Upgrading Windows or Moving to a New PC With NI-DAQ™mx and LabVIEW

Follow the steps in this guide to properly upgrade your Windows operating system (OS) or migrate to a new Windows PC 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.

Preparing your Old PC for Upgrade or Migration

On the existing system (before upgrading or migrating to a new Windows PC):

1. If you would like to keep your Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) configuration data which includes device names, global virtual channels, and other settings, you will need to save a copy of the MAX configuration data from the old system before beginning the migration or upgrade. Even during a Windows upgrade, this data is not guaranteed to be preserved, so it is best to perform this backup just in case.
2. Backup all existing NI-DAQmx applications that you have developed and any source code you would like to use on the new system to a backup location (e.g., USB drive, external hard drive, etc.). Your MAX configuration data from step 1 can also be stored at this backup location.

 

Ensuring Compatibility before Upgrading or Migrating to a New PC

The most common cause of problems after a Windows OS upgrade or migration to a new PC when using NI-DAQmx is an incompatibility between the Windows OS, LabVIEW, NI-DAQmx, and the hardware devices and modules being used.

If you are moving to a new PC with the same version of the Windows OS and the same version of LabVIEW or NI-DAQmx, your existing setup is likely already compatible, and you can skip this section and move on to Steps to Upgrade or Move to a New PC.

However, if preparing to upgrade your version of Windows OS or move to a new PC with a different version of Windows, you should carefully consider software, driver, and hardware compatibility prior to making changes to your system. To prepare for these changes, check for compatibility using the following links:

1. If you do not already know what versions of NI software you are using, determine any versions of LabVIEW and NI-DAQmx installed on your current system.
   • Example: I have a Windows XP machine with LabVIEW 2009 and NI-DAQmx 9.5.5 and I am migrating to Windows 10.
2. Check compatibility of LabVIEW with the version of Windows you will be using.
   • Example: LabVIEW 2009 is not compatible with Windows 10, so I will need to move up to LabVIEW 2015 or newer.
3. Check compatibility of NI-DAQmx with the version of Windows you will be using.
   • Example: NI-DAQmx 9.5.5 is not compatible with Windows 10, so I will need to move up to NI-DAQmx 15.5 or newer.
4. Check the compatibility with your new versions of NI-DAQmx and LabVIEW with each other.
   • Example: I chose to upgrade to LabVIEW 2017, which is compatible with NI-DAQmx 17.0 and higher, so I will use NI-DAQmx 17.0.
5. If you need to change versions of NI-DAQmx or LabVIEW from what you are currently using, verify your device or module compatibility with the new version of NI-DAQmx by checking the readme for that version of NI-DAQmx. You can find some NI-DAQmx readme’s in NI Manuals, and the rest can be accessed through NI Downloads for NI-DAQmx. If you are using NI PXI hardware, you may also want to check compatibility with PXI Platform Services.
   • Example: I checked the readme for NI-DAQmx 17.0 and found that my DAQ hardware is still supported, so it is safe to upgrade.
   • Once added to the NI-DAQmx driver, support for DAQ hardware is typically maintained through the next several versions of NI-DAQmx driver software.

 

Steps to Upgrade or Move to a New PC

Once you have identified and confirmed the correct versions, and you have backed up any information you would like to transfer to the new system, you can proceed with the upgrade or initial setup of the new Windows PC, and install LabVIEW and NI-DAQmx on the new computer.  The most common cause of issues with installation are 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 to install NI Software in the correct order on your machine (if they are not already installed):

1. Download and install the version of LabVIEW determined in Ensuring Compatibility before Upgrading or Migrating to a New PC.
2. Download and install the version of NI-DAQmx determined in Ensuring Compatibility before Upgrading or Migrating to a New PC.
3. Import the MAX Configuration data that you saved in Preparing your Old PC for Upgrade or Migration by following the steps in the KB used earlier to save the MAX configuration data.
4. After installation and MAX imports are complete, test your DAQ hardware by opening a Test Panel in MAX or by running a LabVIEW Shipping Example.
5. If migrating, restore all the NI-DAQmx code or applications that you have developed from your backup location or from the old Windows PC.

 

Troubleshooting After Windows Upgrade or Migration to a New Windows PC

If you have already upgraded your Windows OS or migrated to a new PC and are experiencing issues, follow these troubleshooting steps.

1. Review steps 1-5 in Ensuring Compatibility before Upgrading or Migrating to a New PC to make sure that your issue is not due to software or hardware incompatibility.
   Note: Not all DAQ hardware is supported on 64-bit operating systems, or Windows Vista or later.
2. If you are having issues with a specific piece of hardware (device is not showing up in MAX, not selectable in LabVIEW, etc.), ensure the device, 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 Moving to a New PC 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. If your PXI/PXIe DAQ device connected through MXI or MXI Express is not showing up correctly, check the MXI Compatibility and Connectivity Guide to troubleshoot the MXI portion of the DAQ system.
   3. Ensure that the device is operating correctly by checking the status LED(s). Refer to the device manual and documentation to interpret the LED color and/or pattern.
   4. Make sure that all Networked DAQ devices have been added to Devices and Interfaces .
   5. If your device 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.
   6. For other hardware specific issues such as accuracy or signal troubleshooting, refer to the device manual and documentation.
   7. If working with Windows 8, 8.1, and 10, the Fast Startup option can cause problems with NI hardware detection.
3. If you have issues starting or running LabVIEW, ensure compatibility between LabVIEW and your Operating System (OS).
4. If you are encountering errors in your NI-DAQmx applications on the new PC that you were not encountering on the old machine:
   1. Check for hardcoded device names/aliases, IP Addresses, or hardware-specific information in your DAQmx application and compare this information to the configuration data stored in MAX. This troubleshooting step is particularly important if you did not export/import the MAX configuration data, as outlined in Preparing your Old PC for Upgrade or Migration, prior to a PC upgrade.
      9. A common error is -200220: Device identifier is invalid, which is caused by a mismatch in device aliases.  If you are seeing this error, your devices and task information may have not been correctly imported from MAX.  You can try performing the export/import process outlined in Sections 1 and 3 of this tutorial , or you can go through and manually reconfigure your tasks and device names.
5. 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.
6. If your NI-DAQmx palette is missing in LabVIEW, this could be because you did not install NI-DAQmx after installing 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.