Remove OLD NI-Update installers from PC

[dimitri_karch]

I've been working with LabVIEW for about 3 years, on the same PC.

All the time I've installed all the NI-Updates.

This time the LV 2016 update couldn’t be done, because of lack of memory space on my PC. I’ve deleted a lot of data, but 48 GB (!!!) still weren’t enough.

Then I’ve made an EXCITING DISCOVERY.

In the directory C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Update Service\Installers there are several older (up to 2013) folders. Overall data volume of these was 131 GB! This is a half of my hard drive!!!

Why didn’t NI-Updater suggested to remove these old data before I have started to remove some MBs of my old documents?!! Is the data really essential for NI-SW? Is there ANY need for this data on my PC?

I’m really embarrassed by this issue. To overload clients PCs with such a trash data is not a good approach!

And regarding LabVIEW-Updates, I think the installer should ask the user if he/she wants to keep the old version of LV instead of always keeping it on PC.

What is the point on keeping the old version of LabVIEW anyway? Once opened with a new version, no VI can be opened with the older one.

[crossrulz]

I change the location that the installers go and I keep a copy of the updates.  I then make the updates available in a server location or just on my USB drive so that others can get the updates without having to perform the download.  And, yes, I know to delete the old ones.  Perhaps a button somewhere in the NI Update to clear out the old installers would be helpful.

[metux]

One of the usual problems w/ homebrewn installers. 

The now decades old (20+ years) industrial-grade proven package managers like APT solve all these problems fully automatically.

https://forums.ni.com/t5/Additional-NI-Software-Idea/Use-native-package-managers-for-all-sw-deployme...