Application installation including Run-time engine and System Config API kills numerous NI services

[Mads]

If I have a blank Windows 10 machine and install LabVIEW 2015 SP1f5 Run-time-Engine and then System Configuration 15.3,

I can see that several NI services are running OK on the machine afterwards:

However, if I then install a (LabVIEW 2015SP1 built) application on it - using an installer that also includes the 2015 SP1f5 RTE and System Config API 15.3, five of the services will not start, and cannot be manually started either (setting all the services in recovery mode to auto-restart fails too). The error code when trying manual starts is 1068 which indicates that they are missing a dependency, but *none* of them will start...

I suspect that this is the reason NI Max 15.3 ends up with a timeout during device configuration warning - AND my use of RAD/the system configuration set image function is failing....

Why on earth installing the same support software (which then should not really be installed anyway, only the application itself should be installed) has this devastating effect beats me. The only way to get the services back up and running is to uninstall everything, even remove all remaining files and folders...and then reinstall the original RTE and SysConfigs.

[Mads]

I see the pictures got too small, so here is the before and after services lists:

Before (with RTE SP1f5 and Sysconf15.3 default installs):

NI Application Web Server - Running

NI Application Web Server (64 bit) - Disabled

NI Authentication Service - Running

NI Citadel 4 Service - Running

NI Configuartion Manager - Running

NI Domain Service - NOT running (even though set to automatic)

NI License Server - Not running (set to manual)

NI mDNS Responder Service - Running

NI Network Discovery - Running

NI PSP Service Locator - Running

NI Service Locator - Running

NI System Web Server - Running

NI Time Synchronization - NOT running (even though set to automatic)

After application including the same added installers (changes in red):

NI Application Web Server - NOT running

NI Application Web Server (64 bit) - Disabled

NI Authentication Service - Running

NI Citadel 4 Service - Running

NI Configuartion Manager - Running

NI Domain Service - NOT running (even though set to automatic)

NI License Server - Not running (set to manual)

NI mDNS Responder Service - Not Running

NI Network Discovery - Not Running

NI PSP Service Locator - Running

NI Service Locator - Not Running

NI System Web Server - Not Running

NI Time Synchronization - Running

[Dan_Mondrik]

Almost every NI service depends on NI Service Locator. I have no idea why that one is failing, but that is the place to investigate.

[Mads]

Searching for known NI Service Locator issues I do not find any that matches this scenario.  I have tried to disable my firewall  for example...that should rule out that part (and would not explain why it works prior to running an application installer). 

[Mads · Accepted solution]

The problem seems to stem from some sort of obscure corruption on both of my development computers....I took the same source code and built the installer on a third computer with all the same IDE-versions, and voila - everything works fine.

It would be great to know exactly what the issue comes from, but for now at least I have a solution...(hopefully repairing my machines and/or wiping them clean and reinstalling the whole IDE on them will get me back on track...Without knowing what the cause was though makes me wonder if I risk getting the same problem again later).