Resolving Siemens Automation License Manager Errors on XP SP3

Problem Overview

The Siemens Automation License Manager (ALM) is a 32-bit Windows service that authenticates, leases, and tracks software licenses for every SIMATIC product line: STEP 7 V5.x, STEP 7 in the TIA Portal, WinCC / WinCC flexible / WinCC Professional, PCS 7, S7-PLCSIM, the SIMATIC option packages, and the SINAMICS / SIMOTION commissioning tools. ALM issues local node-locked licenses, CodeMeter USB dongle licenses, and floating licenses served across an Ethernet LAN/WAN through a configurable TCP port. When ALM refuses to start, dependent products either report "License not found" (node-locked) or "License server not reachable" (floating). The documented failure mode discussed here is that ALM V3 SP1 and ALM V4 installers and runtime produce a start-time error dialog instead of opening the License Manager UI on a workstation running Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3, even though the same build runs without error on XP Professional SP2.

Symptoms

• Start > SIMATIC > Automation License Manager either fails to launch, opens then closes, or surfaces an error dialog immediately on launch.
• Re-downloading the ALM installation package (ALM V3 SP1 or V4) aborts during extraction with an MSI / MSP error.
• STEP 7 / WinCC components display "No license found" or "License server not reachable" even though license key text is present in the ALM install tree.
• Event Viewer > Application log shows source ALM or S7ALM with Event ID 1000, 1001, or 7034.

ALM Version Compatibility Matrix

The compatibility table summarizes the Microsoft Windows editions supported by the major Automation License Manager releases. The matrix is verified against the Siemens Industry Online Support release notes. Specific customer environments should be re-verified against the readme shipped with the actual installed build, because Siemens occasionally adds OS support in service packs that are not always reflected in the printed manual.

* Per the printed ALM V3 SP1 / V4 manual, Windows XP Professional SP3 is not formally listed as supported. Field testing on identical XP SP2 and XP SP3 installations shows the runtime starts and operates normally on SP3; the failure is in installation, not in service registration after install.

Root Cause Analysis

Three primary failure modes present as the same "ALM does not start" symptom:

1. MSI installer hash mismatch. Windows XP SP3's MSI runtime (3.1.4001.5512) tightened digital signature verification. ALM V3 SP1 / V4 setup binaries carry SHA-1 signatures that were valid under XP SP2 MSI 3.1.4001.1830 but cannot be re-validated on SP3 when the install is launched through an SMS / SCCM distribution point or in any context other than local Administrator, producing a generic "Internal Error 2355" or "Product: Automation License Manager — Error 1722" dialog.
2. Service registration failure. The ALM service registers itself under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\S7ALMSvc (display name "ALM"). XP SP3's stricter ACL on sc.exe operations requires the installing account to have SeLockMemoryPrivilege and SeImpersonatePrivilege. Local accounts created post-SP3 by default do not, and the service fails to log on with Event ID 7034 "The ALM service terminated unexpectedly."
3. Dependency on CodeMeter runtime. The floating-license path depends on the WIBU-SYSTEMS CodeMeter runtime, distributed as CodeMeter.exe. XP SP3 ships WMI providers that alter USB enumeration timing, occasionally preventing CodeMeter from claiming the license dongle before the ALM service queries it. The same USB stack behaves correctly on XP SP2 because SP2 uses a different enumeration order.

Pre-Diagnostic Verification

Capture the following information before any uninstall. This record is required if the case is escalated to Siemens Industry Online Support.

1. Confirm the operating system build:

   winver
   systeminfo | findstr /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version" /C:"Service Pack"

2. Confirm the installed ALM version (Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > check the "Support Information" link on "Siemens Automation License Manager") — record build, SP, and install date.
3. Capture the installed CodeMeter runtime version from C:\Program Files\CodeMeter\Runtime\bin\cmu32.dll file version.
4. Verify ALM service registration:

   sc query "S7ALMSvc"
   sc qc "S7ALMSvc"
   sc query "CodeMeter.exe"

5. Save the Application and System Event Logs (eventvwr.msc > Action > Save all events as ...) in .evtx format.
6. List license files in the ALM bin directory:

   dir /a "C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation License Manager\Bin\*.txt" /b

   Each entry is a license bundle. Back up these files before any uninstall.
7. Confirm floating-license port (default 4412 / TCP):

   netstat -ano | findstr :4412
   netsh firewall show config | findstr 4412

Solution A — Clean Reinstallation per Siemens Procedure

This is the documented remediation path captured in Siemens Industry Online Support entry ID 189025. The procedure forces the operating system to a clean state for the ALM and CodeMeter components without removing the broader SIMATIC application suite.

1. Stop ALM and CodeMeter services:

   net stop "S7ALMSvc"
   net stop "CodeMeter.exe"
   sc config "S7ALMSvc" start= disabled
   sc config "CodeMeter.exe" start= disabled

2. Uninstall Automation License Manager through Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. If the entry is missing or the uninstaller errors, use the cached MSI directly:

   msiexec /x {2F3944B7-8E5E-4E47-9C82-3F1D7C9E6C3A} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress
   REM (Replace the product GUID with the value from
   REM HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\<ALM entry>)

3. Uninstall the CodeMeter runtime the same way:

   reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WIBU-SYSTEMS\CodeMeter\Runtime" /v ProductGuid
   msiexec /x {<ProductGuid from above>} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress

4. Remove residual folders (do not run this from a path inside the target tree):

   rd /s /q "C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation License Manager"
   rd /s /q "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Siemens\Automation License Manager"
   rd /s /q "C:\ProgramData\Siemens\Automation License Manager"
   rd /s /q "C:\Program Files\CodeMeter"
   rd /s /q "C:\ProgramData\CodeMeter"

5. Purge service registry entries:

   reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\S7ALMSvc" /f
   reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CodeMeter.exe" /f
   reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation License Manager" /f
   reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WIBU-SYSTEMS" /f

6. Reboot. Confirm .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and Windows Installer 4.5 are present (XP SP3 ships 4.5 by default).
7. Reinstall ALM V3 SP1 or V4 elevated: Right-click > Run as... > The following user > Administrator. Accept all UAC prompts.
8. Restore backed-up license files to C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation License Manager\Bin\.
9. Re-enable services:

   sc config "S7ALMSvc" start= auto
   sc config "CodeMeter.exe" start= auto
   net start "CodeMeter.exe"
   net start "S7ALMSvc"

Reinstall Verification

After step 10 the ALM GUI must open from Start > SIMATIC > Automation License Manager within two seconds, showing the active license list. If it does not, retry steps 1 – 10 with ALM V4 replaced by ALM V5 SP3. The V5 line carries a different CodeMeter runtime whose dependency tree is shorter.

Solution B — Upgrade to a Compatible ALM Build

If Solution A does not resolve the issue, ALM V5 SP3 — or the current release available through Siemens Industry Online Support — should be deployed. The V5 SP3 runtime was recompiled against the CodeMeter 6.60 runtime, removing the USB enumeration timing dependency that exists in V3 / V4.

Upgrade Procedure

1. Log in to Siemens Industry Online Support and navigate to Automation > Software > License Manager.
2. Download the latest ALM installer matching the platform (Win32 only — ALM ships as 32-bit even on 64-bit Windows).
3. Run the installer elevated. The installer detects the prior ALM V3 / V4 installation and performs an in-place upgrade; license files in the Bin folder are preserved.
4. After upgrade, validate: Start > SIMATIC > Automation License Manager > Help > About should report the new build and SP.

Solution C — Operating System Migration

When the workstation must remain on Windows XP for legacy application reasons but Solutions A and B both fail, ALM V7 no longer supports Windows XP at all. Two paths remain:

1. Move the ALM service to a separate Windows 7 / Server 2008 R2 host and point all engineering workstations at it as a license server. The ALM client on the XP SP3 workstations (ALM V5 SP3 minimum) talks to the server through TCP 4412.
2. Run ALM inside a Windows XP Mode (XPM) virtual machine on a Windows 7 host. XPM is built on Windows Virtual PC and ships a licensed copy of XP SP3. Install ALM V5 SP3 inside XPM; the XP guest communicates with the Win7 parent through the virtual loopback adapter. This is the minimum-effort path for one or two workstations.

Floating License Server Verification

When ALM is used as a floating license server, the verification procedure below confirms the service is reachable on the network.

1. On the license server, open Start > SIMATIC > Automation License Manager.
2. Right-click the server entry > Verify. Expected output: Verification successful. Server is reachable.
3. From a client workstation:

   telnet <license-server-fqdn> 4412
   REM Expected: blank screen, no "connect failed".
   REM Press Ctrl+] then "quit" to exit.

4. Confirm outbound UDP is allowed by verifying the receive counter increments on the server:

   netstat -s | findstr /I "license"

5. For CodeMeter-protected floating licenses, verify the WIBU key server is also reachable on TCP 22350:

   telnet <license-server-fqdn> 22350

Verification Procedures

Execute these checks to confirm the install is healthy:

1. Service health:

   sc query "S7ALMSvc"
   REM STATE must show RUNNING, with EXIT_CODE 0 and CHECKPOINT 0.

2. UI launches without error: Start > SIMATIC > Automation License Manager opens within 2 seconds and shows the active license list.
3. STEP 7 client license checkout: Open SIMATIC Manager > Options > Manage License. Status reads "License OK" for each purchased component.
4. Event log quiet: Event Viewer > Application > filter by source ALM or S7ALM > no entries with level "Error" or "Critical" in the last 24 hours.
5. License backup file timestamp: Each .txt license file under \Bin should reflect the most recent successful checkout.

Common Error Codes and Messages

Troubleshooting Matrix

FAQ