Fixing WinCC V6.2 SQL Server 2005 and MSMQ Installation Errors

Problem Overview

Installing SIMATIC WinCC V6.2 on a workstation running Windows XP Professional SP2 aborts the setup routine with a blocking prerequisite check. Two distinct error messages are reported in sequence by the WinCC Setup dialog:

1. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 (Instance WinCC) is not installed.
2. Microsoft Message Queuing 5.0 (MSMQ) is not installed.

The WinCC Setup (the Setup.exe bootstrapper launched from the installation DVD or the mounted ISO image) refuses to continue past the "Checking installation prerequisites" stage and rolls back any partial component installation. In most reported cases, the user has formatted the workstation one or more times attempting to clear the failure, only to encounter the identical block.

Root Cause Analysis

WinCC V6.2 is not a single self-contained installer. It is a composite installation that depends on three external Microsoft components, which must be present and correctly registered before the main WinCC setup will commit to installing the HMI/SCADA runtime and the configuration studio:

The error "Microsoft SQL Server 2005 (Instanz Wincc)" shown by the German-locale setup is a literal translation of the prerequisite check that looks for the registry key:

If that key (or its WOW6432Node equivalent on 64-bit hosts) is absent, the WinCC Setup concludes that the dedicated SQL Server 2005 named instance "WinCC" has never been installed. The check is not satisfied by a default SQL Server 2000/2005/2008/Express install of any other name — only the WinCC-named instance, installed from the WinCC media, counts.

The MSMQ 5.0 check looks for the service MSMQ (Service Control Manager display name: Message Queuing) and the corresponding binary %SystemRoot%\System32\mqsvc.exe. If MSMQ is disabled at install time or has been removed by an aggressive imaging/deployment script, the WinCC Setup will block.

Affected Versions and Operating System Compatibility

Per the original WinCC V6.2 release notes and the Siemens Industry Online Support compatibility matrix:

For the scenario described, Windows XP Professional SP3 is the safest target. SP2 will install but is known to trigger additional MSXML and COM+ hotfix prompts. SP3 is pre-loaded with the required MSMQ 5.0 binaries and DCOM hardening fixes that WinCC V6.2 expects.

Hardware Prerequisites

Step-by-Step Resolution

Follow this order strictly. The WinCC Setup will not repair prerequisites after the main product installation has started.

1. Prepare the Windows XP Workstation

1. Install Windows XP Professional with at least SP2 integrated (slipstreamed). Apply Windows XP SP3 if possible.
2. Open Control Panel → Security Center → Windows Firewall and either disable the firewall or open TCP port 1433 (SQL Server default) and 50000+ (WinCC internal).
3. Open Control Panel → System → Computer Name and assign a fixed computer name of ≤ 15 characters with no special characters. The WinCC computer name is written into the registry and cannot contain dashes or underscores.
4. Verify that the logged-in user is a member of the local Administrators group. WinCC Setup will fail the UAC/elevation check on a limited account.

2. Install Microsoft Message Queuing 5.0

1. Open Control Panel → Add or Remove Programs → Add/Remove Windows Components.
2. Check the box Message Queuing. Click Details.
3. Enable Common sub-components. Do not enable Active Directory integration on a standalone workstation (it requires a domain controller and will hang the install).
4. Click OK → Next. Insert the Windows XP CD or point to C:\i386 if prompted. The MSMQ binaries total ~5 MB.
5. Reboot. Confirm the service is running: sc query msmq should report STATE: 4 RUNNING.

3. Mount the WinCC V6.2 Installation Media

1. Insert the SIMATIC WinCC V6.2 DVD or mount the ISO (e.g., WinCC_V6.2.iso).
2. Open the root and verify the folders: InstData\SQLServer2005, InstData\DotNetFramework, InstData\WinCC, InstData\Options.
3. If the media is a redistributable copy without the SQL Server folder, the install cannot complete — obtain the full DVD from the local Siemens representative or via the SIOS portal with a valid license.

4. Pre-install SQL Server 2005 (WinCC Instance) Manually

This is the step most often missed. The named instance is bundled in \InstData\SQLServer2005\Setup\ as a standalone installer.

1. Browse to D:\InstData\SQLServer2005\Setup\ and run SQLServer2005_SqlRun_01.msi first, followed by SQLServer2005_SqlRun_02.msi, then the remaining MSI files in numeric order.
2. When prompted for the instance name, the WinCC media is pre-configured to WinCC. Do not change the instance name. The registry check, the runtime database, and the WinCCExplorer configuration all hard-code this string.
3. Select the authentication mode Windows Authentication (the default). Mixed-mode is not required and can be left disabled for security.
4. Set the SQL service account to Local System or to a dedicated SQLSvc_WinCC domain account. Do not use the Administrator account.
5. After installation, verify the instance is registered: open Start → Programs → Microsoft SQL Server 2005 → SQL Server Configuration Manager → SQL Server 2005 Services. The service SQL Server (WinCC) must be Running.
6. Verify the registry key: regedit → HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\WinCC should exist with a value Installed = 1.

5. Install .NET Framework 2.0 SP1

1. Browse to D:\InstData\DotNetFramework and run NetFx20SP1_x86.exe (or dotnetfx35.exe on WinCC V6.2 SP2+).
2. Accept the license and let the installer complete. Reboot if prompted.

6. Launch the WinCC V6.2 Main Setup

1. From the DVD root, run Setup.exe as Administrator.
2. Choose the installation language and click Next.
3. In the Installation Type dialog, select either WinCC Installation (single-station SCADA), WinCC Client, or WinCC Server depending on the project role.
4. When the SQL Server 2005 sub-dialog appears, accept the license agreement. The pre-installed WinCC instance is detected and reused; the setup does not re-install it.
5. Continue through the remaining dialogs. If a yellow warning triangle appears for the firewall, allow the WinCC ports (default 80, 102, 50000+) to be opened.
6. After the file copy phase, the setup registers DCOM components, creates the SIMATIC WinCC service group, and starts CCAgent.
7. Reboot. The installation is complete when WinCC Explorer opens without raising a license/runtime fault.

Verification

Run the following checks to confirm a clean install:

1. Service Check: services.msc → confirm CCAgent, CCEServer, SQL Server (WinCC), and Message Queuing are all Started and set to Automatic.
2. SQL Connection: From the command line, run sqlcmd -S .\WinCC -E and execute SELECT @@VERSION;. The result should report Microsoft SQL Server 2005 – 9.00.xxxx.xx.
3. WinCC Explorer: Launch from Start → SIMATIC → WinCC → WinCC Explorer. Create a test project of type Single-User Project. If the project activates without error, the runtime database is correctly linked to the WinCC instance.
4. Alarm Logging: Open Alarm Logging editor and add a discrete alarm. Activate the runtime. Trigger the alarm from a connected PLC or internal tag. The message must appear in the WinCC Alarm Control within 2 seconds, confirming MSMQ is wired to the alarm pipeline.
5. Log File: Review C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\Diagnose\WinCC_SStart_xx.log. The boot sequence should end with "All services started successfully" and no error codes between 0x8004xxxx and 0xC0000001.

Common Setup Error Codes and Resolutions

Troubleshooting Matrix

Recommended Windows Target for a Clean Install

For a new engineering workstation that must run WinCC V6.2 today, the recommended target is:

1. Windows XP Professional SP3 (32-bit) — best compatibility, all WinCC V6.2 SPs qualified. This is the OS the original poster was using and it is fully supported.
2. Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 (32-bit) — preferred for WinCC Server / redundancy configurations, since Server 2003 provides a stable DCOM and MSMQ stack that WinCC V6.2 was extensively tested on.

Post-Install Hardening

1. Apply the latest WinCC V6.2 Service Pack (SP3 is the final) and the corresponding hotfix set from SIOS. Search entry ID 17596214 collects the full V6.2 SP3 patch list.
2. Lock down the SQL Server 2005 WinCC instance: remove the BUILTIN\Administrators SQL login, keep only the WinCC service account, and disable the sa account if Mixed-Mode was inadvertently enabled.
3. Exclude the WinCC project directory \<ProjectName>\ and \Siemens\Automation\WinCC\ from real-time antivirus scanning — on-access scans corrupt the archive database during high-rate logging.
4. Schedule a nightly backup of the WinCC archive database with sqlcmd -S .\WinCC -E -Q "BACKUP DATABASE [CC_<ProjectName>_<Date>_<Time>] TO DISK='D:\Backup\<file>.bak'" via Task Scheduler.

Alternative: Buying the Correct Media

Field engineers who cannot resolve the SQL Server 2005 sub-installer from a borrowed DVD should request the full SIMATIC WinCC V6.2 DVD Set (6AV6 371-1BC06-2Exx) from the local Siemens sales office. The package contains:

• WinCC V6.2 installation DVD (the one with all sub-folders)
• WinCC V6.2 Options DVD (for redundancy, WebNavigator, Connectivity Pack, etc.)
• License certificate (CoL) and Automation License Manager USB or download license
• Quick-start poster and installation manual (German/English/French)

The "Instance WinCC" sub-package is only shipped on the full WinCC V6.2 media. Standalone SQL Server 2005 retail media will not satisfy the WinCC prerequisite check because the instance name will not match.

FAQ