This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for Circuit Design Suite 14.3.
You can find more release information on ni.com.
Circuit Design Suite Release Notes: Known issues, bugs fixed since the last release, and other notes about this release
Overview
System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems
Application Software Support
Installation Instructions
Product Security and Critical Updates
New Features
Behavior Changes
Accessing the Help
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Unsupported Windows Operating Systems
Legal Information
Overview System Requirements
Circuit Design Suite 14.3 has the following minimum requirements:
Pentium 4M or equivalent (32-bit)
Pentium 4 G1 or equivalent (64-bit)
1 GB RAM
2 GB of disk space
1024 x 768 screen resolution
(Optional) LabVIEW 2019 or later, to develop custom LabVIEW-based Multisim instruments
Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for LabVIEW.
Supported Operating Systems
Circuit Design Suite 14.3 supports the following operating systems:
Windows 10
Windows Server 2012 R2
Note Refer to Unsupported Windows Operating Systems for more information about support for Microsoft Windows OSes.
Note Circuit Design Suite no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. Circuit Design Suite 14.3 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use Circuit Design Suite 14.3 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing Circuit Design Suite 14.3, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.
Circuit Design Suite 14.3 supports the following application software versions, including service packs. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.
Application Software
Versions Supported by Circuit Design Suite 14.3
LabVIEW
2019, 2020, 2021
This product no longer supports LabVIEW NXG. Refer to LabVIEW NXG on ni.com for more information about LabVIEW NXG Life-Cycle Dates and driver version support.
Microsoft Visual Studio Support
If you are using the Circuit Design Suite .NET Class Library, .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The Circuit Design Suite 14.3 .NET Class Library can be used with Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET in any Visual Studio version that can target .NET Framework 4.0 or .NET Framework 4.5.
To use the .NET API, you must install the .NET class libraries or the .NET wrapper in addition to the NI device driver. For information about versions of the .NET Framework and the drivers each supports, as well as the download location of the installer files, refer to .NET Resources for NI Hardware and Software.
Installation Instructions
Download the Circuit Design Suite installer from ni.com/downloads. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using Package Manager.
Notes
If Windows Update is enabled, the installation process might hang if Windows Update interferes with the installation of Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Run-Time. Visit ni.com/r/exjq43 for more information and steps to resolve this issue.
If you purchased this product with an NI Software Suite or NI Product Bundle, use the installation media that shipped with your purchase to install this product.
Use the serial number that is included with your software to activate Circuit Design Suite. For more information on Circuit Design Suite activation, refer to Activating a Product.
Installing Multiple Versions
Circuit Design Suite 14.3 installs side-by-side with Circuit Design Suite 13.x and prior.
Archiving Circuit Design Suite databases
NI recommends regularly creating back-ups of files created within the Multisim and Ultiboard components of Circuit Design Suite. Additionally, you should back-up internal files that store user-created data, such as Master, Corporate, and User databases. These files can be found from Options»Global Options»Paths.
Circuit Design Suite 14.3 Updates and Notifications
NI posts information about critical updates and security notifications on ni.com. Visit ni.com/info and enter Info Code updates to access this information.
Updated LabVIEW Compatibility Policy
When installing Circuit Design Suite, the "Circuit Design Suite Support for LabVIEW" package will be recommended if you have already installed LabVIEW 2022 or later and installs to the LVAddons directory. This package supports applications using Circuit Design Suite with LabVIEW 2022 or later.
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. For information about critical updates from NI, refer to Available Critical and Security Updates for NI Software.
New Features
For information on new components, refer to New and Updated Multisim Database Components and Models.
For information on new Multisim Desktop components, refer to: NI Multisim Components and Models.
Updated obsolescence information for components.
Behavior Changes
Removed deprecated MCU module.
Accessing the Help
For more information on the Circuit Design Suite, refer to Getting Started with NI Circuit Design Suite. Access this guide by clicking Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Circuit Design Suite 14.3 Documentation»Getting Started.
For more information on NI Multisim, refer to the Multisim Help, accessible in the application from Help»Multisim help.
For more information on NI Ultiboard, refer to the Ultiboard Help, accessible in the application from Help»Ultiboard help.
Automating the Installation of NI Products
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.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.6.2, 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 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager manual.
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
For more information about NI support for Windows 10, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 10.
Unsupported Windows Operating Systems
Circuit Design Suite no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, may not install or execute correctly on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.
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.
NI 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.
End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:
Notices are located in the \_Legal Information and directories.
EULAs are located in the \Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
Review \_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.
U.S. Government Restricted Rights
If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), 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.
IVI Foundation Copyright Notice
Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.
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.
Trademarks
Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
Patents
For patents covering the NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.