Upgrading or Downgrading LabVIEW with NI-DAQmx

Follow the steps in this guide to properly upgrade or downgrade your version of LabVIEW when using NI-DAQmx. This process ensures that your DAQ code runs correctly, your DAQ palettes and DAQ Assistant are present in the Measurement I/O Function palette, and your device isn’t missing from LabVIEW.

Ensuring Compatibility before Upgrading or Downgrading

The most common cause of problems after a LabVIEW upgrade or downgrade when using NI-DAQmx is incompatibility between the Operating System (OS), LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx, and the hardware devices and modules being used. When preparing to upgrade or downgrade your version of LabVIEW you’ll need to carefully consider software/driver/hardware compatibility prior to making changes to your system. To properly prepare for changing your version of LabVIEW, perform the following:

1. Determine any versions of LabVIEW and NI-DAQmx already installed on your system . Record the existing versions installed.
2. Check compatibility of Windows with the version of LabVIEW  you’ll be moving to.
3. Identify the range of compatible versions of NI-DAQmx with the version(s) of LabVIEW  you’ll be moving to. Write this range down and compare to the versions you wrote down in Step 1. NI recommends using the newest version of NI-DAQmx that your version of LabVIEW supports.

Note: If you intend to have multiple versions of LabVIEW installed, keep in mind that you can only have one version of NI-DAQmx installed at a time. Unsupported versions of LabVIEW will not have access to the NI-DAQmx API.

4. If you need to change versions of NI-DAQmx, verify your device or module compatibility with the new version by checking the readme or Release Notes  for that version of NI-DAQmx.

Steps to Upgrade or Downgrade LabVIEW with NI-DAQmx Support

Once you have identified and confirmed the correct versions, you can then install LabVIEW and NI-DAQmx.  The most common cause of issues with installation is the install order.  NI installers are designed for the Application Development Environments (ADEs), like LabVIEW, to be installed first, followed by the drivers and addons, like NI-DAQmx.

Follow these steps:

1. If you will need to downgrade NI-DAQmx for the new version of LabVIEW, you must uninstall the current version first . You will need to uninstall NI-DAQmx Run-Time, Configuration, and ADE Support items. You can uninstall multiple items at once by Ctrl + clicking on them and choosing “Remove Selected Items”.

   Note: if you intend to keep or upgrade your current version of NI-DAQmx, skip this step.

2. If needed, uninstall LabVIEW.
3. Download and install the new version of LabVIEW .
4. If you are not changing your version of NI-DAQmx, you must run a repair of the NI-DAQmx driver  to have LabVIEW support installed. Otherwise, now download and run a normal installation for your correct version of NI-DAQmx.

Troubleshooting After LabVIEW and NI-DAQmx Installation

If you have already installed LabVIEW and NI-DAQmx and are experiencing issues, follow these troubleshooting steps.

1. Review steps 1-3 in the Ensuring Compatibility Before Upgrading or Downgrading section of this guide.
   1. If you have incompatible versions of LabVIEW and NI-DAQmx, refer to the Steps to Upgrade or Downgrade LabVIEW with NI-DAQmx Support section of this guide.
2. If you are missing some NI-DAQmx features in LabVIEW ensure that you installed the full NI-DAQmx driver including ADE support. Installing NI-DAQmx subsets such as Core, Run-Time, or Configuration Support will not install the LabVIEW API. See Can’t Find Some DAQmx Functionality After Installing NI-DAQmx Drivers  for additional troubleshooting steps if you are missing NI-DAQmx functionality.
3. If you have issues starting or running LabVIEW, ensure compatibility between LabVIEW and Windows .
4. If your NI-DAQmx palette is missing in LabVIEW this is most likely because you did not install NI-DAQmx after upgrading or downgrading LabVIEW, either download and install a new compatible version of NI-DAQmx or run a repair of the existing version.
   1. If a repair does not resolve your issue, attempt a force installation of NI-DAQmx.
5. If you are having issues with a specific piece of hardware (device is not showing up in NI-MAX, not selectable in LabVIEW, etc.), ensure the module and chassis are supported by the version of NI-DAQmx you have installed by checking the Readme. To find your NI-DAQmx Readme online, refer to Step 4 of Ensuring Compatibility before Upgrading or Downgrading for steps on finding the correct readme.
   1. Ensure that the device is detected and associated properly in Windows Device Manager. If your NI-DAQmx device shows up under “Other Devices” in Windows Device Manager follow these steps for a USB/PCI/PCIe/PXI/PXIe device or module and also these steps for a PXI/PXIe module being used with MXI or MXI Express (MXIe).
   2. Ensure that the device is operating correctly by checking the status LED(s). Refer to the device or module manual and documentation to interpret the LED color and/or pattern.
   3. If your device or module is compatible with the version of NI-DAQmx installed but isn’t showing up correctly in NI-MAX, resetting the NI-MAX Database may help.
   4. For other hardware specific issues such as accuracy or signal troubleshooting, refer to the device or module manual and documentation.