Uninstalling LabView and NI

[abiolatoks]

Hello All,

I have a big problem trying to uninstall LABView/NI software from my PC and start afresh.

I have a windows 7 operating system and previously installed LabView 2020. I also installed Arduino (version 1.8 .19) which worked well with my Arduino device

Thereafter, I wanted to use Labview to control the Arduino and I was having the usual error 5003.

I came to this forum and tried various suggestions, but I run into bigger problems where LabVIEW was not running.

I tried to uninstall LabVIEW and I messed up the whole system. I went as far as deleting files from the program folder.

When I tried to re-install Labview using the version 2020 community edition, I get the error:
Windows could not find C:/program files\National Instruments\NI package Manager\NIPackageManager.exe. Make sure you typed the name correctly and then try again.

When I tried to re-install the NIpackage manager using the version NIPackageManager24.8.0_online, I get the error:
The procedure entry point CreateFile2 could not be located in the dynamic link library Kernel32.dll

When i tried to install the run time engine using the downloaded file: ni-labview-2020-runtime-engine_20.1_online, I get the error:

windows could not find C:/program files\National Instruments\NI package Manager\NIPackageManager.exe. Make sure you typed the name correctly and then try again

I would need someone to help me clean up all files related to LabView and NI from my PC so I can install version 2020 which is compatible to my windows 7.

The pictures of the various errors are shown below.

Thanks

Abiolatoks

[Bob_Schor]

As difficult as it is to install LabVIEW, it is very easy to uninstall LabVIEW in such a way that installation of any version of LabVIEW that uses NI Package Manager (i.e. any version of LabVIEW 2017 and later) will fail.  The only fix for this is to reinstall Windows, preferably Windows 10 (as Windows 7 only supports LabVIEW versions up to 2020.

If you are using Windows 7, you probably have Control Panal available to you.  Use Control Panel's "Add, Remove Software" to uninstall "National Instruments" (I think that's how it's listed -- another possibility is "NO Software").  You may need to do this several times, especially if some was installed with NIPM and some by, say, the LabVIEW 2015 installer.  Eventually, you should get down to uninstalling NI Package Manager, itself.  Once you've done this, do it one (or two) more times -- sometimes when NIPM is gone, more NI software pops up again.

Do not try messing with the Registry.  Be very careful about deleting "National Instruments" folders on the C: drive.  Doing this will (probably) make it impossible to install modern versions of LabVIEW on that system.  The only fix is (a) backup your Profile, (b) gather installation media for all programs and applications you want on your "new" PC,  (c) reformat the C: drive, (d) reinstall Windows (10), (e) reinstall any other software (like Office? Chrome?), and (f) restore your Profile.

Before 2017, when the NI Package Manager was introduced, I'd done probably a few hundred LabVIEW installations (many for students) with never a problem.  When I tried installing LabVIEW 2017 using NIPM, it failed, I "removed" it, then tried to "clean up the mess" and ended up "learning my lesson" (I wiped the C: drive and rebuilt my PC, twice!).

Good luck.

Bob Schor

[Steffen01]

not sure if ccleaner will be able to help when you clean up your registry

may want to get in manually and delete all folders called national instruments, in programfiles(86) etc

and maybe try in the registry, search for these files the installer thinks are there, remove references to that

[Bob_Schor]

I believe that if you follow the "registry" suggestions of @Steffen01, you will never be able to successfully install LabVIEW until you reinstall Windows and everything else. 

Do Not Touch the Registry!  I thought I knew how to do it safely.  Fortunately, after I rebuilt once in 2017, when I made the same mistake again two weeks later, the reinstall went much faster.

Bob Schor

[abiolatoks]

Thanks for your comments.

[abiolatoks]

@Steffen01,

Thanks for our comment.

I tried various methods to uninstall Labview but I could not due to a mistake i made in replacing a file in the in the program file folder.

I eventually tried to delete the entire program files then i had even bigger problems that i could not even install fresh software of NI.

Perhaps re-installing windows 7 as mentioned by others can solve this problem.

[abiolatoks]

@Bob_Schor,

I previoudly touched the registry before making my initial post.

Fortuntely, I made a back up of the registry; I will restore the registry.

The only issue I will have left is that I had deleted some files from the program folder (x86) which is making it difficult to install a new NI software package installer

[Bob_Schor]

If you are using NIPM (i.e. if you have any version of LabVIEW installed after 2016), and you deleted a file that NIPM expects to see as part of its "uninstallation", I would expect it to fail, leaving you with the "rebuild my system" route.

.

What is the oldest version of LabVIEW that you are using?  If nothing is older than LabVIEW 2015, I recommend that if/when you reinstall, you start with Windows 10 64-bit (but install LabVIEW 32-bit).

Bob Schor

[abiolatoks]

@Bob_Schor,

I am using Labview version 2020. Thanks for all your comments.

I guess the best solution is to re-install windows.

Thanks

Abiolatoks