Output Files Background

NI-VISA

Output Files Background

To make your PXI/PCI, USB, or FireWire device visible to NI-VISA applications, the OS must know to associate your hardware with the NI-VISA driver. This association is accomplished on Microsoft Windows operating systems via the Setup Information File (.inf file).

The NI-VISA Driver Wizard will generate these Setup Information files for you. The format and handling of each file varies depending on the operating system version. The NI-VISA Driver Wizard generates .inf files for the following operating systems depending on the selected bus:

PXI/PCI

  • Windows Vista/XP/2000
  • LabVIEW RT
  • Mac OS X
  • Linux

USB

  • Windows Vista/XP/2000

FireWire

  • Windows Vista/XP/2000
  • LabVIEW RT

When the operating system scans the hardware bus, if a new piece of hardware is detected, the OS will compare that device's characteristics with the contents of the <Windows>\inf directory. For PXI/PCI devices, the hardware bus is scanned by the operating system at boot time. For USB devices, the hardware bus is scanning whenever a device is plugged in. If a .inf file is found that describes the newly detected hardware, the OS will execute the driver-specific portion of the .inf file (for example, adding registry entries and copying files).