NI recommends that you do not install a deployment that includes NI drivers or components on the build computer, which is the computer on which you are running the TestStand Deployment Utility to build a custom installer for deploying TestStand systems. If you have already installed a deployment on the build computer, NI recommends that you uninstall it. Use the NI Device Driver DVD that ships with TestStand, or a later version of the driver DVD, to reinstall the drivers/components you want to include in the custom installer the deployment utility builds.

If the version of the NI product installed on the build computer and on the test station computer do not match, the installer updates the test station computer with the version included in the installer. If the test station computer contains the later version, the installer does nothing.

If you choose to include drivers or components from a previous deployment in a TestStand installer, such as those the deployment utility builds, you might encounter the following problems:

• The custom installer is missing features—A custom installer that you build contains only those features that also have their dependencies installed on the build computer. For example, NI-DAQmx contains LabVIEW Real-Time drivers that depend on the LabVIEW Real-Time Module. If the LabVIEW Real-Time Module is not installed on the build computer, the custom installer will not contain the LabVIEW Real-Time drivers.
• The custom installer removes features from the test station computer—The test station computer contains a feature from an older NI product and that feature was not included in the installer. For example, NI-DAQmx 7.1 with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module is installed on the test station computer. The build computer has NI-DAQmx 8.0 without the LabVIEW Real-Time Module. The LabVIEW Real-Time drivers are removed from the test station computer because they depend on the LabVIEW Real-Time Module and the LabVIEW Real-Time Module was not included in the installer. NI-DAQmx 7.1 is also updated to NI-DAQmx 8.0.

  Therefore, a custom installer you build might uninstall components or features on the test station computer without reinstalling updated versions of those components. As part of the installation process, the installer launches a dialog box that lists what features the installer will uninstall and allows the user to continue or quit the installation.