Unfixable BUG:  ASUS Motherboards do not work with National Instruments M-Series Boards

 

I have found that WinLTP using a National Instruments M-Series board does NOT run on computers using an ASUS motherboard.  When the MainProtocol run button is pressed, the program immediately hangs up and a National Instruments NIDAQmx StatusCode error of -200016 appears in a dialog box.  WinLTP has so far only been shown to fail on two ASUS motherboards, the ASUS PK5-SE and the ASUS P5LD2-SE, but the problem is likely very widespread with ASUS motherboards.  However, the Axon Digidata 1322A board appears to work fine on these problem ASUS motherboards.

The National Instruments MAX (Measurement & Automation Explorer) program also fails to run when outputting 1 AnalogOut channel at >= 33000 samples/sec, so IT IS NOT SPECIFICALLY A WINLTP PROBLEM, but is a National Instruments / ASUS motherboard problem.

National Instruments says the problem is with ASUS motherboards, and I'm sure ASUS would say the problem is with National Instruments data acquisition boards.  However, National Instruments has refused to test ASUS motherboards even though ASUSTek is one of the world's leading, or "the world’s leading motherboard manufacturer" (InfoWorld, 2006).  Amazing.

THE ONLY SOLUTION I KNOW OF IS TO AVOID USING COMPUTERS WITH ASUS MOTHERBOARDS IF YOU ARE USING M-SERIES BOARDS.

 

I also asked National Instruments which motherboards they do recommend, seeing as how the ASUS motherboards do not work.  They would not make any recomendations.  However, in dealing with their testing group, even though they say they test  'lots' of motherboards from 'lots' of manufactures, as far as I can tell they primarily use and test DELL computers (they are both Texas companies).  I myself develop on INTEL motherboards, which are perhaps the gold standard of Windows/Intel computer motherboards, and have had no problems.

So I would primarily recommend DELL and INTEL motherboards, although I have had no reported problems with any motherboards other than ASUS motherboards.

 


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