Fix TestStand Unresponsiveness After Change In Search Directories Settings

Updated Aug 22, 2024

Reported In

Software

  • TestStand

Issue Details

I am observing that after modifying the Search Directories configuration to include a new path TestStand has become unresponsive, and subsequent launches exhibit very long loading times.

Solution

This issue is predominantly seen when the PATH environment variable and its subdirectories are added as search directories in the Search Directories configuration. However, it can also occur by adding a folder that includes a large number of files and subdirectories. 

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If TestStand can still open, you can deselect those folders to improve the loading time. You may also consider navigating to C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\TestStand 2021 (64-bit)\Cfg or C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\TestStand 2021 (32-bit)\Cfg, depending on the TestStand bitness, and removing the SearchDirectories.cfg file before relaunching TestStand to fix the issue.
 
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Additional Information

Be aware that removing the SearchDirectories.cfg file will force TestStand to generate a new one with default search directories settings. You can keep a copy of the previous file and open it in a text editor if you need a reference to set up the directories again.

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