software

  • Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX)

Driver

  • Traditional NI-DAQ
  • NI-DAQmx

I have an NI E Series DAQ device which can use both the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) and the NI-DAQmx drivers. Whenever I use the device with the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) driver, I am not able to run it with the NI-DAQmx driver right afterwards. The card appears to be missing, not detected, or no longer recognized in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) . How can I reassociate my device with the NI-DAQmx driver?

Sometimes when a device has been used with the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) driver, the resources aren't released. This then causes conflicts when trying to use the device with the NI-DAQmx driver. To release the resources previously reserved for the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) driver, follow the steps below:
  1. Go to Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX)
  2. Expand Devices and Interfaces
  3. Right-click Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) Devices
  4. Select Reset driver for Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy)
This should allow you to now use the NI-DAQmx driver. You can verify this by running a test panel in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) on your device under NI-DAQmx Devices. If you are still not able to use the NI-DAQmx driver with your device, try uninstalling and reinstalling your device with these steps:
  1. Right-click on My Computer and select Properties
  2. Click on the Hardware tab and select Device Manager (for Windows 7, there is no hardware tab, just select Device manager at the top left)
  3. Right-click on your device under Data Acquisition Devices and select Uninstall
  4. Your device should now have a red 'X' next to it in MAX
  5. Right-click on your device in MAX under NI-DAQmx Devices, and select Delete
  6. Go back to Windows Device Manager and select Action>>Scan for hardware changes*
  7. Reinstall your device using the Found New Hardware wizard
Your device should now appear in MAX under NI-DAQmx Devices and you should be able to run a test panel on it with no problems. If your device does not appear under NI-DAQmx Devices, make sure it is compatible with the version of the NI-DAQmx driver you are using, by looking at the readme for your particular NI-DAQmx driver.

*You may have to click on a device in Device Manager in order to see Scan for hardware changes under the Actions menu.