Create a Real-Time Desktop PC from the Desktop PC Format Hard Drive Disk

Hardware: PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers

Problem:
How do I set up software on my new Real-Time (RT) Desktop PC if I can't use the USB key utility disk?

Solution:
You must have the LabVIEW Real-Time Module installed.

There are three steps to this solution:
1. Create a Desktop PC Format Hard Drive Disk
2. Boot the Real-Time PC with the Format Hard Drive Disk
3. Load the Real-Time Software to the Real-Time PC

This document also contains a list of possible problems using the Desktop PC Format Hard Drive Disk.

Step 1: Create a Desktop PC Format Hard Drive Disk

Launch Measurement and Automation Explorer. Select Tools»RT Disk Utilities»Create Desktop PC Format Hard Drive Disk.

Confirm that you want to create the disk by clicking Yes.

If more than one version of the LabVIEW Real-Time Module is available on your system, highlight the version of the module that you would like to use with the new Real-Time PC and click OK.

Insert a PC-formatted floppy disk and click OK. The disk must be formatted to use it.

If the disk is not empty, click Yes to confirm that you would like to overwrite the contents of the disk.

The status bar indicate the progress of the operation.

A dialog box indicates that the disk was created successfully. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Step 2: Boot the Real-Time PC with the Format Hard Drive

The BIOS on the Real-Time PC must be set to boot to the floppy disk. See the documentation from the motherboard manufacturer for more information. Insert the floppy disk into the Real-Time PC. Boot the Real-Time PC. When asked 'Do you want to do this (yes/no)?' type yes and press Enter.

NOTE: LV RT must be installed on the hard drive that is set to Primary Master. If there are multiple hard drives in the system, please be sure to select the appropriate drive to format.

The utility on the floppy disk formats the hard drive and installs LabVIEW Real-Time safe mode files to the hard drive.

Remove the floppy disk and restart the Real-Time PC.

Step 3: Load the Real-Time Software to the Real-Time PC

Once the Real-Time PC has booted, you will see the system in NI Measurement and Automation Explorer under Remote Systems.

You may now update the IP settings of the Real-Time PC from Measurement and Automation Explorer.

After you apply the IP settings on Real-Time PC, you can add software to it from Measurement and Automation Explorer. Right-click Software»Add/Remove Software

After you successfully add the LabVIEW Real-Time software to the Real-Time PC, it will boot to the hard drive.

Possible Problems

The Real-Time PC's hard disk is not formatted with 32-bit File Allocation Table (FAT32).

You must create a FAT32 partition before you can use the floppy disk. MS-DOS has two utilities to do this: FDISK creates the partition, FORMAT then formats the drive. There are many other third-party software packages capable of creating and formatting a FAT32 partition.

I have FDISK and FORMAT, but I can't boot to the floppy disk to run them.

You can create a bootable floppy drive by right-clicking the A drive from Windows Explorer and selecting Format...»Create an MS-DOS Startup Disk»Start.
I receive the message "Hard drive will not be formatted" when using the Desktop PC Format Hard Drive Disk.

Most likely you typed y or Y when prompted 'Do you want to do this? (yes/no).' Type yes instead of an abbreviation.

Attachments:

Report Date: 07/11/2008
Last Updated: 02/27/2009
Document ID: 4NAH22YP

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