Quartus Prime Lite crash after programming the DE10 Lite

[Björn1]

Hello! 

I am a student very new to programming FPGA:s and I have a DE10-Lite in Quartus Prime Lite 24.1, the latest version you can download from the Intel website.

My computer runs Windows 11 home with OS version 26100.4946, I have enough disk space for Quartus and I have followed 3 different installation tutorials on how to install Quartus Prime Lite as well as how to install the USB blaster software.

Despite all of this the program always ends up not responding after I:

1: Create a new project

2: Add the relevant file, so far I am only trying to get an LED to light up with the flip of switch 0.
3: I compile the design

4: I put the correct pins to the correct inputs and outputs.
So far everything works fine

5: I program the FPGA, the program is transferred successfully. 

6: However when I exit the programmer, WHATEVER I try to do next makes Quartus become unresponsive and I need to restart the software.

This has happened maybe 10 times now, so I am wondering if there is some workaround I need to know about to make things work properly.

Regards,
Björn

[sstrell]

So it's only when you close the Programmer?  If you start Quartus and then go right to the Programmer and program your device, then close the Programmer, same thing happens?

It could just be a bad installation of Quartus or the USB Blaster drivers.

[Björn1]

Hello!
Yes the same thing happens when I go directly to the programmer. I have tried doing it with different projects as well.

I installed Quartus by itself and downloaded the Max drivers separately which might be the problem?

Can you tell me how to install the usb drivers correctly just to make sure I have done it properly?

Cheers,
Björn

[sstrell]

You are given the option to install the USB Blaster drivers at the end of the Quartus installation.

I forget if the newer installer app allows you to choose this up front at the start of installation instead.

[Björn1]

Yes I installed it at the end, i have tried re-installing the "bundle" version of Quartus today but still the same issue.
To be clear I CAN program the FPGA. 

It is when I leave this: 

That the Quartus stops responding. To me this "feels" more like a Quartus problem than a USB problem but I am not sure of course.

Then I would have solved it myself haha

[RichardTanSY_Altera · Accepted solution]

Could you open the Programmer standalone without invoking Quartus in the first place?

Will you observe the same issue happening when exiting the programmer software?

There are a few things that you can troubleshoot:

1. Try restarting Quartus and your computer. This can help clear any temporary issues that may be causing the error.

2. Check your system resources, including memory, CPU usage, and disk space. Make sure you have enough available resources to run Quartus.

3. Try disabling any antivirus or firewall software temporarily, as they may be interfering with Quartus.

4. Run Quartus as administrator. 

5. Disable all the software running behind in the background.

6. Try Quartus Prime Lite 22.1 or 23.1 instead

7. Test on a different computer – If possible, ask a classmate to try your setup on their machine to rule out system-specific issues.

Regards,

Richard Tan

[Björn1]

Hi Richard!

Big thank you, reverting back to 23.1 worked like a charm!

Regards,

Björn

[RichardTanSY_Altera]

Thank you for acknowledging the solution provided. I'm pleased to know that your issue has been addressed. 

If anyone has a similar issue as the original poster (OP), please leave a comment so I can get a sense of how many people are affected.

For now, I will transitioning this thread to community support. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. Please login to https://supporttickets.intel.com/s/?language=en_US , view details of the desire request, and post a feed/response within the next 15 days to allow me to continue to support you. After 15 days, this thread will be transitioned to community support.

The community users will be able to help you on your follow-up questions.

Thank you and have a great day!

Best Regards,

Richard Tan

[jdomingo]

I am seeing this issue on all of my lab's computers with Quartus Prime Lite 24. Computers are on Windows 11 24H2. It seems a specific workflow causes Quartus to become unresponsive.

Launch Quartus > Launch Programmer through Quartus (Tools > Programmer) > Close Programmer (immediate close, no issue) > Attempt to close Quartus (via File > Exit or with X in top right); Quartus becomes unresponsive and needs a force close.

Issue occurs with and without loading/running a project in Quartus and/or Programmer, though we did try relocating the project files to a more straightforward location and running them from there.

Issue occurs with and without have a Cyclone device connected to the computer.

Issue occurs with and without launching Quartus with admin rights and/or on an admin profile.

USB Blaster drivers have been tried with "bundle" installation and manual installation.

Workflows that do work:

Launch Quartus > Launch Programmer from Quartus > Close Quartus; which prompts to close both Quartus and Programmer > Both apps close with no issue.

Launching Quartus and Programmer as separate apps in either order allows either/both apps to be closed cleanly in any order.

For now, these workarounds are acceptable to our users.

Using Quartus Prime Lite 23, the issue does not happen on the same computers, same process--though we would prefer not to revert back to version 23.