Reinstall NI Package Manager When Program Files Folder Is Deleted

Issue Details

I would like to remove all NI software including NI Package Manager (NIPM) from my computer that is running Windows Operating System.

After removed all NI software in NIPM, I deleted the National Instrument folder under Program Files without perform a proper uninstallation via Control Panel >> Programs and Features.

When I want to reinstall NI software, I get an error with the following message: Package is already installed. No operation will be performed.
 

Solution

Delete National Instrument folder under Program Files is not a proper way to uninstall NI Package Manager (NIPM), this action will not remove NIPM completely from your computer and you will no longer see NI Package Manager option under Control Panel >> Programs and Features.

You can perform any of the below steps, this should install back NIPM and it should be visible from the start menu search bar and Control Panel >> Programs and Features..

1. If there is a newer version of NIPM available, run the online or offline installer.
2. Run the NIPackageManager64.msi from C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\MDF\ProductCache\NI Package Manager <version> folder.

If above steps do not help, you can attempt to run the custom Windows Uninstaller to reinstall NIPM.

1. Open Windows Command Prompt by going to the Windows Start>>Run... and type in cmd and hit Enter. (Note: Make sure that you are running Command Prompt as Administrator)
2. Enter the command wmic product > filename.txt, this will generate a list of all programs installed on your computer. It will take a decent amount of time depending on how much software is installed on your computer.
   
3. Navigate to the filename.txt file that was generated from the command. It will be located in the same path that you ran the command from. By default, C:\Users\<username>.
4. Open the file with a text editor such as Notepad or Microsoft Word.
5. Search for "NI Package Manager" and locate these three software programs: NI Package Manager, NI Package Manager Core, and NI Package Manager Deployment Support (Make sure you perform the uninstallation for these 3 programs).
6. Look for the specific .msi file that is associated with these 3 programs mentioned above. The .msi file usually takes the form of a series of alphanumeric characters. i.e. 5f298.msi.
    
7. Copy the directory path and file name of the .msi file and paste it into the Windows Explorer Address Bar.
8. This will run the uninstaller for the software the .msi file is associated with.
    
9. After the uninstallation completed, please download and install the latest version of NIPM.
10. After installing NIPM, you should be able to find the NIPM software in C:\Program Files\National Instruments\NI Package Manager.

Additional Information

If you still wish to uninstall NIPM completely, please proceed with the steps mentioned in this article: Uninstalling NI Package Manager.