Resolving TIA Portal Error 0025:000010: Path Information Incorrect

Problem Overview

Siemens TIA Portal V13 and V14 emit a blocking error dialog reading "Path information incorrect" with the associated diagnostic code 0025:000010 during project open or project navigation. The user-visible text is identical between V13 and V14, but the underlying causes differ: V13 typically fails on absolute file-path length violations, while V14 fails on internal path-cache corruption that survives path shortening. Both manifestations surface when opening an .ap13 or .ap14 automation project archive on a Hyper-V virtual machine or any Windows host where the project has been moved, retrieved, or restored from a third-party location.

Symptoms and Affected Versions

Code 0025:000010 is grouped under the high-level error class 0025 (project/file handling) with sub-code 000010 (path validation failure). The same high-level class also covers missing-package faults, so always confirm the sub-code on the dialog title bar or in the Siemens.Automation.Portal.exe event log entry.

Root Cause Analysis

Three independent root causes have been observed in field installations. They can co-exist, so treat them as a checklist rather than mutually exclusive possibilities.

Cause 1: Windows MAX_PATH Violation (260-Character Limit)

TIA Portal V13 stores project fragments in a deep directory tree beginning at the user-selected working folder. The default install location on the engineering host is C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Siemens\Automation\<ProjectName>\. When the project is opened from a path that already consumes 80-120 characters (for example, a network share such as \\engineering\projects\region3\lineB\station12\refurb\), the combined absolute path of internal subfolders can exceed the Win32 MAX_PATH constant of 260 characters.

Typical over-limit fragments include:

• ...\IM\<PLC>\<CPU>\S7\Program\Blocks\ for SIMATIC S7-300/400 project data
• ...\HMI\<Panel>\<Runtime>\Pictures\<Name>.bmp for WinCC flexible / Comfort Panel graphics
• ...\SINAMICS\<Drive>\<Firmware>\Parameters.xml for drive configuration payloads

Cause 2: Project Moved Between Hosts Without Re-archive

When a V13/V14 project is copied, transferred via Hyper-V file pass-through, or restored from a virtual-machine snapshot, the portal's internal ProjectInfo.xml and Settings.cfg still reference the original absolute paths used on the source machine. TIA V14 stores an additional binary index inside the *.ap14 archive that records the source path. This index is not rewritten by simple file copy; it must be regenerated by the archive/retrieve sequence.

Cause 3: Hyper-V File Pass-through vs VHD Path Translation

Projects stored on a Hyper-V differencing disk or a pass-through disk mounted as drive D: on the guest but referenced as \\?\Volume{GUID}\ in the host can produce path-resolution mismatches after a snapshot merge. The guest sees the volume by drive letter; TIA Portal's PathStore.dll may attempt to resolve by NT-style \Device\HarddiskVolumeX path and fail validation, surfacing the same 0025:000010 dialog.

Diagnostic Procedure

Run this sequence before attempting any repair. It isolates the dominant cause and prevents misapplied fixes.

1. Close TIA Portal completely. Verify in Task Manager that no Siemens.Automation.Portal.exe or S7OpcA.exe instances remain. V13 and V14 occasionally leave a zombie launcher process that re-applies the path cache on next start.
2. Open the project directory in Windows Explorer. Right-click the .ap13 or .ap14 file, choose Properties, and confirm the file is not zero bytes and not marked Blocked under the General → Security section (Unblock if present).
3. Measure the absolute path length. From an elevated command prompt:

   for %I in ("C:\full\path\to\project.ap13") do @echo %~fI is %~zI bytes, path length: %~fI | measure-object -character | select-object characters

   If the path length exceeds 240 characters, Cause 1 is active.
4. Test direct association. Double-click the .ap13/.ap14 file. If the portal refuses to open but the Open Project browse dialog successfully navigates to the same folder, Cause 1 is confirmed. If both fail identically, escalate to Cause 2 or 3.
5. Inspect the event log. Open Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application. Filter for Source = .NET Runtime or Source = Application Error around the failure time. A managed exception of type Siemens.Automation.ProjectServices.Exceptions.PathValidationException confirms a portal-side path rejection. A Win32 exception with HRESULT 0x800700CE confirms a kernel-level path-length violation.
6. Capture the diagnostic file. Start the portal with the trace flag:

   "C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Portal V14\Bin\Siemens.Automation.Portal.exe" /TraceAll

   Trace output is written to %TEMP%\Siemens\Automation\Log\. Locate the most recent .log and search for 0025:000010 to confirm sub-code and stack context.

Solution Path A: Shorten the Working Path (V13 and V14)

This is the primary fix for Cause 1 and works in V13 with the highest success rate.

Step-by-Step

1. Stop TIA Portal V13/V14 and confirm no portal processes remain.
2. In Windows Explorer, locate the working folder containing the .ap13 or .ap14 file. Note the folder hierarchy.
3. Move (not copy) the entire project folder directly to the drive root. Target paths should be no deeper than:

   C:\Automation\<ProjectName>\Project.ap13
   C:\Projects\<ProjectName>\Project.ap14

   Keep folder names short. <ProjectName> longer than 24 characters consumes path budget that could be used for internal subfolders.
4. Avoid mapping the project under user-profile folders (C:\Users\<user>\Documents\...). On Hyper-V joined to a domain, the user-profile path includes the user SAM name, adding 30+ characters before the project even starts.
5. Right-click the moved project and choose Properties → Unblock if the security section shows the file was downloaded from another computer.
6. Re-launch TIA Portal as Administrator (right-click → Run as administrator) and open the project from the new location.

Verification

• Project opens without the 0025:000010 dialog.
• Project tree populates within 5-15 seconds (V13) or 8-20 seconds (V14) on a typical workstation.
• Compile / Save As produces a new .ap13/.ap14 under the same short path without errors.

Solution Path B: Re-archive and Retrieve (V14-Specific)

When the project is already at the drive root and Cause 2 is active (typical after a Hyper-V snapshot restore or a cross-host transfer of V14 projects), path shortening alone will not resolve the fault. The internal path index must be regenerated.

Step-by-Step

1. On the host where the project currently opens without error (the working host), launch TIA Portal V14 as Administrator.
2. Open the project. Wait for the project tree to fully populate.
3. Select Project → Archive. Choose Custom archive if you want to exclude HMI runtime files, or Complete archive for a full project. Save the archive as a .zap14 file in a short path such as C:\Arc\Project.zap14.
4. Close TIA Portal V14 on the working host.
5. On the target host (the Hyper-V guest or the engineering workstation reporting the error), copy the .zap14 file to a short path. Avoid USB drives with vendor-stamped drive letters longer than one character.
6. Launch TIA Portal V14 as Administrator on the target host. Choose Project → Retrieve and select the .zap14 file.
7. When prompted for the destination, browse to a short path such as C:\Automation\<ProjectName>\. Confirm retrieval.
8. Open the retrieved project and verify the error no longer appears.

Verification

• Retrieved project opens without the 0025:000010 dialog.
• All device configurations, PLC program blocks, and HMI screens are present and uncorrupted.
• Online connection to the target PLC or HMI functions normally after a recompile.

Solution Path C: Clear the Project Cache (Both V13 and V14)

For residual cases where Solutions A and B do not clear the error, delete the portal's local cache directory. This forces the next project open to rebuild all derived indexes.

1. Close TIA Portal.
2. Delete (or rename for backup) the following directories:

   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\<ProjectName>\
   %APPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\Portal V13\Cache\
   %APPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\Portal V14\Cache\

3. Re-launch the portal as Administrator and open the project. The first open will be slower (30-90 seconds) as indexes rebuild.

Hyper-V and Virtual Machine Considerations

Always run TIA Portal as Administrator inside the Hyper-V guest. Without elevation, the portal cannot write the temporary index files in %LOCALAPPDATA% when User Account Control (UAC) is enabled, and the path-validation code throws 0025:000010 even though the underlying file system access is the actual failure.

Administrator Privileges and UAC

TIA Portal V13 and V14 install with the User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode enabled by default. The portal expects to:

• Write to Program Files\Siemens\Automation\ for log output and trace files
• Write to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\Automation\ for the per-user project cache
• Register COM components at first launch (V13 only; V14 self-registers silently)

Persistent failure of these writes is mapped to 0025:000010 when the project path also appears invalid. To create a permanent elevation shortcut:

1. Right-click Siemens.Automation.Portal.exe and select Create shortcut.
2. Right-click the new shortcut, choose Properties → Shortcut tab → Advanced.
3. Tick Run as administrator and confirm.
4. Disable the UAC prompt per-launch via the Compatibility tab → Change settings for all users → Run this program as an administrator.

Working Folder Best Practices

Adopt these conventions to prevent recurrence of 0025:000010 across both V13 and V14 deployments.

• Root-level working folders: Store live projects in C:\Automation\<Area>\<Project>\ where <Area> is no more than 8 characters and <Project> no more than 16 characters. This leaves ~200 characters for internal subfolders.
• No network shares for live work: Use SMB shares only for archival. UNC paths add 30-50 characters and bypass opportunistic locking, which can corrupt the portal's index files during concurrent reads.
• One project per folder: Multiple .ap13 files in the same folder can confuse the portal's auto-discovery when generating cross-references, occasionally surfacing as path-validation errors.
• Avoid spaces and non-ASCII characters: Folder names with spaces (e.g., Line B Station) or Unicode characters (e.g., Línea) double-encode on certain Hyper-V host file systems and can corrupt path normalization.
• Document the path: Add a README.txt in each project folder recording the exact local path. Engineering teams moving between host machines can re-archive before relocation.

Verification Checklist

Run this checklist after every corrective action. Each item must pass before the project is considered fully recovered.

1. Project opens without 0025:000010 dialog on first attempt.
2. Project tree shows all PLC stations, HMI panels, drives, and SCADA nodes.
3. Compile → Software (Rebuild all) completes with No errors.
4. Online → Accessible nodes lists the configured target.
5. Project → Save As produces a new .ap13/.ap14 under the working path without errors.
6. Project → Archive produces a valid .zap13/.zap14 smaller than the original (compression) or at most 10% larger (HMI runtime files).
7. Restart TIA Portal, reopen the project, and confirm the error does not reappear on second open.

Extended Troubleshooting Matrix

Field-Proven Caveats

• The error dialog is identical for path length, missing package, and corrupted project. Always read the sub-code, not just the dialog text. Sub-codes 000011 and higher usually indicate a missing optional package, not a path problem.
• Anti-virus real-time scanning is a frequent hidden contributor. Windows Defender or third-party AV products can hold a write lock on Settings.cfg long enough for the portal to interpret it as a path-validation failure. Add the project folder to the AV exclusion list before troubleshooting.
• Do not rely on the Windows "Move" operation between drives on a Hyper-V guest. It can leave junction points pointing to the original VHDX location. Use copy + verify + delete instead.
• The portal's Open Project dialog uses a different path-normalization routine than the double-click association handler. A project that opens via browse but fails on double-click is the cleanest single-symptom indicator of a MAX_PATH violation.

FAQ