February 2016
This file contains important information about VirtualBench 15.2, including any system requirements and supported devices for the application and the driver software.
NI Application Software Support
Product Security and Critical Updates
Devices Supported in VirtualBench
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003
VirtualBench supports the following operating systems:
The following table lists the NI application software versions, including service packs, supported by VirtualBench.
NI Application Software | Versions Supported by VirtualBench |
---|---|
LabVIEW | 2013, 2014, 2015 |
The following table lists the programming languages and Microsoft Visual Studio versions supported by this version of VirtualBench.
Programming Language | Visual Studio Versions Supported by VirtualBench |
---|---|
ANSI C | 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2012 |
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from NI.
This version of NI VirtualBench adds the following new features:
Note For additional information on features in Windows versus iOS, refer to the VirtualBench Features for Windows Application and iPad App. For more information on what has changed with each firmware update, refer to the VirtualBench Firmware Release Notes.
VirtualBench versions are now aligned with the versions of major NI application software products. This alignment gives you information about the year the driver was released and the most recent software version the driver was designed to work with. Driver versions now start with a two-digit year indicator: <ProductName><Year-BasedVersion>. For example, VirtualBench 15.0 is the version released with LabVIEW 2015. The last version released under the old numbering scheme is VirtualBench 1.2. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is VirtualBench 15.0.
The following devices are supported in VirtualBench:
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.0, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.0 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.
When you install NI software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher.
NI Launcher helps you find and launch installed NI products. It provides you with a method of finding NI products similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile in the Apps view. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.
Note NI MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Microsoft Windows 8.1. You can launch NI MAX either from the Apps view or from within NI Launcher.
For convenience, you can pin your most-used NI applications, such as MAX, to either the Start screen or the Taskbar on the desktop, as necessary:
Current Application | Icon Location | Pin to Action |
---|---|---|
Windows 8.1 Desktop | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to Taskbar |
Windows 8.1 Desktop | Start screen | Right-click application and select Pin to Start |
Windows 8.1 Start screen | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen |
If you want to find a particular application or related files, such as documentation files, from the Start screen, you can access all installed files from the Apps view. To get to the Apps view, right-click anywhere on the Start screen and select All apps (Windows 8.0) or click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen (Windows 8.1).
For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.
NI will drop support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM (with no service pack), Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of VirtualBench that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit ni.com/info and enter one of the following Info Codes:
Product | Info Code |
---|---|
NI LabVIEW | lifecycle |
NI LabWindows™/CVI™ | cvi_lifecycle |
NI Measurement Studio | mstudiolifecycle |
NI TestStand | tslcp |
NI DIAdem | ddlcp |
NI SignalExpress | selcp |
NI VeriStand | nivslifecycle |
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End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:
Trademarks
Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
Patents
For patents covering the NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.
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