Customize and Automate Installation of Legacy NI Windows Installers

When installing older NI software such as LabVIEW or TestStand, you may want to customize or automate the installation. Common reasons include performing silent installations, deploying to multiple systems, or suppressing specific dialogs such as license acceptance.

This article applies only to legacy NI installers that use Microsoft Installer (MSI) technology, typically found in NI software released before 2019. These installers are launched through a setup.exe and accept MSI‑style command‑line arguments.

If your installer uses NI Package Manager (NIPM) instead of setup.exe or .msi, refer to the Automating an Installer article from the NI Package Manager User Manual for the appropriate guidance.

You can automate legacy NI installers using the Windows Command Prompt. Complete the following steps to run the installer with customized or silent options.

1. Navigate to the Installer Directory

Open the Command Prompt and change to the directory that contains setup.exe:

cd <path to installer folder>

2. View Available Options

To see all command‑line options supported by the installer, run:

setup /h

3. Choose an Installation Mode

Legacy NI installers support several UI levels. Each mode requires:

/acceptlicenses yes

Use one of the following commands:

Silent mode (no dialogs): Lacks dialog box, GUI configurations, and a progress bar.

setup /q /acceptlicenses yes

Basic UI (minimal dialogs): Silent Installation with a progress bar.

setup /qb /acceptlicenses yes

Full basic UI: Lacks pre-install GUI, but shows a progress bar and post-install GUI elements such as the NI Activation Wizard. 

setup /qb! /acceptlicenses yes

4. Manage Reboot Behavior

You can suppress or force a reboot after installation.

Suppress reboot:

/r:n

Force reboot:

/r:f

5. Customize Installations with Spec Files

Legacy NI installers support *spec files* that store your installation choices, including user information, serial numbers, and selected features.

Generate a Spec File

Run the installer in spec file generation mode:

setup /generateSpecfile <file>

A UI launches that allows you to select installation options. When you finish, the installer creates the specified spec file. The file does *not* need to exist beforehand.

Install Using a Spec File

To perform a silent install using your generated spec file, run:

setup /applySpecfile <file> /q /acceptlicenses yes

6. Configure Notification Behavior (Installer Version 2.7+)

Some installers contact NI servers to detect potential issues before installation.

Use these flags to adjust notification handling:

Allow continuation when critical warnings are found:

/confirmCriticalWarnings

(Only valid with silent mode /q.)

Disable all notification checks:

/disableNotificationCheck

Next Steps

These instructions apply to single‑product installers, such as standalone LabVIEW installers. Suited installers (for example, Developer Suite or Software Platform Bundle) require different steps. please refer to the guide titled Customize and Automate Installation of a Suited Installer for detailed instructions. 

Silent installers may disable Windows Fast Startup automatically. For more details, refer to the related article about hardware not detected after upgrading Windows. For more information, refer to Hardware Not Detected After Upgrading to Windows 8, 8.1, or 10.