System Checks fail

[Altera_Forum]

Preperations: 

I followed the usual work flow: Generate Qsys system > Update the Qsys-Block in the Quartus Project >Build Quartus Project > Use Programmer to write the hardware on the FPGA > Generate the BSP in NIOS > Build the BSP > Build the NIOS project > Run the program as NIOS II Hardware.   Problem: On NIOS: While trying to run the software: run as > NIOS II Hardware:  System timestamp mismatch - connected: "0", expected: "1370531175". When ignoring the timestamp mismatch the system ID still does not match: The expected Stdout device name does not match the selected target byte stream device name.  Usually those mismatches indicate that there is a problem between the "hardware" and the "software" part. However I am totally sure that I have not mixed my projects up.  Ignoring both errors results in another error on runtime: Downloading ELF Process failed ----------- [EDIT] According to alteraforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35610&page=2 (see the first reply) these errors might be caused by an error in the "TimeQuest Timing Analyzer".

[Altera_Forum]

I FOUND THE PROBLEM: 

 When there is a timestamp mismatch, this indicates that the "hardware" that was programmed on the FPGA does not match the "hardware" that is attributed in the NIOS project. Somehow the Quartus programmer stored an old path of the hardware's .sof file. Reloading to correct file solved the problem.