PCI Card Not Appearing in NI-MAX Despite Having Necessary Drivers Installed

Updated Feb 9, 2022

Reported In

Hardware

  • PCI-5105
  • PCI-5406
  • PCI-5124
  • PCI-6509

Software

  • Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX)

Driver

  • NI-SCOPE
  • NI-FGEN
  • NI-DAQmx

Operating System

  • Windows

Issue Details

  • I am trying to install PCI cards. I've installed the drivers needed and made sure they are compatible with my NI Software and operating system through the driver readme, but the cards do not show up under Devices and Interfaces in NI Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX). Additionally, they do not appear in Windows Device Manager as PCI cards. Furthermore, I've ensured that my BIOS is up to date.
  • I may also be seeing the following error:
Unknown Missing GPIB Cards
  • How can I fix my PCI connection?

Solution

  • Many motherboards require PCI cards to be slotted in starting from slot 1. If the PCI cards are connected to slots 2 and 3 while slot 1 is empty, they will not be recognized by your Windows computer. If your PCI card is already in slot 1, it is possible that the connections became loose. Try removing the card and installing it in the computer again.
  • Most mordern mainboards don't offer native PCI slots, but use PCIe-PCI-bridges to connect PCI slots to PCIe lines. This bridges can cause detection problems for PCI cards. You should try to use a mainboard with a native PCI slot, or exchange your card for the PCIe version.

Additional Information

Note: Make sure you turn off your computer before moving any PCI cards on your motherboard, these cards are not hot swappable.