Driver Station Update fails to install

[Crossle86]

I am trying to install the DS update FRCUpdate2015.1.0 which is supposed to display on the DS as version 08021500. I have run the update installer and rebooted but my DS still shows version 20121300. I have tried this on two different DS with the same result.

[ATannahill]

Did you download the newest update suite from https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-34731?

I downloaded from there last Tuesday and installed it on at least a dozen machines this past weekend without encountering an issue.

I unzipped it, ran setup.exe, deselected all install options but the driver station and then clicked through the installer.

Did you restart your computer after the install? I never needed to but it might fix the issue.

[Crossle86]

That link takes you to a page where you select 2015 NI Update Suite which takes you to http://www.ni.com/download/first-rob...-2015/5112/en/ from which I downloaded FRCUpdate2015.1.0.zip then ran the setup.exe contained in that zip. Setup runs without incident and I reboot. Version still the old one. Been over this several times, can't see why I'm not getting updated DS.

[Cecil]

Are you running the .exe from inside the zip file? Try extracting all the files first, as the installer needs files still captured by the compressed folder.

[Crossle86]

Funny thing. After my last post, extracting the zip and not running from inside the zip occurred to me so I did that and still no joy. I'm stumped but must be doing something wrong. Pls confirm that the file FRCUpdate2015.1.0.zip is the correct download. Need to make I'm starting from the right place.

[SuperBK]

Try deinstalling the old driver station first and then installing the latest. Use Add / Remove Programs.

[Alan Anderson]

20121300? That's ridiculously old.

How are you running the Driver Station? If you're using a desktop shortcut that you didn't put there recently, you are probably not executing the new program. It's possible that you have successfully installed the new one multiple times.

(This year's program is named "Driver Station.exe" with a space. Last year's did not have a space. They can both exist in the same folder.)

[Greg McKaskle]

I think that your install may have worked, but you were running the old version. The guidelines for NI installers has changed, and they do not include as many shortcuts and start menu items. That means that the old ones may not be replaced as you expect.

If you right click on a shortcut and go to Properties, it will show the real EXE.

Also, small correction, it is the new version without the space. The builds of these tools were modified to be more automated, and spaces_and_command_lines_do_not_get_along.

Greg McKaskle

[IndySam]

Also right click and run it as administrator.

[Crossle86]

Ok. Thanks all. Yes, the new version was installed alongside the old. And yes the desktop icon launches the correct program. However, we do a switch user and select the driver user and launch the DS that way. In that way, the old version is launched. Seems a problem with the installer that if you install according to the readme directions, it does not work correctly, apparently not changing which DS program is invoked when you switch to the DS user name. I have seen nothing to suggest any special treatment is needed...but that is where we are.

I am not familiar with how the driver user launches the DS as its "desktop" program. If someone could point me to where this is configured, then I think we will home free on this one.

[Greg McKaskle]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

If you feel like fixing it, you will need to run regedit. Logged in as User, you locate the following key, and change its value from he DS name with the space to the one without.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon\Shell

Be careful not to change anything else.

If this is awkward to do this as Driver, you would probably be able to change it in the HKEY_Users location more easily when logged in as Developer and changing for Driver.

Greg McKaskle

[Crossle86]

Greg,
I found this info with web search and it makes sense, though I am reluctant to change the system wide default shell. I'd rather change it for the Driver user. Now given all this, I expected to find the registry key that causes the old DS program to launch as shell for the Driver user. But I could not find any key that would cause any shell to launch other than explorer.exe. What gives? How is the DS program launched as the shell for the driver user?

Now, I think I have a work around (try tomorrow), but I'd really like to understand what is going on here. This should not be nearly this much trouble assuming I have not made some mistake that is causing these problems with a simple DS update.

Additionally, if I run the updated DS as the developer user as a regular windows app, the DS appears with the title bar and window borders. The NI and our custom DS code that displays the upper area of the DS (camera, and indicators buttons etc) also displays but things are not sized right because of the title bar and borders on the lower part of the DS display. So I select the button on the lower DS that gets rid of the title bar and borders and the lower part of the DS displays correctly or at least as I expect it to and as I want it to. But, at the same time, the upper part of the DS display is trashed. The camera section remains but the tabbed area completely disappears. This happens with the NI version shipped with the DS and with our customized version. this is not helpful as it precludes just running the DS logged on as developer.

Is there an ini file setting that starts the DS without title bars and borders?

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Crossle86

Additionally, if I run the updated DS as the developer user as a regular windows app, the DS appears with the title bar and window borders. The NI and our custom DS code that displays the upper area of the DS (camera, and indicators buttons etc) also displays but things are not sized right because of the title bar and borders on the lower part of the DS display. So I select the button on the lower DS that gets rid of the title bar and borders and the lower part of the DS displays correctly or at least as I expect it to and as I want it to. But, at the same time, the upper part of the DS display is trashed. The camera section remains but the tabbed area completely disappears. This happens with the NI version shipped with the DS and with our customized version. this is not helpful as it precludes just running the DS logged on as developer.

Set your task bar to autohide. Right now, it's grabbing the bottom of the screen and forcing the windows upward. Start the DS and Dashboard with the task bar out of the way and they should dock where you want.

[Crossle86]

folks, I have been down the rabbit hole on this and I am stumped as to the things that have happened during my DS update. I have observed things strange enough (yet repeatable) that I am not going to describe them here as I can't quite believe what I have seen and I don't want all of you thinking I am completely nuts...however:

I have the updated version of the DS running now, or at least maybe I do. Today an email from First stated the current DS version to be 08021500 or newer (why would would have a version newer than current?). On the web page for current versions, it states the correct version to be 08021500 but goes on to day that on most PCs it 'displays' as 09021500. Huh? Which is it?

Now here is the kicker, on my DS pc it is displaying 05031500 (and that is not the only variation I have seen).

I would really like someone from NI to explain what is going here.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Crossle86

I have the updated version of the DS running now, or at least maybe I do. Today an email from First stated the current DS version to be 08021500 or newer (why would would have a version newer than current?). On the web page for current versions, it states the correct version to be 08021500 but goes on to day that on most PCs it 'displays' as 09021500. Huh? Which is it?

Now here is the kicker, on my DS pc it is displaying 05031500 (and that is not the only variation I have seen).

I would really like someone from NI to explain what is going here.

I'm not from NI, but I think I can help you understand. The format of the version ID is "DDMMYY00", and it shows the date of the .exe file. When the installer puts the file on your computer, Windows adjusts its date and time to reflect the current time zone. You'll see numbers representing February 8 or 9 based on how far east of Austin you are.

If you're seeing 05031500, something apparently modified the .exe file today. That's not normal.