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This document contains information about installing NI TestStand 2012 SP1 and about known issues found and bugs fixed in TestStand 2012 SP1. In addition, this document contains information about how to use TestStand with Microsoft Windows 8.
Refer to the What's New in TestStand topics for previous versions of TestStand in the NI TestStand Help for information about new features, compatibility and known issues, and bug fixes for those versions.
Refer to the NI TestStand Version 2012 Release Notes for an overview of new features and information about getting started with TestStand, such as system requirements, installation instructions, and descriptions of the TestStand licenses.
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You can install TestStand or deployments of TestStand for TestStand 2012 SP1 and TestStand 2010 SP1 or earlier on the same computer. Use the TestStand Version Selector to select the active version of TestStand before you launch TestStand or a deployed TestStand application. National Instruments does not support running applications that use two different versions of TestStand at the same time.
You cannot install TestStand 2012 SP1 over a previous version, such as TestStand 2010, and you cannot install TestStand 2012 SP1 in the default installation directory for a previous version. If you installed a previous version of TestStand in a non-default directory, you can uninstall the previous version of TestStand and install TestStand 2012 SP1 to that directory.
Upgrading TestStand 2012 to TestStand 2012 SP1
Installing TestStand 2012 SP1 or a deployment of TestStand 2012 SP1 upgrades TestStand 2012. You can no longer install a service pack side-by-side with its main release. TestStand 2012 SP1 and TestStand 2012 use the same directories for the <TestStand>, <TestStand Public>, and <TestStand Application Data> directories.
TestStand 2012 SP1 upgrades TestStand 2012 files according to the following guidelines:
Refer to the NI TestStand Help for more information about the locations of TestStand directories.
Note: You can install TestStand 2012 SP1 on a computer on which you have not previously installed TestStand 2012. If you want to install TestStand 2012 SP1 immediately after installing TestStand 2012, you must first restart the computer when prompted after you finish installing TestStand 2012.
TestStand relies on licensing activation. You must activate a valid TestStand license before you can run TestStand. To activate TestStand, use the serial number you received as part of your installation package. If you do not activate a TestStand license, TestStand operates in Evaluation Mode.
Refer to the NI TestStand Version 2012 Release Notes for more information about licensing in TestStand.
Activating a License after Upgrading to a Service Pack
When you upgrade TestStand with a service pack release by installing TestStand or a deployment that includes the TestStand Engine, the TestStand Engine on the computer becomes unlicensed. You must reactivate the license on the computer.
A TestStand 2012 Development System License or a Debug Deployment Environment License must be current with the Standard Service Program (SSP) to reactivate the service pack license. With TestStand 2012 or later, you can reactivate a Custom Sequence Editor License for a service pack upgrade, even if the SSP for the original license lapsed. A TestStand Base Deployment License does not require SSP to reactivate the service pack license.
Automating the Installation of NI Products
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, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
Use the Microsoft operating systems and service packs described in the following table with TestStand 2012 SP1:
| Operating System | Recommended Service Pack | Required Service Pack | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 8 (32- and 64-bit), including Starter Edition | — |
— |
Refer to the How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8 section of this document for more information about using TestStand on Windows 8. |
| Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit), including Starter Edition | Service Pack 1 | — |
Refer to the TestStand and Windows 7/Vista section of the NI TestStand Version 2012 Release Notes for more information about using TestStand on Windows 7/Vista. |
| Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit) Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate | Service Pack 2 | Service Pack 1 | |
| Windows XP | — |
Service Pack 3 | — |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) | — |
Service Pack 2 | TestStand supports only R2 editions of Windows Server. |
| Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit) | — |
Service Pack 2 |
Notes:
What's New in TestStand 2012 SP1
Enable the Allow Installer to Upgrade an Installed TestStand Engine option in the Advanced Installer Options dialog box of the TestStand Deployment Utility to specify whether the TestStand Engine in the installer you create for a deployment can upgrade an existing installation of the TestStand Engine that has the same major and minor revision. For example, when you enable this option, an installer that contains the TestStand 2012 SP1 Engine can upgrade an existing installation of the TestStand 2012 Engine.
When you do not enable this option, the installer still installs all other deployed files, including drivers, even if the option prevents installation of the TestStand Engine. You must ensure that the files in the deployment are compatible with the non-service pack version of the TestStand Engine and any service pack versions of the TestStand Engine.
This option is disabled for installers that do not include the TestStand Engine and for installers that install a non-service pack version of the TestStand Engine.
Refer to the List of Known Issues in TestStand 2012 and TestStand 2012 SP1 on the National Instruments website for a list of known issues in TestStand 2012 SP1 and TestStand 2012. You can also view this list sorted by date.
Refer to the List of Bugs Fixed in TestStand 2012 and TestStand 2012 SP1 on the National Instruments website for a list of bugs fixed in TestStand 2012 SP1 and TestStand 2012. This list is not exhaustive. If you reported an issue to National Instruments and received a CAR ID to track the issue, you can search for the CAR ID in the ID or Legacy ID column to determine whether the issue has been fixed.
National Instruments releases critical software updates after product release using the NI Update Service. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code updates to view a list of all currently available updates.
National Instruments provides notification of certain critical issues at install time. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code notifications to view a list of current product notifications.
How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8
When you install National Instruments software on Windows 8, you will notice a few additional tiles on the Start screen, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), and the new 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 Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile on the Start screen. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.
Note Unlike previous versions of Windows, MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut. You can launch MAX either from the Start screen 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 Desktop | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to Taskbar |
| Windows 8 Desktop | Start screen | Right-click application and select Pin to Start |
| Windows 8 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 by right-clicking anywhere on the Start screen and selecting All apps. A list of all installed software and related files appears, in alphabetical order by creator or type.
For more information about NI support for Windows 8, visit ni.com/windows8.
Refer to the Technical Support page at ni.com/support and search for TestStand to access the TestStand Support website, which contains online documentation, KnowledgeBase articles, tutorials, example code, discussion forums, and other resources.
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For patents covering the National Instruments 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.