Reformatting the CompactFlash on the NI CVS-1450 Series
Hardware: Image Acquisition (IMAQ)>>Compact Vision System
Problem: How do I Reformat the CompactFlash on a NI CVS-1450 Series?
Solution: Reformatting the CompactFlash on the NI CVS-1450 Series
National Instruments provides a utility for reformatting the internal CompactFlash card in the CVS. Follow the instructions below to format the card.
Verify the BIOS version:The CompactFlash format utility requires BIOS version 10.3 to be installed on the CVS.
- Verify that NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 version 1.5.1 or later is installed on the host machine.
- Locate the CVS under Remote Systems that you wish to format
- Expand the CVS section, right-click on the Software folder, select Install Software
- Click on the Update OS button in the bottom left of the Install Software window
If the Upgrade OS button is grayed out then the OS has already been upgraded on the CVS.
Note: All NI CVS-1450 Series Revision C and above devices were shipped with the 10.3 version of the BIOS. Additionally, all units that have been repaired since January 15th, 2004 have the 10.3 or later version of the BIOS installed. Running the format utility without first updating the BIOS to the correct version results in an error and the utility will not run.
Running the Format Utility:- Verify that NI-IMAQ for IEEE 1394 version 1.5.1 or later is installed on the host machine. If this version of the driver software is not installed, refer to the upgrade advisor link below for an of the driver.
- Boot the NI CVS-1450 Series into safe mode by enabling the Safe Mode dip switch on the front of the device and rebooting it.
- Back up all user data files on the NI CVS-1450 Series to the host computer. Formatting the CompactFlash overwrites all files on the NI CVS-1450 Series.
- Launch MAX.
- Expand the Remote Systems component in the Configuration tree.
- Select the NI CVS-1450 Series you want to reformat, and select Format Disk.
- The video output of the NI CVS-1450 Series displays the status of the format. After the format utility completes, reboot the device.
- After you reboot the NI CVS-1450, you can reconfigure it. Follow the steps outlined in the NI 1450 Series Compact Vision System Quick Start Guide or NI 1450 Series Compact Vision System User Manual to assign the IP Address and download the appropriate software.
- If you made a backup of any user data, copy those files to the NI CVS-1450 Series.
Related Links: National Instruments' Upgrade Advisor
National Instruments' Image Acquisition and Vision Support Homepage
Attachments: 
Report Date: 02/25/2004
Last Updated: 11/10/2005
Document ID: 36O9I8HW
