Resetting SIMATIC MP 177 6" Touch HMI to Factory Defaults

Overview

The SIMATIC MP 177 6" Touch is a multi-panel operator interface from the Siemens HMI product line that was originally commissioned with WinCC flexible 2008 and is supported for backup/restore operations through the ProSave service tool. When the runtime project becomes corrupted, the password is lost, or the panel is being redeployed to a different machine, performing a factory reset via ProSave is the cleanest way to return the device to its as-shipped state without physical disassembly.

This procedure documents the full reset workflow for the 6" Touch variant, including image file location, Ethernet/serial prerequisites, ProSave configuration parameters, and the commissioning verification steps that confirm a clean restore. The instructions are valid for both WinCC flexible 2008 SP5 and earlier service packs, and apply whether ProSave is launched standalone or from inside the WinCC flexible engineering environment.

Identifying Your MP 177 Variant

Siemens released the MP 177 family in several sub-variants differentiated by display size, touch vs. key operation, and firmware feature set. The 6" Touch version is identified by an MLFB beginning with 6AV6642. The two catalog numbers relevant to this procedure are:

The full Siemens product support entry for the MP 177 6" Touch is located at the Siemens Industry Online Support product page. Cross-reference the MLFB on your rating plate to the product tree to confirm firmware revision and image compatibility before initiating a restore.

Prerequisites

Before initiating a factory reset on the MP 177 6" Touch, verify that the following hardware, software, and cabling prerequisites are satisfied.

1. ProSave installation. ProSave is shipped with every WinCC flexible DVD or download package. If WinCC flexible is not installed, ProSave can be installed standalone from the WinCC flexible installation media under Additional Products > ProSave. The version of ProSave must be at least the same major release as the image package (typically 2008 SPx).
2. Image file (*.img). The factory image for the MP 177 6" Touch is named MP177.img and is bundled inside the WinCC flexible install directory. The default location for a standard WinCC flexible 2008 SP5 installation is: C:\Program Files (x86)\SIEMENS\SIMATIC WinCC flexible\WinCC flexible Images\MP177\ If the directory is empty, the image is not installed; rerun the WinCC flexible setup and select the MP 177 option under the device package list.
3. Ethernet or RS232 connection. ProSave can transfer the image over Ethernet (recommended) or over an RS232 point-to-point link. For Ethernet, use a standard Cat5/Cat6 patch cable connected to the MP 177's RJ45 port and to the engineering PC. For RS232, use a Siemens 6ES7 901-1BF00-0XA0 PC/PPI cable (or compatible) wired into the panel's IF1B port.
4. Network configuration. If transferring over Ethernet, both the PC and the MP 177 must reside on the same subnet. The MP 177's default transfer mode is Ethernet with DHCP disabled; assign a static IP through the panel's Control Panel before the restore.
5. Administrative rights. ProSave must be run with Windows administrator privileges to open raw sockets and bind to low-numbered ports required for the transfer protocol.
6. Power supply. The panel must have a stable 24 V DC supply; a brownout during image write will brick the device. Verify supply voltage at the terminals is between 20.4 V and 28.8 V DC before starting.

Configuring the MP 177 for Restore

ProSave requires the panel to be in Transfer mode. On the MP 177, transfer mode is invoked from the Control Panel.

1. Power on the panel and wait for the runtime to finish loading. If the runtime is corrupted and the panel hangs at boot, hold the Hold key combination described in the device manual until the loader appears, or cycle power three times in succession to force the loader menu.
2. Press the Control Panel button on the desktop, or call the loader from a serial-console boot if the touchscreen is unresponsive.
3. Open OP (Operator Panel) Properties > Transfer.
4. Set the channel to Ethernet (or Serial if using RS232). Note the assigned IP address. If no IP is set, configure a static address, for example 192.168.1.1, with subnet mask 255.255.255.0.
5. Confirm the change. The panel will prompt to restart; allow the restart so transfer mode is active before launching ProSave.

Locating the Factory Image File

The factory image is the bit-for-bit snapshot of the MP 177's flash, including bootloader, firmware, and default runtime. ProSave writes this image to the panel during a restore operation. The image is not a download from the Siemens support site by default; it is shipped with the WinCC flexible installation media.

Standard Windows installation path

For a default installation of WinCC flexible 2008 SP5 on Windows 7 / Windows 10 (x86 compatibility layer), the image is located at:

For 64-bit systems where the legacy installer was redirected, check:

Verifying the image

Confirm the file size matches the expected factory image. For the MP 177 6" Touch the image is typically between 12 MB and 18 MB depending on the service pack revision. If the file is smaller than 5 MB or zero bytes, the install was incomplete and must be re-run with the MP 177 device package selected.

Extracting the image from the WinCC flexible DVD

1. Insert the WinCC flexible 2008 installation DVD.
2. Browse to ImagePackages\MP177.
3. Copy MP177.img to a local working directory, e.g. C:\Restore\MP177\.

Exporting from a TIA Portal configuration

The official Siemens entry 109746530 describes a tool to export graphics from the "Graphics Collection" of a WinCC (TIA Portal) configuration for editing with an image processing program. This tool does not produce the panel's factory image; it produces bitmap assets embedded in a TIA Portal project. To restore the panel firmware, use the WinCC flexible-bundled image as described above.

Restoring the Image with ProSave

With the panel in transfer mode and the image file located, launch ProSave and execute the restore.

1. Start ProSave from Start > Siemens Automation > SIMATIC > ProSave. Run as administrator.
2. In the General tab, set Device type to MP 177 Touch (or the specific sub-variant if listed). Set Connection to Ethernet (or Serial).
3. For Ethernet, enter the panel's IP address in the IP address / Name field. Leave the port at default 2305 unless a firewall has remapped it.
4. Click Connect. ProSave will report "Connection established" once the panel handshake completes. If the connection fails, see the troubleshooting matrix below.
5. Switch to the OS Update tab (also labeled Operating System Update in older builds).
6. Browse to the image file path, e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\SIEMENS\SIMATIC WinCC flexible\WinCC flexible Images\MP177\MP177.img.
7. Confirm the dialog "Image <MP177.img> will be written to the panel. All data on the panel will be overwritten. Continue?".
8. Click Update OS. The transfer takes 3 to 8 minutes depending on connection type and image size. Do not cycle power.
9. ProSave reports "Operating system update successful" when the write is complete.
10. Reboot the panel from the loader menu or by cycling 24 V DC power.

Command-line alternative

ProSave supports a scripted / silent mode for fleet rollouts. The relevant parameters are:

The /Reboot switch forces a panel restart at the end of the transfer. Wrap the call in a batch file for repeated deployments.

Alternative Method: TIA Portal

WinCC flexible and ProSave are the supported path for the MP 177 6" Touch. TIA Portal can be used in some scenarios, but with significant caveats.

Siemens support article 109746530 covers TIA Portal-based management of legacy panels. However, TIA Portal V15 and later do not support the MP 177 panel family; the device is excluded from the TIA Portal device catalog starting with V15. For users on TIA Portal V13 SP2 or V14, the panel can be migrated to a TIA Portal project and deployed via TIA Portal's built-in transfer, which uses the same ProSave engine under the hood.

Use TIA Portal only when the engineering environment is already standardized on TIA Portal and the project has been migrated. For a pure factory reset to the original WinCC flexible image, ProSave is the authoritative tool.

Verification

After the restore completes and the panel reboots, perform the following verification checks to confirm the reset is clean.

1. Loader screen. The panel should boot directly to the WinCC flexible loader desktop (blue header) rather than the corrupted runtime.
2. Control Panel > OP Properties > Device. Verify the device name, MLFB, and firmware version match the rating plate. A clean restore shows the original firmware string (e.g. WinCC flexible 2008 SP5).
3. Transfer settings. Confirm the transfer channel and IP address are as configured in the prior step. The default after a factory reset is transfer enabled on Ethernet.
4. Runtime launch test. Load a known-good WinCC flexible project via ProSave > Transfer and confirm the project starts without error.
5. Touch calibration. From the Control Panel, run OP Properties > Touch > Calibrate and verify all four corner targets respond accurately.
6. System event log. Check Control Panel > Diagnostics > System Log for any post-restore errors. A clean restore produces no entries during boot.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Field-Proven Tips

When performing the restore in a production environment, the following practices reduce the risk of bricking a panel or losing the only copy of a project.

• Back up before reset. Always perform a ProSave Backup of the existing image before running the OS Update. The backup file is the only way to recover a project that has not been saved elsewhere.
• Stage the image locally. Copy the MP177.img to a local SSD rather than reading it from an optical drive or network share. A flaky read mid-write will produce a bricked panel.
• Document the MLFB on the panel. Photograph the rating plate before the reset. The 6AV6642 family has multiple sub-variants and the image must match.
• Validate the 24 V supply. Measure supply voltage at the panel terminals with a multimeter before the update. A sagging supply during flash write is the single most common cause of post-restore boot failures.
• Keep the loader reachable. If the touchscreen is non-responsive, the loader can be invoked from the loader menu after a triple power cycle (on/off/on/off/on) on most MP 177 firmware revisions.

Documentation References

The following Siemens Industry Online Support resources are authoritative for this procedure:

• SIMATIC MP 177 6" Touch product support entry
• Siemens support article 109746530 – TIA Portal / WinCC flexible graphics collection export tool