Unable to Log Into NI Account From Within NI License Manager

Issue Details

I cannot activate my software within NI License Manager (NILM) 4.0 or higher.

• Run NI License Manager as 'Administrator'.
• When I click on Log In a popup window flashes and disappears before I can enter my NI account information
• The NI Activation Wizard hangs at checking my user account and it is not possible to skip this process.
• When I click on Login to activate a popup window with NI site comes up and there is no way to provide my credentials

How can I activate my software?

Solution

To solve this issue you can try the following steps:

• Reset your user account information on your computer by deleting the configuration.xml file located at C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\National Instruments\UserAccount\. Alternatively, you can access your AppData\Local files by opening the Windows File Explorer and searching for %localappdata%.

Reopen your NI License Manager after that and step through the typical activation process. The NI Activation Wizard should now prompt you to enter your NI user account information.

• This issue can be related to software corruption. 
  • Try upgrading to the latest version of NILM . Please bear in mind that before doing this, if your company is using a Volume License Server, it is highly recommended to check the readme of the NILM you are going to use, to avoid compatibility issues after upgrading.
  • If you already have the most updated version, try a repair process for NILM using NI Package Manager.
  • As last resort, remove and reinstall NILM. Note: Removing NILM will erase all NI products installed on your PC.
• If the issue remains, disconnect your computer from the network.  This will prevent NI License Manager from trying to log into your NI account and will skip that process.  You can then activate your software using activation codes. You can generate activation codes at NI Product Activation.

Additional Information

This behavior can sometimes happen when newer software from CDs or lab computer images installs NI License Manager 4.0 or higher, and can pose a problem if you are trying to deploy the software to multiple computers. This can happen when installing STS CDs and creating images from a Virtual Machine that are then deployed to other computers. In regards to computer imaging, we suspect that Sysprep (an inherent Windows trait that readies the computer to be imaged) is what causes this behavior to occur.