Adventures in Install Building

[JodyK]

In general I shy away from using the NI installer builder, but I had a client specifically request an installation file for the program we developed. The program is rather simple - it reads analog data from two USB-6009 and graphs it on the screen with scaling and some other functionality - nothing too complex. The only additional installer I included was DAQmx 8.5 runtime 4

At first every build I tried to do kept asking for me to insert or provide source for NI-DAQmx 8.1; I haven't used 8.1 in quite some time. I eventually tracked this down to a handful of registry entries that I removed in regedit. Next the install asked me for a handful of other disks which I dutifully supplied: Feb2007 Drivers, NI-RIO 2.1.1, Feb2006 Drivers. This is from memory, but I think there are one or two others it asked for.

My client ran the installer and everything worked fine. Until he needed to remove a USB-6009 device from MAX. For some reason even though he has the same version number of max, the devices were connected differently. I am including a screenshot of his system and one of mine to demonstrate. In his the USB devices showed up somehow related to VISA in mine they are USB devices.

Next I attempted to build an installer with the full version of DAQmx 8.5 included, no other additional installers. As before it kept asking for disks - Feb2007 Drivers, NI-RIO 2.1.1, Feb2006 Drivers, NI-RIO 2.0.0, Labview 8.2.1, Realtime 8.2.1, ...

I eventually just cancelled the build because it seemed like it was trying to include everything that I had installed on my system. I sent my client an installer with just the latest application built, and a link to download and install DAQmx 8.5 on his own.

I really like the idea of the NI installer builder, but I have never gotten it to work effectively. Does anyone out there have any good experiences with it? Any tips to make it work more effectively?

-Jody

[Chris Davis]

QUOTE(JodyK @ May 7 2007, 03:46 PM)

For some reason even though he has the same version number of max, the devices were connected differently. I am including a screenshot of his system and one of mine to demonstrate. In his the USB devices showed up somehow related to VISA in mine they are USB devices.

I had this problem with the 6009 as well, but it was because I had used it with DAQmx base at first. http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/634CEF92DEC749CB8625703800708FC5' target="_blank">This link might clear up the problem.

QUOTE

I sent my client an installer with just the latest application built, and a link to download and install DAQmx 8.5 on his own.

I really like the idea of the NI installer builder, but I have never gotten it to work effectively. Does anyone out there have any good experiences with it? Any tips to make it work more effectively?

I use the install DAQmx by CD or download method as well. I have used the NI installer in the past around LV7, but quit after I found NSIS and was able to understand it and use it for my installs.

[Ton Plomp]

QUOTE(JodyK @ May 7 2007, 10:46 PM)

I really like the idea of the NI installer builder, but I have never gotten it to work effectively. Does anyone out there have any good experiences with it? Any tips to make it work more effectively?

Well I don't have any tips, because for me it just works. But what I do when a new shipment of SSP arrives is that I install everything from those CDs so NI installer will only ask for those discs!

You can include a MAX configuration (never done it) so maybe that can be usefull for you!

Ton

[JodyK]

QUOTE(chrisdavis @ May 7 2007, 06:48 PM)

I had this problem with the 6009 as well, but it was because I had used it with DAQmx base at first. http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/634CEF92DEC749CB8625703800708FC5' target="_blank">This link might clear up the problem.

I use the install DAQmx by CD or download method as well. I have used the NI installer in the past around LV7, but quit after I found NSIS and was able to understand it and use it for my installs.

That seems like a VERY likely culprit in this case. Thanks for the info.

I know of NSIS but have never really used it. Is it possible to make it install DAQmx without the user having to select options etc? Also is there anyway to use it with the smaller Runtime DAQmx installs?

-Jody

[Chris Davis]

QUOTE(JodyK @ May 10 2007, 01:23 PM)

Is it possible to make it install DAQmx without the user having to select options etc? Also is there anyway to use it with the smaller Runtime DAQmx installs?

I've used NSIS to install the runtime engine, but never DAQmx. Although I'm sure it is possible. My co-worker recently used NSIS to install FieldPoint, but simply used NSIS to copy the FieldPoint zip file that is downloadable from NI, then call thier installer. It isn't a silent install, but that may be enough for you here, I don't know.