Resolving Siemens STEP 5 Authorization Diskette Not Verified

Problem Overview

When moving a Siemens software authorization from one engineering workstation to another, the Authors V4.5 tool may refuse to remove a previously viewable authorization from the local hard disk and report the following message:

"The authorization SIK/SIMATIC STEP5/ST BASIS V7.x was NOT removed from drive C:. It cannot be verified on the diskette. The authorization diskette may be faulty."

The dialog still allows the user to inspect the authorization on the target PC, but every attempt to transfer (remove + reinstall) is blocked by the verification step. Engineers upgrading a laptop, replacing a development PC, or recovering after media degradation are the typical cases where this error appears. The defect may be physical (magnetic media wear, exposed disk surface, demagnetized sector) or logical (missing program code on the diskette that the Authors tool expects to find).

How the Siemens SIK Authorization Diskette Works

The classic Siemens licensing system uses the SIK (Software Identification Key) model. Each license for SIMATIC software products such as STEP 5, STEP 7, or the SIMATIC visualization/runtime packages is delivered on a 3.5" floppy diskette that contains two distinct pieces of data:

1. License data – the entitlement bits that describe which products, versions, and counts (target systems, runtimes, options) are unlocked for a specific authorization ID.
2. AUTHOSW (Author Software) – the executable portion of the Authors or AuthorsW program stored on the diskette itself, so that the tool can run on any PC without prior installation.

The diskette is not a standard FAT-formatted medium. It contains special sectors with non-standard track/sector encoding that are read and validated by the Authors tool using low-level floppy controller calls. The verification step reads these special sectors and compares them against the expected AUTHOSW image; if the comparison fails, the tool refuses to trust the license data and aborts the remove/transfer operation.

Root Cause Analysis

The verification failure is a deliberate safety check, not a software bug. The four most common root causes in the field are:

When the user copied the Authors V4.5 program files to a blank 3.5" disk, only the executable files were placed on a standard FAT volume. The diskette no longer contains the special-sector SIK image required for verification, so the tool correctly reports that the authorization cannot be trusted.

Diagnostic Checklist

Before applying a fix, isolate the root cause using the following sequence:

1. Inspect the diskette physically. Look for warped shells, exposed media, label delamination, or sticky residue. A defective disk that has shed oxide cannot be recovered by software.
2. Verify the diskette in the source PC. Insert the original disk into the machine where the authorization was first installed and run Authors. If the same verification error occurs there as well, the disk is the source of the fault, not the target PC.
3. Confirm the Authors version. From the Authors dialog menu, record the exact version (for example, V2.5, V4.5). The license is bound to a specific Authors version range; cross-version operation can also produce a verification failure.
4. Check the floppy drive. Read the disk on a known-good PC. If verification passes on a second machine, the issue is the first PC's floppy controller or power supply, not the license itself.
5. Confirm product scope. In the error text, verify the product string: SIK/SIMATIC STEP5/ST BASIS V7.x indicates a STEP 5 / SIMATIC visualization base authorization, which uses the legacy SIK mechanism rather than the modern Automation License Manager (ALM).

Solution Path A: Offline Transfer with AuthorsW V2.5

The cleanest workaround when the physical SIK diskette is missing or unreadable is to perform an offline license transfer using the Windows-native AuthorsW V2.5 program. This path does not require a working authorization diskette at the time of transfer, because the move is performed file-to-file on the local hard disk.

1. Back up the local authorization. On the source PC, run AuthorsW V2.5 and use the export/backup function to write the installed authorization to a directory on C:\ or to removable media.
2. Copy the backup to the target PC. Transfer the exported authorization file to the destination machine using any file-share or removable media that does not depend on the failed SIK diskette.
3. Import the authorization. On the target PC, start AuthorsW V2.5 and use the import/restore function to install the authorization from the backup file. AuthorsW will register the license against the new hardware fingerprint.
4. Remove the authorization from the source. Return to the source PC, run AuthorsW V2.5, and select the same authorization for removal. The local license entry is deleted from C:\, freeing the seat.
5. Verify in the target application. Launch SIMATIC STEP 5 / S7 or the relevant visualization tool and confirm that the previously locked feature is now enabled without prompting for a SIK diskette.

Solution Path B: Recreate the Authors V4.5 Disk Properly

If the SIK diskette is physically intact but missing the AUTHOSW portion, you can sometimes rebuild the disk by re-issuing the authoring program onto the original SIK medium using the Siemens license recovery procedure. This is not a free operation; it requires a valid license certificate and typically a service request.

1. Confirm that the SIK diskette still contains the license data (it should still display the authorization entry when viewed with Authors).
2. Locate the original product certificate (paper license certificate shipped with the SIK, listing the authorization number and product string).
3. Use Authors V4.5 in View mode to record the displayed authorization number; this is the data Siemens will need to verify ownership.
4. Prepare a service request with the certificate, the authorization number, the product name (SIK/SIMATIC STEP5/ST BASIS V7.x), and a description of the physical defect.

Once Siemens validates the certificate, a replacement SIK diskette is issued. The replacement contains both the license data and a fresh AUTHOSW image written to the special sectors, allowing the verification step to succeed and the transfer to complete.

Solution Path C: Open a Siemens Service Request

When the diskette is unrecoverable and offline transfer is not viable, the supported path is to open a service request through the Siemens Industry Online Support portal. This is the documented procedure for defective authorization media.

1. Navigate to the Siemens Industry Online Support entry that covers the SIK defective-disk procedure (Siemens Support entry ID 772175).
2. Follow the FAQ's step-by-step process to assemble the required evidence: original product certificate, authorization number, product designation (SIK/SIMATIC STEP5/ST BASIS V7.x), and a description of the defect.
3. Submit the request through the Siemens support channel listed in the FAQ. Be prepared to ship the defective diskette if Siemens requests it for forensic verification of the AUTHOSW sectors.
4. Track the request through the support portal; a typical replacement SIK disk is delivered within a few business days once ownership is confirmed.

Why Authors V4.5 Cannot Stand Alone

A frequent misunderstanding is that downloading Authors V4.5 and writing it to a blank floppy will produce a working authorization diskette. The Authors program by itself is only a manager; it is the special-sector SIK image on the licensed diskette that carries the cryptographic and structural information required for the verification step.

This is also why not all authorization diskettes behave identically:

• Full SIK disk: Contains both license data and AUTHOSW. The Authors program can be launched directly from the disk and the verification check passes.
• License-only disk: Contains only the license data. The user must already have AuthorsW installed locally, or supply a copy on a separate floppy, to perform any remove/transfer operation.

If the disk in question is a license-only disk, the verification failure is expected behavior, not a defect. The fix is to use a local installation of AuthorsW V2.5 (or another supported Authors version) on both source and target PC rather than relying on the disk-resident copy.

Verification Steps After a Successful Transfer

Once one of the three solution paths is applied, confirm that the authorization is healthy on the new PC:

1. Open Authors or AuthorsW on the target machine and verify that the SIK/SIMATIC STEP5/ST BASIS V7.x entry shows the expected product scope, target-system count, and expiration (if any).
2. Launch SIMATIC STEP 5 (or the affected SIMATIC application) and confirm that all previously licensed menu items, project options, and target-system slots are accessible.
3. Run the application's self-test or "Display installed authorizations" function if available; this independently enumerates the licenses attached to the local hard disk.
4. Verify on the source PC that the same authorization no longer appears, confirming that the seat has been released.

Compatibility and Version Notes

• STEP 5 / ST BASIS V7.x uses the legacy SIK mechanism. The licensing does not use the Automation License Manager (ALM); ALM-based transfers (the Automation License Manager UI's Move License wizard) will not recognize or move a SIK authorization.
• Authors V4.5 is the DOS-based utility typically distributed on the SIK diskette itself. It operates against the floppy controller directly and is the version that produces the verification error described above.
• AuthorsW V2.5 is the Windows-native equivalent. It can perform an offline transfer that bypasses the floppy verification check entirely, which is the recommended path for engineering laptops that no longer have a working floppy drive.
• Cross-version moves between a DOS Authors and a Windows AuthorsW are not always supported. When in doubt, perform both the backup and the restore on the same AuthorsW V2.5 installation to avoid version skew.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Field-Proven Caveats

• Modern Windows 10/11 builds do not natively support 3.5" floppy drives. If the engineering laptop has no floppy hardware, the only viable path is the AuthorsW V2.5 offline transfer; do not invest in USB floppy emulators expecting SIK special-sector reads to work, because most emulate a generic FAT volume rather than the SIK track layout.
• The SIK model is end-of-life for new SIMATIC products. The information in this article applies to STEP 5, classic STEP 7, and the SIMATIC visualization base packages; modern TIA Portal licenses use ALM and are moved through the Automation License Manager UI instead.
• When shipping a defective SIK diskette to Siemens, package it in a rigid mailer to prevent further media damage. A second physical defect introduced in transit can complicate the verification process.
• Always keep a scanned copy of the original product certificate. Without it, Siemens support cannot validate the authorization number against their records, and the service request will be delayed or denied.

FAQ