Installing STEP 7 V12 and TIA Portal V12 Trial Compatibility

Overview

Engineers upgrading or maintaining mixed Siemens automation environments frequently need to run multiple STEP 7 and TIA Portal versions on a single engineering workstation. STEP 7 V12 (released as part of the TIA Portal V12 family in 2012) is a legacy engineering framework that supports S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500 (basic configuration) controllers, WinCC V12 HMI engineering, and Startdrive V12 for SINAMICS G120 drives. Co-installing it with the STEP 7 V12 trial on the same PC is officially supported by Siemens, provided the documented installation order and framework rules are followed.

This reference consolidates the official co-installation rules, the verified antivirus whitelist, the trial license lifecycle (now discontinued), and the migration path to TIA Portal V13 SP1 and later. It targets commissioning engineers and system integrators working with hardware still configured in TIA V12, while transitioning projects to newer engineering software.

Prerequisites

Before attempting a co-installation, verify the following prerequisites on the engineering workstation:

• Windows OS: Windows 7 SP1 (32/64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (64-bit), or Windows 8 (64-bit). 64-bit is strongly recommended for projects exceeding 1 MB of program code.
• CPU: Minimum 2.4 GHz dual-core; 3.0 GHz quad-core recommended when both TIA V12 and legacy STEP 7 V5.5 are active simultaneously.
• RAM: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended (TIA Portal and STEP 7 V5.5 each reserve ~1.5 GB resident set when both editors are open).
• Disk: 12 GB free for TIA Portal V12 base, +3 GB per additional add-in (Startdrive, PLCSIM V12, S7-PLCSIM V5.4).
• Display: 1024 × 768 minimum; 1920 × 1080 recommended for split online/offline views.
• Administrator rights: Local administrator account required for installer, driver, and service registration.
• .NET version: .NET Framework 4.5 (installed automatically by the TIA V12 setup if missing).
• Existing installations: Inventory any current STEP 7 V5.4, V5.5, V11, Micro/WIN, WinCC flexible, or WinCC V7 installations before adding V12.

STEP 7 V12 Product Family and Component Compatibility

STEP 7 V12 is delivered as a unified TIA Portal framework product. The variants in the V12 line are:

The framework uses a shared TIA Portal shell. All variants install into the same directory structure (default C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Portal V12) and share common services (S7DOS, S7EHS, ALM licensing service).

Co-Installation Compatibility Matrix

The following matrix reflects the officially tested co-installation combinations for STEP 7 V12 (incl. WinCC Basic V12). Installations can run in parallel on a single workstation without conflict.

Required Installation Order

While co-installation is supported, sequencing matters when the same framework or shared services are involved. Apply the following order when installing on a clean workstation:

1. Windows updates and .NET 4.5: Apply all critical Windows updates and install .NET Framework 4.5.
2. Legacy STEP 7 first (if present): Install STEP 7 V5.4 or V5.5 in the default folder (C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\SIMATIC Manager). This registers the S7DOS service for legacy MPI/PROFIBUS online interfaces.
3. WinCC V7 / WinCC flexible: Install if SCADA or legacy panel projects must be maintained.
4. STEP 7 Micro/WIN: Install for S7-200 support (uses independent PPI/MPI drivers).
5. STEP 7 V12 (Basic or Professional): Install the TIA Portal V12 framework. The installer detects the prior Siemens installations and configures shared service coexistence.
6. Startdrive V12: Install after STEP 7 V12 completes successfully. The Startdrive setup re-registers the drive library and adds the SINAMICS G120 device catalog.
7. S7-PLCSIM V12: Optional offline simulator; install after the TIA framework.
8. License Activation (Automation License Manager V5.2 SP1): Run ALM, transfer STEP 7 V12 license or trial key to the local license server.

Antivirus Software Compatibility

Siemens tested STEP 7 V12 with the following anti-virus products. Each was validated to allow TIA Portal installation, project open/save, online download to PLC, and firmware update operations.

Trial vs. Licensed Installation

STEP 7 V12 trial was distributed as a 21-day fully functional evaluation with the following characteristics:

• Edition: STEP 7 Professional V12 with WinCC Basic V12 and S7-PLCSIM V12 included.
• License key: Trial license is automatically deposited in the local ALM license server; no USB dongle required.
• Restrictions: No restriction on functionality during the 21-day window. After expiration, the project editor opens in read-only mode and online operations are blocked.
• Coexistence with full license: A trial install does not overwrite a licensed STEP 7 V12 installation. Both can coexist: the trial will use its own ALM license slot, the full version continues to use the permanent license.

Migration Path to TIA Portal V13 and Later

Most users with TIA V12 installations are on a refresh cycle to TIA V13 SP1, V14 SP1, V15.1, V16, V17, or V18. Use the following migration procedure to move projects forward without losing configuration:

1. Backup the V12 project archive: File → Archive → Save As → *.zap12.
2. Open in target version: In TIA V13+ open the V12 archive directly; the portal performs a project upgrade (TiaProject.xml rewrite + device catalog re-link).
3. Verify hardware catalog: Check that all hardware components have a valid catalog mapping; older module versions may require manual catalog update.
4. Compile all blocks: Run Project → Compile all (S7-300/400) or Project → Compile (S7-1200/1500). Resolve any warnings about deprecated instructions (e.g., SCALE, UNSCALE replaced by SCALE_X/NORM_X in V15+).
5. Download and commission: Connect to the target PLC and download. For S7-1500, firmware ≥ V2.0 is required for V15+ projects.

Step-by-Step Co-Installation Procedure

1. Create a system image or restore point as a rollback safety net.
2. Disable anti-virus real-time scan temporarily during the TIA V12 install; re-enable after exclusion rules are applied.
3. Insert or mount the TIA V12 installation media (DVD or downloaded ISO SIMATIC_TIA_Portal_V12.iso). If using ISO, mount via Windows 8+ or extract with 7-Zip.
4. Launch Start.exe as administrator from the root of the installation media.
5. Select language and target directory (default C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Portal V12). Do not install into a path containing spaces other than Program Files.
6. Choose products (STEP 7 Basic V12 or Professional V12, WinCC Basic V12, S7-PLCSIM V12). If Startdrive is needed, deselect here; it will be installed in step 8.
7. Accept license agreement and proceed. Installer reports existing STEP 7 versions and asks to maintain parallel operation → confirm "Yes."
8. Wait for completion (~25 minutes on a quad-core SSD workstation). Reboot if prompted.
9. Install Startdrive V12 from the same media or its dedicated setup (Startdrive_V12\Setup\Setup.exe). Select the existing TIA V12 installation directory as the target.
10. Launch Automation License Manager; transfer the trial license or perpetual license to the local slot.
11. Re-enable anti-virus and apply the documented folder and process exclusions.
12. Start TIA Portal V12 from the desktop shortcut or Start menu → Siemens Automation → TIA Portal V12.

Verification Checklist

After installation, validate the environment is fully operational:

• Open TIA Portal V12; the start screen displays "STEP 7 Professional V12 / WinCC Basic V12 / Startdrive V12."
• Create a new project → Add new device → S7-1500 (e.g., CPU 1511-1 PN). The device catalog loads without errors.
• Compile the empty project. The compiler reports 0 errors, 0 warnings.
• Open PLCSIM V12; instantiate a virtual S7-1200/1500 CPU; download the empty project; toggle to RUN. PLC goes to RUN with no diagnostic buffer entries.
• Open Startdrive V12; add a SINAMICS G120 drive; go online (with a physical drive or PLCSIM SINAMICS if available).
• Confirm ALM lists both the V12 trial license (if applicable) and any perpetual license.
• Open a legacy STEP 7 V5.5 project; verify it still opens in SIMATIC Manager; verify online accessibility of the legacy CPU.
• Re-enable anti-virus with the exclusions applied; verify the "Find accessible nodes" function returns the expected PLC list.

Troubleshooting Common Co-Installation Issues

Field-Proven Caveats

• Do not run both TIA V11 and V12 simultaneously on the same project file. They share the project extension *.ap12 but use different internal schema revisions and will corrupt the project file if cross-edited.
• PLCSIM V12 cannot communicate with PLCSIM V5.4. Use one PLCSIM generation per session.
• WinCC V7.x Runtime running on the same engineering PC can compete for OPC DA ports (often 135); change the TIA V12 OPC DA port range in the TIA options if a conflict is observed.
• Siemens USB PC adapter (6ES7972-0CB20-0XA0) uses a virtual COM port. After V12 install, re-plug the adapter so the Windows driver binds to the latest Siemens COM service.

FAQ