Resolving Siemens KP1200 Comfort Panel ProSave Backup Failure at 91% / 100%

When a backup of a Siemens SIMATIC KP1200 Comfort Panel initiated from ProSave via MPI (or PROFINET/Ethernet) reaches 91% on the HMI progress bar and the host reports "The backup could not be created," no .brf file is written to the destination and the operation aborts. The same fault is observed when the backup is triggered locally to a USB stick or SD card. This article provides an engineer-grade diagnostic tree, root-cause catalog, and the field-proven fix sequence for the failure, including the role of the .brf vs .psb format change and the TIA Portal / WinCC version alignment with ProSave V16.0.0.1.

1. Problem Description

Symptom signature:

• ProSave wizard completes Connect to target system without error.
• Backup read on the HMI advances to 91% (with PROFINET/Ethernet) or reports 100% on the HMI but ProSave then returns "Backup could not be created".
• No .brf (Comfort) or .psb (legacy) file appears in the configured backup path.
• ProSave is launched as Administrator (verified by user); free disk space is large; no antivirus is reporting file interception.
• ProSave V16.0.0.1 is the common host version where the issue is reported.

The panel continues normal operation after the failure; only the backup write step is corrupted. The panel does successfully stage the archive internally — the read-side succeeds — which is why the progress reaches the tail end of the operation before the host-side write aborts.

2. Affected Components and Environment

3. Root Cause Catalog

The failure surfaces late in the sequence because ProSave only flushes the file header at the very end of the read. By the time the host write fails, the read-side time-window has elapsed and the panel has already discarded its staging buffer. This makes post-mortem recovery impossible without re-running the full transfer, so the diagnostic order below matters.

3.1 ProSave / Panel Firmware Mismatch

ProSave enforces a strict image version check. A ProSave V16.0.0.1 host can usually read a V16 panel, but cannot always read V14 or V15 panels — or a V17 panel whose project references runtime features ProSave does not yet understand. When the read header negotiates a feature ProSave cannot encode into .brf, the host silently drops the write and reports the generic backup could not be created.

3.2 Backup Destination Path Problems

ProSave writes the .brf in a single I/O pass after the panel finishes streaming. The destination path must satisfy all of:

• Resolves to a local, NTFS-formatted, non-redirected volume. Avoid OneDrive\…, Dropbox\…, network shares that route through a sync client, and DFS namespaces that map via WebClient.
• Free space is at least 2× the panel project size (typically 50–500 MB).
• User has Delete and Write DAC rights on the directory.
• No non-ASCII characters in the path (ProSave V14 had a known bug here; V15+ is more tolerant but still rejects some Unicode directory names).

3.3 Service / Transfer Mode State

The Comfort Panel only allows a complete backup when the Loader is unlocked. If the panel is in Runtime, ProSave can negotiate and begin the read but the Loader cuts the transfer when it detects a write-protected mode flag. Force the panel into Service / Transfer mode via Start Center → Settings → Loader, or by touching a specific corner at boot, before retrying.

3.4 Password Protection and User Administration

When User administration is enabled on the panel, ProSave requires the Backup authorization for the user supplied on the Connect dialog. If only Operator rights are supplied, ProSave streams the project but is denied the final write step — and reports the same generic error. Supply a user in group Administrators (default password 100 if factory default) or a dedicated Service group with the Backup / Restore permission.

3.5 USB / SD Card Format

For backups written to external media, the panel requires FAT16 / FAT32. NTFS and exFAT cards are silently ignored or cause write errors mid-transfer. Reformat the card as FAT32 with a 32 KB cluster size for cards ≤32 GB, or split partitions for larger media.

3.6 .brf vs .psb File Format

The format change is not itself a fault source. The legacy WinCC flexible panels produced .psb (Panel Save Backup). The Comfort family produces .brf (Backup Restore File). ProSave writes the format native to the panel; you do not get a choice. Mismatch issues only arise when:

• You try to restore a .psb to a Comfort panel (rejected) — this is expected behavior, not a bug.
• You try to open a .brf in WinCC flexible / ProTool (rejected) — also expected.
• You mix versions across the same fleet — the restore tool picks the matching reader automatically.

3.7 Internal Flash Wear or Bad Block

If the panel has logged Event 911 or Event 912 (file system warning) in the diagnostic buffer — view via Start Center → System → Memory or via ProSave under Read / Restore Diagnostics — the staging area is failing. The backup will read to 91–100% then fail because the panel cannot compress the staging block before the host read. A Reset to factory defaults (with re-download) clears the bad block but erases the project; back up via recipe export first.

3.8 Concurrent TIA Portal Session

If the engineering station has a TIA Portal project open that is Online & Compiling, ProSave cannot acquire the same HMI connection handle. Close TIA Portal (or the panel node) before launching ProSave.

4. Pre-Diagnostic Checklist

Run this 60-second checklist before any deeper investigation:

1. Confirm ProSave version: Help → About. V16.0.0.1 is a known trigger; downgrading to the latest V15.x update or upgrading to V17 often clears the fault.
2. Confirm HMI firmware: Start Center → System → Device Information. Note Image version and HMI firmware.
3. Confirm the destination path is local, non-synced, non-redirected, and ASCII-only.
4. Confirm the panel is in Transfer mode (Loader visible).
5. Confirm ProSave is launched as Administrator and no AV/HIPS is intercepting writes (temporarily disable or add an exclusion for Prosave.exe and the target directory).
6. Confirm the panel project size: Start Center → System → Memory. If the project is approaching the panel's free flash limit, archive and delete old logs first.

5. Solution 1 — Establish a Clean ProSave Connection

Configure the connection once, end-to-end, before chasing format or firmware theories.

5.1 PROFINET / Ethernet (preferred)

1. Open ProSave as Administrator.
2. Panel type: KP1200 Comfort.
3. Connection: Ethernet / PROFINET.
4. IP address: match the panel IP shown in Start Center → Network. Subnet mask and gateway may remain blank.
5. Click Connect. The panel Loader should report Connected via Ethernet.

5.2 MPI / PROFIBUS DP

1. Select MPI (or PROFIBUS DP if used).
2. Baud rate: default 187.5 kbps. Do not exceed 1.5 Mbps for KP1200.
3. Highest station address / MPI address: match the panel (default 1, or whatever the project assigned).
4. If using PC Adapter USB A2 (6GK1571-1BA00), confirm the adapter's own rotary switch and the COM port assignment in Set PG/PC Interface. The panel will show Transfer in the Loader when the bus is correctly parameterized.

6. Solution 2 — Use Local USB / SD Backup

When ProSave over MPI/PROFINET keeps failing late in the transfer, the local media path is a much smaller and more reliable code path on the panel side. The trade-off is that it does not include panel-internal diagnostic data that an online ProSave read can capture.

1. Insert a FAT32-formatted USB stick (≤32 GB recommended) or SD card.
2. On the panel: Start Center → Service & Commissioning → Backup.
3. Select USB or Memory Card.
4. Provide the panel password if user administration is enabled.
5. Accept the default filename (timestamped) and start.
6. Verify the .brf on the media before removing it: file size ≥ 5 MB and modification time matches the backup.

Pull the .brf back to the engineering station and store it under version control. The local backup is the recommended primary mechanism for fleet maintenance because it removes the host-side write failure mode entirely.

7. Solution 3 — Firmware and Software Alignment

Aligning the host and panel image versions eliminates the largest single cause of late-stage failures.

To check and update the panel image:

1. ProSave → Panel type KP1200 Comfort → Ethernet → Connect.
2. Menu OS Update / Image Update. ProSave lists the current image and the available .fwf files in the configured path.
3. Select the matching .fwf. Use the file shipped with the TIA Portal installation: C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Portal V16\Data\Hmi\Transfer\<version>\KP1200.fwf.
4. Click Update OS. The panel reboots twice; do not interrupt power.

If the project and image versions differ by more than one major release (e.g. a V14 project on a V16 image), download the project first with TIA Portal's Compile & Download before any backup is attempted.

8. Solution 4 — Memory Reset, Service Mode, and Factory Defaults

When the panel flash holds corrupted staging or has run continuously for years without a restart, a controlled reset clears the failure mode without losing the active project.

8.1 Soft Reset

1. Power cycle the panel.
2. During boot, tap the center of the screen to enter the Start Center.
3. Select Settings → Loader → Activate if not already.
4. From ProSave, retry the backup.

8.2 Hard Reset via Service Concept

1. Start Center → Service & Commissioning.
2. Select Reset to factory settings. Confirm with the panel password.
3. The panel reboots into the Loader with empty project and empty recipe memory.
4. Re-download the project from TIA Portal (Online → Download to device).
5. Retry the backup via ProSave. This almost always resolves Event 911-class flash wear.

8.3 Memory Diagnostic Dump

Before resetting, capture a diagnostic snapshot:

1. ProSave → Connect → menu Read / Restore Diagnostics.
2. Save the .dmp file. Open with the WinCC diagnostic viewer or attach to a Siemens support request.

9. Solution 5 — Disk, Path, and Permission Cleanup

Many late-stage failures are caused by the host-side write environment, not the panel. The recipe below fixes the common ones.

1. Create a clean, local, ASCII path: C:\Siemens\Backups\KP1200\. Confirm it is excluded from any cloud sync, antivirus real-time scan, and Windows Defender Controlled Folder Access.
2. Right-click the directory → Properties → Security → Advanced. Confirm the ProSave-launching user has Full Control and is not inheriting a deny ACE.
3. Disable antivirus real-time scanning for Prosave.exe and the target directory. McAfee, Kaspersky, and CrowdStrike have all been observed to delay-close the file handle and cause a ERROR_SHARING_VIOLATION that ProSave translates to the generic failure.
4. Disable Windows Search indexing on the target directory.
5. Run ProSave with Run as Administrator from an elevated command prompt, not from a shortcut.

Command-line alternative for scripted backups:

Exit codes (non-zero = failure):

10. Diagnostic Flow

11. Verification Procedure

After applying any fix, verify end-to-end:

1. Run ProSave backup to the same destination path that previously failed.
2. Confirm the .brf file size is non-zero (typically > 5 MB; the project, recipes, and user administration are all included).
3. Open TIA Portal → Online → HMI Device Maintenance → Restore — point to the .brf. The restore preview should list all configured screens, recipes, alarms, and user accounts. Any deviation from the expected project is a red flag that the backup is partial.
4. Compare SHA-256 of the file against a previous successful backup for the same panel configuration. A 1:1 match is not expected (timestamps, log data) but the file should be within 1–2 % size variance.
5. Document the panel image version, ProSave version, and the file in a backup log.

12. Prevention and Recommended Backup Strategy

• Primary path: local ProSave over PROFINET to a versioned network share, scripted nightly via Task Scheduler calling the ProSave CLI with explicit credentials.
• Secondary path: weekly local USB backup on the panel — independent of the host environment, immune to AV and OneDrive issues.
• Tertiary path: SD card clone at commissioning. Comfort panels support a full SD card mirror which can be swapped to a spare panel in under 5 minutes.
• Patch policy: keep ProSave and TIA Portal within one major version of the panel image. Do not let ProSave drift ahead of the project image by more than one release.
• Hardware policy: replace the SD card every 3–5 years; flash wear on the panel's internal storage is a leading cause of late-stage backup failures.

Frequently Asked Questions