Resolving SIMOTION Scout V5.3 Internal Error During Project Creation

The "An Internal Error Occurred while creating a new project. 19" message in SIMOTION SCOUT V5.3 is a recurring engineering-side defect that prevents both the creation of new projects and the opening of legacy SCOUT projects (V4.x, V5.1, V5.2 SP1). The fault originates inside the project database layer that SCOUT uses to persist device topology, technology objects, and program containers, and is not a motion-control runtime error. This reference covers root cause, supported configurations, the mandatory Microsoft Access Database Engine fix, and the verification steps required to clear the dialog from the workbench.

1. Problem Description

When an engineer launches SCOUT V5.3 and attempts either of the following actions, the application raises an unhandled exception and aborts:

• File > New Project — creates a blank SCOUT project on the local session.
• File > Open — opens an existing SCOUT project (any prior version).
• File > Open with SIMOTION device set — opens a project containing a SIMOTION controller such as D425, D435, D445, D455, or P320.

The full error chain presented by the IDE is:

An Internal Error Occurred while creating a new project. 19
Siemens SIMOTION Diagnostic
The Application has a problem and needs to close.

The numerical suffix (19) corresponds to a JET / ACE database provider failure code rather than a SIMOTION runtime fault code. It is emitted by the Microsoft OLE DB provider when SCOUT's project back-end cannot bind to the expected ACE engine. After the dialog is dismissed, the IDE terminates and any unsaved work in the open session is lost.

2. Affected Versions and Environments

3. Root Cause Analysis

3.1 SCOUT Project Database Back-End

SIMOTION SCOUT persists the project structure (devices, technology objects, programs, libraries, connections) in a Jet / ACE database (file extension .sdf or proprietary SCOUT project files). When the user creates or opens a project, SCOUT loads the Microsoft OLE DB provider for ACE:

Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source=<project.sdf>;

If the provider is missing, mis-registered, or registered only in a bitness the SCOUT process cannot load, the provider binding fails and SCOUT surfaces the generic internal error 19 instead of a meaningful provider message.

3.2 Bitness Mismatch Trigger

The most frequent cause is a bitness mismatch between:

1. The installed Microsoft Office suite (32-bit Office installs the 32-bit ACE engine).
2. The SCOUT executable (always 32-bit in V5.3 SP1, even on 64-bit Windows).

If 64-bit Office (or the 64-bit ACE 2010 redistributable) is installed and a 32-bit SCOUT process attempts to bind to the OLE DB provider, the COM activation fails with E_CLASSNOTREG / 0x80040154. SCOUT catches this and re-raises the diagnostic as internal error 19.

3.3 Legacy Project Schema Corruption

Projects originally created in SCOUT V4.x or V5.1 may carry forward schema elements (CAM technology object extensions, path interpolation blocks, safety integrated configuration data) that are partially migrated when opened in V5.3. If the migration handler cannot write to the local session because the ACE provider is unavailable, the partial migration writes corrupt records that propagate into subsequent File > New Project attempts until the local working directory is cleaned.

3.4 Missing Administrator Privileges

SCOUT V5.3 writes user-specific project templates to %APPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\SCOUT\<version> and registers COM components on first launch. Without Run as administrator, the COM registration is incomplete on locked-down engineering stations, leading to intermittent project creation failures.

4. Resolution Path Summary

5. Step-by-Step Resolution Procedure

5.1 Prerequisites

• Local administrator account on the engineering station.
• Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable download (both AccessDatabaseEngine.exe for x86 and AccessDatabaseEngine_X64.exe if 64-bit Office is present).
• SIMOTION SCOUT V5.3 SP1 installation media (DVD, hard-drive image, or SCADA/PLM download portal access).
• Internet access for Microsoft redistributable downloads and Siemens support entry 109476578.

5.2 Install the Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable

1. Close all Office applications (Outlook, Excel, Word, Access, OneNote).
2. Close any running instance of SCOUT, STEP 7, and SIMATIC Manager.
3. Determine the bitness of the local Office installation: File > Account > About Word — record whether it shows (32-bit) or (64-bit).
4. Download Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable from Microsoft Download Center (ID 13255).
   • If Office is 32-bit, install AccessDatabaseEngine.exe (x86).
   • If Office is 64-bit, install AccessDatabaseEngine_X64.exe (x64), then also install the x86 redistributable in a side-by-side configuration using the /quiet switch:

AccessDatabaseEngine.exe /quiet

5. Verify installation. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features and confirm Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 (English) appears for the installed bitness.

5.3 Re-register the ACE OLE DB Provider

1. Open an elevated Command Prompt (Run as administrator).
2. For 32-bit provider on a 64-bit OS, execute:

cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE14\"
regsvr32 /u oledb32.dll
regsvr32 oledb32.dll
regsvr32 /u msjetoledb40.dll
regsvr32 msjetoledb40.dll

3. Confirm both registrations return DllRegisterServer in <file> succeeded.
4. Launch dcomcnfg and verify that the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ACE 12.0 is listed under Component Services > Computers > My Computer > DCOM Config.

5.4 Clear the SCOUT Local Working Directory

1. Close SCOUT.
2. Navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\SCOUT\<version>\workspace and %APPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\SCOUT\<version>.
3. Move the contents (not the folders) to a backup directory. This removes partial-migration artifacts from old V5.1 / V5.2 projects.
4. Empty the Windows TEMP directory: %TEMP%\Siemens\*.

5.5 Launch SCOUT as Administrator

1. Right-click SIMOTION SCOUT in the Start menu.
2. Select Run as administrator.
3. Confirm the UAC prompt.
4. SCOUT completes the COM activation and writes the project template seeds to the user profile.

5.6 Apply the SCOUT V5.3 Hotfix

If the Access Database Engine installation does not resolve the fault, install the SCOUT V5.3 SP1 HF update referenced in Siemens support entry 109476578. The hotfix replaces the SCOUT-internal project back-end bindings and re-registers the SIMOTION-specific OLE DB extensions.

6. Verification

After applying the resolution steps, validate the fix with the following checks:

1. Create Project Test: Launch SCOUT, choose File > New Project, name the project VERIFY_SCOUT_V53, and confirm the device insert wizard opens without raising internal error 19.
2. Open Project Test: Open a previously corrupted V5.1 or V5.2 project. SCOUT should display the migration dialog and complete the schema upgrade without terminating.
3. Offline/Online Test: Insert a SIMOTION D435 device, download the empty project to the controller in STOP / startup mode, and confirm the device goes online (PROFINET or PROFIBUS depending on topology).
4. Technology Object Test: Insert a SINAMICS_Integrated axis with a TO_SpeedAxis object and a TO_Cam object. Compile and confirm the technology package generates without errors.
5. Diagnostic Log: Inspect SCOUT > Project > Diagnostics > Event Log and verify no OLE DB provider or ACE errors are recorded.

7. Preventive Measures and Configuration Hardening

7.1 Standardise ACE Engine Deployment

Deploy both the x86 and x64 Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable via Group Policy Software Installation or a managed software deployment tool such as Siemens SIMATIC Automation Tool or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. This guarantees that SCOUT can bind to the provider regardless of the local Office bitness.

7.2 Use SCOUT TIA Bundle for New Projects

For new installations, prefer SIMOTION SCOUT V5.4 integrated in TIA Portal V16 or later. The TIA Portal back-end does not depend on the legacy ACE OLE DB provider and avoids the bitness issue altogether. Reference the TIA Portal Possible error messages during check-in documentation for related team-engineering diagnostics.

7.3 Project Hygiene

• Always perform Project > Save As with explicit version increment; avoid opening the same project in SCOUT V5.3 and SCOUT TIA simultaneously.
• Run Project > Check Consistency before closing SCOUT to detect schema drift early.
• Maintain the engineering station using the Siemens SIMATIC Automation Tool image to keep ACE, SCOUT, and technology package versions synchronised.

7.4 Bitness Audit Script

Run the following PowerShell snippet on each engineering station to verify ACE engine presence and bitness alignment:

$office = (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*Office*" } | Select-Object -First 1).Name
$ace32  = Test-Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Access Connectivity Engine"
$ace64  = Test-Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Access Connectivity Engine"
Write-Host "Office : $office"
Write-Host "ACE x86 present : $ace32"
Write-Host "ACE x64 present : $ace64"
if (-not $ace32) { Write-Warning "Install AccessDatabaseEngine.exe (x86) for SCOUT V5.3." }

8. Troubleshooting Matrix

9. Related Siemens Support Entries

• Siemens Support Entry 109476578 — SCOUT V5.3 project open error after Office installation.
• Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable — Download ID 13255.
• TIA Portal Multi-User Engineering — Possible error messages during check-in.

10. Field-Proven Caveats

1. Do not install ACE 16 alongside ACE 2010 without testing. ACE 16 changes the default OLE DB provider priority and may re-trigger the same error in SCOUT V5.3 SP1.
2. Avoid side-by-side Office 32-bit and 64-bit installations. This is not officially supported by Microsoft and produces intermittent ACE provider failures that look identical to internal error 19.
3. SCOUT V5.3 SP1 Hotfix 1+ is cumulative. Always install the latest HF package — partial hotfix applications can leave the SCOUT-ACE shim in an inconsistent state.
4. Engineering station images must include ACE 2010. When capturing Windows images with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit or similar tools, add the ACE redistributable as a post-deployment task to avoid re-imaging hundreds of stations.