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<h1>NI-VISA 15.0 for Windows Readme</h1>
<p>June 2015</p>
<p>This file contains important information about NI-VISA, including supported platforms, new features, and information about bugs fixes and known issues for NI-VISA 15.0. 
<p><a href="#overview">Overview</a></p>
<p><a href="#SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS">Supported Platforms</a></p>
<p><a href="#SUPPORTED_DEVELOPMENT_ENVIRONMENTS">NI Application Software Support</a></p>
<p><a href="#INSTALLING_AND_UNINSTALLING_NI-VISA">Installing and Uninstalling NI-VISA</a> </p>
<p><a href="#KNOWN_ISSUES">Known Issues and Bug Fixes</a></p>
<p><a href="#updates">Product Security and Critical Updates</a></p>
<p><a href="#IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">New Features and Improvements</a></p>
<p><a href="#driver">Driver Version Naming Changes</a></p>
<p><a href="#win8">How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.<em>x</em></a></p>
<p><a href="#OSSupport">NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003</a></p>
<p><a href="#legal">Legal Information</a></p>


<hr>

<h2><a name="overivew">Overview</a></h2>
<p>NI-VISA is the NI implementation of the Virtual Instrument Software Architecture (VISA), a standard for configuring, programming, and troubleshooting instrumentation systems comprising GPIB, VXI, PXI, Serial, Ethernet, and/or USB interfaces.</p>

<h2><a name="SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS" id="SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS">Supported Platforms</a></h2>

<p>NI-VISA for Windows supports the following platforms:</p>

<ul>
<li>Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit version only)<sup>1,2</sup></li>
<li>Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit version only)<sup>1</sup></li>
<li>Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)<sup>1</sup></li>
<li>Windows 8.1 x86, x64</li>
<li>Windows 8 x86, x64</li>
<li>Windows 7 x86, x64</li>
<li>Windows Vista x86, x64</li>
<li>Windows XP Service Pack 3</li>
<li>NI Real-Time VxWorks</li>
<li>NI Real-Time Phar Lap ETS</li>
<li>NI Linux&#174; Real-Time</li>
<li>LabVIEW Touch Panel Module 2013/2012</li>
</ul>

<p class="Indent1">While this distribution targets all of these platforms, you can run <span class="Monospace">setup.exe</span> only on the Windows variants.</p>

<p class="Indent1"><sup>1</sup> NI-VISA does not support the Windows Server non-R2 editions. </p>

<p class="Indent1"><sup>2</sup> Support for Windows Server 2003 R2 may require disabling physical address extensions (PAE). To learn how this might affect your use of Windows Server 2003 and what actions you might need to take, visit <span class="Monospace">ni.com/info</span> and enter the info code <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/PAESupport" target="_blank">PAESupport</a>.</p>

<h2><a name="SUPPORTED_DEVELOPMENT_ENVIRONMENTS" id="SUPPORTED_DEVELOPMENT_ENVIRONMENTS">NI Application Software Support</a></h2>

<p>NI-VISA for Windows supports the following development environments. If you are not using NI application software, refer to <em>Microsoft Visual Studio Support</em>.</p>

<table class="Bordered">
	<tr>
		<th class="Bordered">NI Application Software</th>
		<th class="Bordered">Versions Supported by NI-VISA</th>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td class="Bordered">LabVIEW</td>
		<td class="Bordered">2015/2014/2013/2012</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td class="Bordered">LabWindows/CVI</td>
		<td class="Bordered">2015/2013/2012/2010</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td class="Bordered">Measurement Studio</td>
		<td class="Bordered">2013/2012/2010/2009</td>
	</tr>
</table>
<h3>Measurement Studio Examples</h3>
<p>The directories that the Measurement Studio examples install to depends on which component is installed, the version of Visual Studio or the .NET Framework the example supports, the version of Measurement Studio installed, and the operating system. For detailed information on examples for Measurement Studio, refer to <em>Where to Find Examples</em> in the <em>NI Measurement Studio Help</em>.</p>

<h3>Microsoft Visual Studio Support</h3>
<p>The following table lists the programming languages and Microsoft Visual Studio versions supported by this version of NI-VISA. Earlier versions of NI-VISA support other application software and language versions. For more information on Visual Studio compatibility with earlier versions of VISA, refer to <span class="Monospace">ni.com/info</span> and enter the info code <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/NETlegacydrivers" target="_blank">NETlegacydrivers</a>. To find and download an earlier version of a driver, refer to <a href="http://ni.com/downlaods" target="_blank">ni.com/downloads</a>.</p>

<table class="Bordered">
<tr>
	<th class="Bordered">Programming Language</th>
	<th class="Bordered">Visual Studio Versions Support by NI-VISA</th></tr>
<tr>
	<td class="Bordered">Visual C++ MFC<sup>1</sup></td>
	<td class="Bordered">2008<sup>2</sup></td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<td class="Bordered">.NET Framework 3.5 Languages<br>
(Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET)
</td>
	<td class="Bordered">2008</td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<td class="Bordered">.NET Framework 4.0 Languages<br>
(Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET)
</td>
	<td class="Bordered">2010<sup>3</sup></td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<td class="Bordered">.NET Framework 4.5 Languages<br>
(Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET)
</td>
	<td class="Bordered">2012<sup>4</sup></td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<td class="Bordered" colspan="2"><sup>1</sup> NI-VISA includes limited support for Visual Studio C++ MFC. For more information, visit <span class="Monospace">ni.com/info</span> and enter the info code <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/visamvs03" target="_blank">visamvs03</a>.<br>

<sup>2</sup> Requires Measurement Studio 8.6 &#8212; Measurement Studio 2009.<br>

<sup>3</sup> With Windows XP, Service Pack 3 or later is required.<br>

<sup>4</sup> Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, or Windows Server 2008 R2 is required.<br>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
 <p>If you are using the NI-VISA .NET Library, the .NET 3.5 Framework, .NET 4.0 Framework, or .NET 4.5 Framework is required.</p>

<p>Support for 64-bit applications is available in NI-VISA 4.5.1 and later for Visual Studio 2008 support, NI-VISA 5.0.3 and later for Visual Studio 2010 support, and NI-VISA 5.4 and later for Visual Studio 2012 support.
</p>

<h2><a name="INSTALLING_AND_UNINSTALLING_NI-VISA" id="INSTALLING_AND_UNINSTALLING_NI-VISA">Installing and Uninstalling NI-VISA</a></h2>

<p>Before you install NI-VISA 15.0, NI recommends that you uninstall any versions of VISA prior to NI-VISA 2.0.1.</p>

<p>After uninstalling NI-VISA, some DLLs and executables may remain in the NI-VISA directories. To complete the uninstall process, you must restart your machine.</p>

<p><strong>Note:</strong> The uninstaller application does not notify you when rebooting is necessary. If you plan to reinstall NI-VISA, you always should reboot the machine after running the uninstaller.</p>
<h3><a name="SUPPORT_FOR_AGILENT_HP_CONTROLLERS" id="SUPPORT_FOR_AGILENT_HP_CONTROLLERS">Agilent/HP Controller Support</a></h3>

<p>NI-VISA now works with Agilent/HP GPIB and VXI controller cards. To use this feature, go into MAX, select <strong>Tools&#0187;NI-VISA&#0187;VISA Options</strong>, choose the <strong>Passports</strong> tab, and enable the <span class="Monospace">NiVisaTulip.dll</span> Passport. NI-VISA automatically finds and accesses any GPIB or VXI devices. However, NI-VISA does not configure the Agilent/HP hardware; you still must do that with the Agilent/HP I/O Config utility.</p>

<p>If you have both NI and Agilent/HP controllers in the same system, you must configure the cards at different system addresses, such as GPIB0 and GPIB1. If both vendors try to use the same interface address, NI-VISA reports an error from <span class="Monospace">viFindRsrc</span> or VISA Find Resources.</p>

<!-- <h3><a name="USING_viPeekXX_viPokeXX_MACROS" id="USING_viPeekXX_viPokeXX_MACROS">Using viPeekXX/viPokeXX Macros</a></h3>

 <p>Users who want to use the <span class="Monospace">viPeekXX</span>/<span class="Monospace">viPokeXX</span> macros for platforms on which the macros are available must define a macro called <span class="Monospace">NIVISA_PEEKPOKE</span> before including <span class="Monospace">visa.h</span>. Note that the macros are currently available on only the Win32 platform (all C/C++ compilers).</p>

 <p>If you have used these macros with a version of NI-VISA prior to 2.0, your application will continue to run, but the peek/poke performance decreases. You should relink with the libraries supplied with this installation to regain the prior peek/poke performance.</p> -->

<h3><a name="WHQL_SIGNING_USB_HARDWARE" id="WHQL_SIGNING_USB_HARDWARE">WHQL Signing USB Hardware</a></h3>

<p>To WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) sign your USB hardware using the NI-VISA driver for Windows XP/2000, as part of this process you need a PDB (Program Database) file for the underlying driver (<span class="Monospace">NiViUsbK.sys</span>).</p>

<p><span class="Monospace">NiViUsbK.pdb</span> is provided for this purpose. It is in <span class="Monospace-italic">&lt;NI-VISA Installation Directory&gt;</span><span class="Monospace">\WinNT\NIvisa\USB</span>.</p>

<h3><a name="CREATING_AND_DIGITALLY_SIGNING_CATALOG_FILES" id="CREATING_AND_DIGITALLY_SIGNING_CATALOG_FILES">Creating and Digitally Signing Catalog Files</a></h3>

<p><span class="Platform">(Windows Vista, Windows 7)</span> If you generate an INF file using the NI-VISA Driver Wizard, the INF file installs correctly by itself. However, a warning dialog notifies you that Windows cannot verify the publisher of this driver software. To avoid this dialog, you must create and digitally sign a Windows Catalog (<span class="Monospace">.cat</span>) file.</p>
<p><span class="Platform">(Windows 8.<em>x</em>)</span> If you generate an INF file using the NI-VISA Driver Wizard, you must create and digitally sign a Windows Catalog (<span class="Monospace">.cat</span>) file before you can install the INF file on a Windows 8.<em>x</em> machine. For more information about digitally signing a <span class="Monospace">.cat</span> file for Windows 8.<em>x</em>, visit <span class="Monospace">ni.com/info</span> and enter the Info Code <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/INFWin8" target="_blank">INFWin8</a>.</p>
<p>For more information about creating and signing catalog files, Microsoft has a <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/ex8kei
" target="_blank">Kernel-Mode Code Signing Walkthrough</a> whitepaper that describes the details of this process. The generated catalog file should reference only the INF file.</p>

<h2><a name="KNOWN_ISSUES" id="KNOWN_ISSUES">Known Issues and Bug Fixes</a></h2>
<p>For a list of Known Issues of NI-VISA 15.0, visit <span class="Monospace">ni.com/info</span> and enter the Info Code <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/NIVISA150KnownIssues" target="_blank">NIVISA150KnownIssues</a>.</p>
<p>For a list of Bug Fixes for NI-VISA, visit <span class="Monospace">ni.com/info</span> and enter the Info Code <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/NIVISAFixList" target="_blank">NIVISAFixList</a>.</p>
<!--Critical updates-->

<h2><a name="updates"></a>Product Security and Critical Updates</h2>

<p>Visit <a href="http://www.ni.com/security" target="_blank">ni.com/security</a> to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. Visit <a href="http://ni.com/critical-updates" target="_blank">ni.com/critical-updates</a> for information about critical updates from NI.</p>

<h2><a name="IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">New Features and Improvements</a></h2>
<h3>NI-VISA 15.0</h3>
<p>Added support for the industry standard API for VISA .NET as specified by the IVI Foundation in VPP 4.3.6. NI recommends this API for developing new .NET applications using NI-VISA. Support for the legacy VisaNS API will be removed in a future release. For more information about upgrading from VisaNS to the new VISA .NET API, visit <span class="Monospace">ni.com/info</span> and enter the Info Code <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/VISANETUpgrade" target="_blank">VISANETUpgrade</a>.</p>
<h3>NI-VISA 14.0</h3>
	 <p>Added support for NI Linux Real-Time x64.</p>
<p>Added support for viMapTrigger and viAssertTrigger on PXI resources to use PXI-9 compliant trigger managers if available.</p>
<p>Added support for viGpibControlREN on TCPIP resources that use the VXI-11 protocol.</p>
<h3>NI-VISA 5.4</h3>
<p>Added support for NI Linux Real-Time.</p>
<h3>NI-VISA 5.3</h3>
<p>Improved performance of viRead for a HiSLIP resource.</p>
<h3>NI-VISA 5.2</h3>
<p>Added support for IVI VISA Plug-in specification. NI-VISA 5.2 can enumerate and communicate with third-party PCI/PXI devices with specification-compliant plug-ins that are installed on the system.</p>
<p>Improved performance of viWrite for a HiSLIP resource.</p>
<h3>NI-VISA 5.1</h3>
<p>Added support for HiSLIP.</p>
<p>Added support for USB resources on PharLap-based LabVIEW RT targets.</p>
<p>Updated the VISA Interactive Control stand-alone application. Refer to the <em>NI-VISA Help</em> for more information on the updates to VISAIC.</p>
<h3>NI-VISA 5.0.3</h3>
<p>Added support for .NET Framework 4.0</p>
<h3><a name="NI-VISA_5.0.1_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_5.0.1_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 5.0.1</a></h3>

<p>Added support for IPxi interface in VISA-COM layer.</p>

<h3><a name="NI-VISA_5.0_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_5.0_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 5.0</a></h3>

<p>Added the ability to launch Instrument Driver Finder from MAX.</p>

<p>Added a page in the Driver Development Wizard to auto-detect USB devices and auto-populate device info.</p>

<p>Added the ability to custom install VISA passports on Real-Time targets.</p>

 <p>Added support for 64-bit formatted I/O.</p>

<p>Added the ability to configure IEEE 1588-2008 clocks on networks.</p>

<h3><a name="NI-VISA_4.6.2_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_4.6.2_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 4.6.2</a></h3>

<p>Added support for Windows 7 (32-bit version), Windows 7 x64 Edition (64-bit version), Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit version only), and Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit version only).</p>

<h3><a name="NI-VISA_4.5.1_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_4.5.1_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 4.5.1</a></h3>

<p>Added support for 64-bit user mode in .NET 3.5 Framework. You can now create 64-bit applications with .NET Framework 3.5. For additional information, refer to <em>Working with 64-bit .NET Support for NI-VISA</em> in the <em>NI-VISA .NET Framework 3.5 Help</em>. This help file is installed by default at <strong>Start&#0187;All Programs&#0187;National Instruments&#0187;VISA&#0187;Documentation&#0187;NI-VISA .NET Framework 3.5 Help</strong>. </p>

<h3><a name="NI-VISA_4.5_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_4.5_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 4.5</a></h3>

<p>Added a page in MAX to allow viewing and changing the <span class="Monospace">Conflict Resolution Manager</span> settings.</p>

<h3><a name="NI-VISA_4.4_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_4.4_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 4.4</a></h3>

<p>Added support for using NI-VISA with 64-bit applications on Windows Vista x64 Edition. VXI, GPIB-VXI, and FireWire resources are not currently supported for 64-bit applications.</p>

<p>Added automatic detection of LXI (TCP/IP) devices that support the mDNS and DNS-SD technologies.</p>

<p>Added support for USB and TCP/IP resources on VxWorks-based LabVIEW RT targets.</p>


<h3><a name="NI-VISA_4.3_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_4.3_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 4.3</a></h3>

<p>When using the <span class="Monospace">MAX Copy Configuration</span> API, you can now specify <span class="Monospace">"ni-visa"</span> as the product. All documented modes are supported.</p>


<h3><a name="NI-VISA_4.2_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_4.2_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 4.2</a></h3>

<p>The default installation directory has changed from <span class="Monospace">"C:\VXIPNP"</span> to <span class="Monospace">"C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA"</span>. Upgrades over previous versions of NI-VISA use the previous installation directory.</p>

<p>The default path to the configuration file <span class="Monospace">visaconf.ini</span> has changed to <span class="Monospace">"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\National Instruments\NIvisa"</span> on Windows XP/2000 and to <span class="Monospace">"C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\NIvisa"</span> on Windows Vista.</p>

<p>Added support for Windows Mobile 5.0 on x86 processors.</p>

<h3><a name="NI-VISA_4.1_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_4.1_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 4.1</a></h3>

<p>The NI-VISA Driver Wizard generates new INF files that work on Vista. If you want to run your VISA based drivers on Vista that previously required an INF file, you will need to regenerate a new INF file using the new Driver Wizard.</p>

<p>On Pocket PC 2003/Windows Mobile 5.0 devices, the NI-VISA configuration file <span class="Monospace">visaconf.ini</span> was installed as read-only. This caused problems with serial port detection. Now it is writable.</p>

<p>In MAX, the IP address of TCPIP INSTR and SOCKET resources was not shown when the resource was configuring using a hostname. This IP address is now shown.</p>

<p>NI-VISA Server now warns if it is launched and there are no permissions set to allow clients to connect.</p>

<p>The NI-VISA Driver Wizard now has an option for PXI Express devices that provide a way to read the slot number using a sequence of register-level accesses.</p>

<p>The enabled/disabled state of Passports is preserved across upgrades of NI-VISA.</p>



<h3><a name="NI-VISA_4.0_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES" id="NI-VISA_4.0_IMPROVEMENTS_AND_BUG_FIXES">NI-VISA 4.0</a></h3>

<p>Added support for 64-bit data transfers in register-based operations, to support the VISA 4.0 specification.</p>

<h2><a name="driver">Driver Version Naming Changes</a></h2>


<p>NI-VISA versions are now aligned with the versions of major NI application software products. This alignment gives you information about the year the driver was released and the most recent software version the driver was designed to work with. Driver versions now start with a two-digit year indicator: &lt;ProductName&gt;&lt;Year-BasedVersion&gt;. For example, NI-VISA 15.0.0 is the version released with LabVIEW 2015. The last version released under the old numbering scheme is NI-VISA 5.4. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is NI-VISA 14.0.0.</p>

<h2><a name="autoinstall">Automating the Installation of NI Products</a></h2>
<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:</p>
<ul>
<li>For more information about silent installations of individual NI products, refer to KB 4CJDP38M, <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/InstallerAutomation" target="_blank">Automating the Installation of a Single Installer</a>.</li>
<li>For more information about silent installations of NI products in a suite, such as NI Developer Suite, refer to KB 4GGGDQH0, <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/SuiteInstallerAutomation" target="_blank">Automating the Installation of a Suited Installer</a>.</li>
<li>To determine what version of NI Installers your product contains, refer to KB 4CJDR18M, <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/InstallerVersion" target="_blank">How Can I Determine the Type and Version of My National Instruments Installer?</a>.</li>
</ul>

<!-- Windows 8 Support Information-->
<h2><a name="win8">How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.<em>x</em></a></h2>

<p>When you install NI software on Microsoft Windows 8.<em>x</em>, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as LabVIEW, Measurement &amp; Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher.</p>

<h3>Using NI Launcher</h3>
<p>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 Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the <strong>NI Launcher</strong> tile in the Apps view. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.</p>

<table class="Borderless">
<tr>
<td><strong>Note</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;NI MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Microsoft Windows 8.<em>x</em>. You can launch NI MAX either from the Apps view or from within NI Launcher. </td>
</tr>
</table>
<h3>Pinning Frequently Used Applications</h3>
<p>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:</p>
<table class="Bordered">
	<tr><td class="Bordered"><strong>Current Application</strong></td><td class="Bordered"><strong>Icon Location</strong></td><td class="Bordered"><strong>Pin to Action</strong></td></tr>
	<tr>
<td class="Bordered">Windows 8.<em>x</em> Desktop</td><td class="Bordered">Desktop Taskbar</td><td class="Bordered">Right-click application and select <strong>Pin to Taskbar</strong></td></tr>
	<tr>
<td class="Bordered">Windows 8.<em>x</em> Desktop</td>
<td class="Bordered">Start screen</td><td class="Bordered">Right-click application and select <strong>Pin to Start</strong></td></tr>
	<tr>
<td class="Bordered">Windows 8.<em>x</em> Start screen</td><td class="Bordered">Desktop Taskbar</td><td class="Bordered">Right-click application and select <strong>Pin to taskbar</strong> from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen</td></tr>
</table>

<h3>Finding All Programs</h3>
<p>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 from the Apps view. To get to the Apps view, right-click anywhere on the Start screen and select <strong>All apps</strong> (Windows 8) or click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen (Windows 8.1).</p>

<p>For more information about NI support for Windows 8.<em>x</em>, visit <a href="http://ni.com/windows8" target="_blank">ni.com/windows8</a>.</p>

<!-- Windows XP support information -->

<a name="OSSupport"></a>

<h2>NI-VISA Drops Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 in 2016</h2>
<p>NI-VISA will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of NI-VISA that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit <a href="http://ni.com/info" target="_blank">ni.com/info</a> and enter one of the following Info Codes:</p>
<table class="Bordered">
	<tr><td class="Bordered"><strong>Product</strong></td>
<td class="Bordered"><strong>Info Code</strong></td></tr>
	<tr><td class="Bordered">LabVIEW</td><td class="Bordered"><a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/lifecycle" target="_blank">lifecycle</a></td></tr>
	<tr><td class="Bordered">LabWindows&#8482;/CVI&#8482;</td><td class="Bordered"><a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/cvi_lifecycle" target="_blank">cvi_lifecycle</a></td></tr>
	<tr><td class="Bordered">Measurement Studio</td><td class="Bordered"><a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/mstudiolifecycle" target="_blank">mstudiolifecycle</a></td></tr>
	<tr><td class="Bordered">TestStand</td><td class="Bordered"><a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/tslcp" target="_blank">tslcp</a></td></tr>
	<tr><td class="Bordered">DIAdem</td><td class="Bordered"><a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/ddlcp" target="_blank">ddlcp</a></td></tr>
	<tr><td class="Bordered">SignalExpress</td><td class="Bordered"><a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/selcp" target="_blank">selcp</a></td></tr>
	<tr><td class="Bordered">VeriStand</td><td class="Bordered"><a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/nivslifecycle" target="_blank">nivslifecycle</a></td></tr>
</table>


<!--Important Information-->
<hr>

<h2><a name="legal">Legal Information</a></h2>
<!--Copyright-->
<p><strong>Copyright</strong></p>
<p>&#0169; 1995&ndash;2015 National Instruments. All rights reserved.</p>

<p>Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.</p>

<p>National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same.  NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.  Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.</p>

<p><strong>End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices</strong></p>
<p>You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:</p>
<ul>
<li>Notices are located in the <span class="Monospace">&lt;National Instruments&gt;\_Legal Information</span> and <span class="Monospace">&lt;National Instruments&gt;</span> directories.</li>
<li>EULAs are located in the <span class="Monospace">&lt;National Instruments&gt;\Shared\MDF\Legal\license</span> directory.</li>
<li>Review <span class="Monospace">&lt;National Instruments&gt;\_Legal Information.txt</span> for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>U.S. Government Restricted Rights</strong></p>
<p>If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government (&quot;Government&quot;), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.</p>

<p><strong>IVI Foundation Copyright Notice</strong></p>

<p><span class="DNL">Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.</span></p>

<p><span class="DNL">The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.</span></p>


<!--Trademarks-->
<p><strong>Trademarks</strong></p>

<p>Refer to the <em><span class="DNL">NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines</span></em> at <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/rdtrad" target="_blank"><span class="DNL">ni.com/trademarks</span></a> for information on <span class="DNL">National Instruments</span> trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.</p>

<!--Patents-->
<p><strong>Patents</strong></p>
<p>For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: <strong>Help&#0187;Patents</strong> in your software, the <span class="Monospace">patents.txt</span> file on your media, or the <em>National Instruments Patent Notice</em> at <a href="http://digital.ni.com/express.nsf/bycode/rdlv17" target="_blank">ni.com/patents</a>.</p>

<p>374899B-01</p>
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