NI MAX stuck at load plugins

[Chr1sG]

I am having a similar problem - MAX won't get past the loading plug-ins stage. i have tried a repair, I have installed all the NI software that I could imagine was necessary, I have restarted several times, all to no avail.

I have used dependency walker and the attached file (zipped) was the result.

Please can you offer a suggestion for a cure.

I can't reinstall Windows, since the PC is being used for several other applications (and I haven't got the time or energy to spend doing it!)

[Chr1sG]

Oh, and I should have said, I have tried restarting NI Configuration Manager.

[Chr1sG]

I have traced the problem (in my case) 🙂

N.B. I am running Windows 7.
When MAX attempts to launch, a directory called NI-DAQ in the Program Data folder (C:\Program Data - hidden by default) is created, but it is locked (appears with padlock icon). At this point MAX is frozen at the splash screen.

If the lock is removed (by setting the permissions so that Authenticated Users have full access) MAX manages to load correctly.

I think this is a bug with the MAX installer that it creates a folder with settings that don't allow it read/write access. I shall report this formally and see what happens.

[Justin_E]

Hey Chris,

Can you give us a bit more info on how to reproduce this issue? Specifically, what permissions your user account has, and what software you installed before trying to open MAX. Does your company's IT department place any restrictions on folder access?

[Chr1sG]

Hi Justin,

I'll tell you what I do to (re)create the error:

I have developed an application (in LV 2010 on a Windows 7 PC) that uses the USB6008 module. I have several global channels configured.

I wish to install the application on a second (Windows 7) PC that initially has no NI software installed. I create and build the installer - under additional installers, I have selected MAX (amongst other things) to be installed.

The installation (on the new PC) carried out as administrator, goes as planned and after the PC has restarted, I attempt to open the freshly installed MAX (still running as admin).

It hangs at the splash screen, stuck at 'loading plug-ins'.

Navigating to the Program Data directory mentioned in my previous post, I change the properties of the NI-DAQ folder to remove the lock icon (i.e. allow full access for authenticated users) and MAX instantly unfreezes. From then on, everything seems to work as expected.

There are no restrictions on the PC it is being installed on as far as I know. I am running under an administrator account.

In answer to 'what software you installed before trying to open MAX', I guess the answer is nothing, or possibly lots(!) depending on what you mean. There was no new software installed recently on the new PC. The only installations are that which the NI installer I created should have put there. So, as well as MAX, the installer I built includes my application software (fairly simple application exe installed to a program files sub directory), MAX, the DAQmx drivers (incl ADE and config support) and LV 2010 RTE.

Hope that's of some help in getting to the bottom of it. I'm no expert, but I suspect if MAX has detected that the PC doesn't already have the NI-DAQ folder, it is forgetting some explicit permission setting when it creates it.

Cheers

Chris

[Justin_E]

Hey Chris,

That folder should have permissions as follows:

If you run into this issue again, check to see if your permissions match this screenshot

[Chr1sG]

Hi Justin,

I'm afraid that I don't have a record of the permissions before I changed them, but I know that the behaviour was reproducible - I spent about 3 days trying to find the problem and prove the solution.

I don't fancy doing another uninstall/reinstall just to see what the permissions were, because as you can imagine, it's a lengthy process (don't know why my installer is 1GB in size when the app itself is less than 2MB but I guess that's LabVIEW for you 🙂

Try building an installer on Windows 7 including NI MAX (and nothing else) and then running it on a Windows 7 pc with nothing previously installed and you'll probably see what I mean.