Error "LabVIEW Error File is Not A Resource" When Opening a VI

Updated Aug 29, 2023

Reported In

Software

  • LabVIEW

Issue Details

Why do I get the following error when I open my VI in LabVIEW or try to run a LabVIEW built .exe file?

LabVIEW: File is not a resource file. The file 'xxxxx.VI' is not a valid LabVIEW file


Solution

For a VI:

If LabVIEW closes upon trying to open the VI, then it has become corrupt. Many factors can cause data corruption including unexpected power outages, hard drive failures, bad sectors, and bad RAM.

Unfortunately, there is no way to recover the VI or to extract certain parts of the VI from the corrupted file. The only option when encountering a corrupt VI is to start with a blank VI and reprogram the corrupted VI.

For an .exe file:

  • This can be caused in .exe files if any of the files being packaged into the executable don't have an extension. This is most commonly caused by VIs without a .vi extension. Verify that all your files have correct extensions and rebuild the .exe file.
  • This issue can also be caused if the application uses a DLL that needs other resources to work properly. For example, other DLLs. Make sure you include all the components and resources your DLLs need to work properly.