measurement and automation usb recognize

[ratkindler1]

I just got a new laptop running Windows 7 and am trying to install my USB-6211.  Everything worked fine on my old laptop running Windows XP.  Now, Measurement and Automation Explorer won't recognize my DAQ.  When I plug it into the USB port I hear the Windows beep and M&AE shows it's searching but doesn't find it.  Refreshing doesn't help.  It's also not listed in the Windows device manager under Data Acquisition Devices.

I tried installing the USB-6211 as a virtual device and although it shows up in the list, the self test fails with an error saying the device is not present...even as a virtual device.

I'm using NI-DAQ 9.22 and Labview 9.

I'm not sure what to do next.

[Seth_B.]

Have you applied the patch mentioned in the forum post that is stickied in this forum: Patch Released for NI-DAQmx To Address an Issue Where Devices Don't Show up in MAX?

[ratkindler1]

It says the issue was corrected in version 9.2.2 and that's why I downloaded it, but it didn't help my situation.

[ratkindler1]

I just noticed that when I plug in the device the Windows Device Manager shows a Data Acquisition Devices listing with a USB Firmware Loader subgroup.  The device itself isn't there though.

[Seth_B.]

Do you have another computer with NI-DAQmx 9.2.2 on it?  It would be worth trying to plug the 6211 into that machine to get the firmware up to the latest version for 9.2.2.  Also, do you have Administrator access on the new laptop?

[ratkindler1]

I'm going to try connecting it on another computer running WinXP with NI-DAQ 9.2.2 soon. 

The weird thing is that I've reinstalled NI-DAQ 9.2.2 several times and I noticed that after reboot a DOS prompt window opens that says "repairing NI device driver database" each time...for several minutes before Windows starts.  Even the virtual device won't install in MAX.  When I run the self test on the virtual device it says the device is not present or not activated.  If the virtual device won't install then somehow I doubt the real one will. 

Are the drivers being corrupted during installation somehow? 

[Seth_B.]

That DOS window is expected, it's the part of the process that removes erroneous devices as a part of the fix for the issue I mentioned earlier.  By "virtual device", do you mean a simulated device?  If so, do any other simulated devices work, such as a PXI-4472?

Please try the process listed in this KnowledgeBase article: What is the Process For Removing MAX Database Corruption?

[ratkindler1]

Yes, I mean simulated device.  That device you suggested also doesn't work.

I'm having some difficulty going through the database corruption removal process you referred me to.  The folders are locked in Windows 7 even though my user account is an administrator (the only one).  Is there a way to log onto Windows 7 as a true administrator?

[Seth_B.]

Is this PC controlled by IT policies?  If so, it's possible that they've been set in such a way that something is interfering with how MAX can interact with their database.  I would verify with your IT group that would have read/write access to the program files and folders.

[ratkindler1]

I've just had some measure of success.  I uninstalled NI-DAQmx again and then reinstalled it by running the setup.exe by selecting "run as administrator" from the right-click menu.  Now, the simulated device installed properly and seems to be working.  I've got a good feeling about this.

I'm guessing that my administrator account is not completely free to do what it likes and so NI-DAQ doesn't install properly.  I'll see if my USB DAQ is properly detected when I get home tonight.

I'd still like to know if there is a way to log into windows 7 as a "super user" administrator.  This could explain some of the problems I've had installing other programs on this new system that worked fine on my old system.