Downgrade LabWindows/CVI from v2017 to v2010SP1

[Nick_F]

I am using software created by our company in the past. The software support has been discontinued, there is no active development for it. The software relies on the National Instruments LabWindows CVI v2010SP1 (the installer is nilwcvirte2010sp1.exe and there is a patch NISU_KB5Q5FJ4QW_PatchSP1.exe). If we install the more recent version NILWCVIRTE2017.exe, the software will crash (it actually closes down without any error messages). I uninstalled the files "NI LabWindows/CVI Shared Runtime 2017" and "NI LabWindows/CVI SxS Runtime 2017"), using the command c:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\Shared\NIUninstaller\uninst.exe /ignoredependents and then I reinstalled v2010SP1. But the software still crashes. In the past I also uninstalled NI software completely, but I was still unable to restore NI LabVindows CVI v2010SP1 properly. I understand there have been major changes in the way v2017 operates compared to v2010SP1 - apparently CVI function LoadExternalModule() causes the incompatibility.

When I spoke to our developers about this problem, I've been told that the only solution they know is to reimage the Windows OS (we are using Windows 10, 64 bits). I would like to avoid doing that because I have to install a lot of software, edit many configuration files, restore folders with settings and correction factors, etc. 

Could you please advise if there are any files or settings that I need to delete or edit in order to bring v2010SP1 to its former glory? 

Thanks,
Nick

[gdargaud]

Hello,

don't you have access to the source code ? Can't you recompile with a more recent CVI version ?

And also, don't you have a distribution (cvidistkit) of your software ? If done properly, this should be installable very easily on a blank PC (no need to install CVI).

[Nick_F]

I was able to downgrade to v2020SP1 by deleting all the NI files from C:\Windows\SysWOW64 and C:\Windows\System32 that had timestamp from 2017. The NI uninstaller does not remove these files (which is bad) and the installer for 2010SP1 will not replace files that are higher version.

I asked the lead developer for source code (I was hoping to recompile with 2017), but they told me they already spent a lot of time and could not do it and therefore I shouldn't waste my time. I had no chance to see if it was as difficult as they say. I have experience with C#, not with LabWindows, I don't know how easily I could have understood the code. Perhaps they didn't want to share the code with me, there are some protections in place to prevent the operators (like myself) making changes in the results and that may cause a conflict of interest.

[gdargaud]

I don't understand why you want to install CVI if you don't have access to the source code ? What's the point then?

Do you have just an executable and no installer ? Or an installer that doesn't contain the CVI runtime ? In those cases you should only install the runtime engine. Although in the former case it's unlikely to work properly except in the most simple of cases.

[Nick_F]

We are advised to install the LabWindows/CVI v2010SP1 before we install the application. I hardly know anything about what LabWindows/CVI does. I thought it is a library that is used by the application, like any other dll files. From what I've been told, the v2010 used .lib files and v2017 uses .dll. The application makes extensive use of a function which is now deprecated (LoadExternalModule) and it's been replaced by other functions. Even if this function has been used extensively in tens (or even hundreds) of different files, I don't know why is so difficult to replace it with the new replacement function. The application is large and it consists of a platform where other modules are loaded. Maybe the change of the CVI library requires recompiling of all the other modules that were developed by many programmers.