Resolving TIA Portal V20 WinCC Professional Installation Block

Resolving the TIA Portal V20 "Please Remove WinCC Professional and WinCC Runtime Professional" Installer Block

The TIA Portal V20 setup is a unified installation framework. It shares a single product database and a single set of MSI/MSP package GUIDs with its sister products, including STEP 7 V20, WinCC Professional V20, WinCC Runtime Professional V20, and WinCC Unified V20. Because of this shared design, the installer does not only look at what the user can see in Settings → Apps & features. It also interrogates the Windows Installer registry hive, the Automation License Manager key set, the package cache (%ProgramData%\\Package Cache), and the SQL Server instance list. If any artifact left over from an earlier TIA Portal version, a partially uninstalled WinCC Professional, a former WinCC 7.x / 8.x component, or even an unrelated Microsoft SQL Server instance collides with one of these checks, the V20 setup halts with a popup stating: "Please remove WinCC Professional and WinCC Runtime Professional before proceeding." This article documents the diagnostic path, the cleanup procedure, and the verification steps required to clear the block and complete the TIA Portal V20 install on a Windows 10 (64-bit, build 1909 or later) or Windows 11 (21H2 or later) engineering station.

1. Problem Definition and Symptom Matrix

The error message appears in the Product selection step of the TIA Portal V20 setup. The setup has already validated the operating system, the .NET Framework 4.8 prerequisite, the SQL Server 2019 / 2022 native client, and the user account privilege level. It now performs a product mutex check. The mutex is satisfied by one of three conditions:

1. A previous WinCC Professional V17, V18, or V19 install is still present, even if its UI surface is hidden from Apps & features.
2. A previous WinCC Runtime Professional V17, V18, or V19 install left behind a Windows Installer advertisement (HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\Installer).
3. One or more shared components (SQL Server instance, WinCC 7.x/8.x, WinCC Unified V17/V18) are detected and the V20 setup cannot guarantee the mutex.

Symptom map:

2. Affected Versions and Component Topology

The mutex applies to the following WinCC families when any of them is present alongside a TIA Portal V20 install attempt:

• SIMATIC WinCC Professional V17, V18, V19, V20 (TIA Portal)
• SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional V17, V18, V19, V20 (TIA Portal)
• SIMATIC WinCC Unified V17, V18 (TIA Portal) - only when the V20 setup is also configured to install WinCC Unified or WinCC Runtime Unified
• SIMATIC WinCC 7.5 SP2 and 8.0 (legacy, non-TIA) - mutual exclusion is not strict, but shared SQL Server instances still trigger the popup

Per the official Siemens installation notes for WinCC Runtime Professional, the installer must be run with local administrator rights and the engineering station must satisfy the product-specific special characteristics documented in the V20 system requirements. See: Installation of WinCC Runtime Professional - TIA Portal V20 system requirements.

3. Root Cause Analysis

The Windows Installer maintains a product database in %windir%\\installer and a paired registry set in HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall. When the TIA Portal V20 setup runs, it calls MsiQueryProductState for every WinCC product code that is known to be incompatible with the package being installed. If any of those product codes is reported as INSTALLSTATE_DEFAULT or INSTALLSTATE_ADVERTISED, the mutex check fails.

The most frequent offenders observed on engineering stations are:

1. Orphaned Windows Installer patches (.MSP) in the Package Cache. Even after a Settings → Apps → Modify/Uninstall action against TIA Portal, the .MSP files can survive in %ProgramData%\\Package Cache. The V20 setup scans this directory and rebuilds the WinCC product code table from the cached MSIs.
2. Orphaned Uninstall registry subkeys. When WinCC Professional is removed with a non-MSI tool (for example a file-and-folder manual cleanup), the parent key under HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall may remain.
3. WinCC 7.x / 8.x or WinCC Unified V17 components co-installed. The V20 setup recognises these via a parallel check of the HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Siemens\\Automation hive, which records the installed Siemens software in a comma-separated list.
4. SQL Server instance collision. The setup will not abort because of SQL Server alone, but if the user has selected WinCC Professional + WinCC Unified in the V20 product tree, the setup verifies that no prior WINCCPRO or WINCCRT database is bound to the instance and the result is a misleading "Please remove" message.
5. User Account Control (UAC) misconfiguration or split-token issues. Setup running from a non-elevated Explorer session produces an incomplete mutex scan, leaving false positives.

4. Pre-Diagnostic Steps (Collect Evidence First)

Before any modification, capture a snapshot of the current state. Run the following from an elevated command prompt (cmd.exe → Run as administrator):

1. Generate the SIMATIC installation report.

   "C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\S7\s7wb53xx.exe" /report

   On a non-TIA engineering station without STEP 7, use the Windows Programs and Features export:

   wmic product get name,version,vendor /format:csv > C:\temp\installed_sw.csv

2. List all Siemens registry product keys.

   reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation" /s > C:\temp\siemens_reg.txt

3. List all Uninstall keys that mention WinCC or TIA.

   reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" /s | findstr /i "wincc tia portal" > C:\temp\uninstall_keys.txt

4. List the contents of the Package Cache.

   dir /s /b "%ProgramData%\Package Cache" > C:\temp\package_cache.txt

5. Enumerate SQL Server instances (if WinCC Pro or Runtime Pro is already configured locally).

   sqlcmd -L

   or, if the SQL Server tools are not installed, browse HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Microsoft SQL Server\\Instance Names\\SQL in regedit.
6. Enable verbose setup logging for the next run.

   setx /M MSI_VERBOSE_LEVEL 1

   Restart the engineering station before re-running the V20 setup so the verbose MSI logging flag is picked up.

5. Resolution Procedure (Ordered)

Apply the steps in this order. Stop at the first step that resolves the block; the more invasive steps are listed last.

5.1 Verify Elevation and Reboot

Close all Siemens applications, including Automation License Manager, TIA Portal, WinCC Explorer, and SIMATIC Manager. Open Task Manager → Details and confirm no S7OUCACD.exe, CCRTProc.exe, WINCC_PM.EXE, or s7hsrvx.exe processes remain. Reboot. Launch the TIA Portal V20 setup from a fresh elevated command prompt. Elevation is the single most common cause of a false-positive mutex failure.

5.2 Remove Visible WinCC Professional Packages

Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps. Search for the following strings and remove each in this order:

1. SIMATIC TIA Portal V17 (or V18 / V19) - if present
2. SIMATIC WinCC Professional V17 / V18 / V19
3. SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional V17 / V18 / V19
4. SIMATIC WinCC Unified V17 / V18 (only if V20 is targeting WinCC Unified)

Always use the product's own Uninstall or Modify action, never a third-party cleaner. After each removal, reboot.

5.3 Remove SIMATIC Software Manager Stale Entries

The SIMATIC Software Manager (SSM) is the canonical control panel for multi-TIA installs. Launch it:

"C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\S0\SSM\Siemens.SSM.exe"

If the entry is missing, reinstall SSM from the same TIA Portal V20 DVD/ISO - it is bundled as SIMATIC Software Manager in the root layout. Inside SSM, locate the WinCC Professional and WinCC Runtime Professional packages for the older TIA Portal version and click Uninstall. SSM walks the dependency tree and removes them in the order required by the TIA V20 mutex.

5.4 Use the V20 Setup with WinCC Comfort/Advanced Only

If the engineering station does not require the SCADA-grade WinCC Professional or WinCC Runtime Professional, the user can install only the HMI panels product. The TIA Portal DVD layout has two entry points:

• Setup\\TIA_Portal.exe - full product tree including WinCC Professional
• Setup\\TIA_Portal_Comfort_Advanced.exe (the file name varies by media revision) - HMI panels only

For panel-only engineering on a SIMATIC HMI Comfort Panel or Basic Panel, run the second setup. The mutex is satisfied because WinCC Professional is not part of the product manifest. This is the recommended path for stations that have not been intentionally configured for SCADA work.

5.5 Clear the Package Cache

Open an elevated command prompt and execute:

net stop msiserver
net stop trustedinstaller
taskkill /f /im msiexec.exe
rd /s /q "%ProgramData%\Package Cache"
net start msiserver

5.6 Remove Orphaned Uninstall Registry Subkeys

Open regedit as administrator. Navigate to HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall. The subkeys are GUIDs. For each subkey, inspect the DisplayName (REG_SZ) value. Remove (after backup) any subkey whose DisplayName contains the strings listed in section 5.2 and whose DisplayVersion is V17, V18, or V19. Use File → Export Selected Branch before deletion so the operation can be reverted.

The same applies to the 64-bit redirect hive on 64-bit systems:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

If unsure whether a subkey is orphaned, open the subkey and inspect the InstallLocation value. If the directory no longer exists, the subkey is safe to remove after backup.

5.7 Clear the Siemens Automation Key

Backup and clear the InstalledProducts value (REG_MULTI_SZ) under:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\InstalledProducts

This value is the comma-separated inventory of every Siemens automation product the engineering station believes is installed. If a stale entry persists, the TIA V20 setup reads it on the next run. After clearing, the TIA V20 setup will repopulate the value at the end of a successful install.

5.8 Resolve SQL Server Collisions

If wincc_pro_sql, WINCCRT, or a custom-named SQL Server instance for WinCC Professional already exists, the V20 setup will warn about a possible mutex violation. The correct mitigation depends on the deployment intent:

5.9 Re-run the TIA Portal V20 Setup

After each of the previous steps, the user should re-run the V20 setup from an elevated shell. The setup offers a Custom installation path; select WinCC Professional only if the engineering station must author SCADA projects. The popup will not appear if the mutex is clear. The verbose MSI log will record a successful product code check, with the line MSI (s) (A8:5C): Product: WCCPROF20 - Installation operation completed successfully.

6. Verification Procedure

After a successful install, run the following to verify the engineering station is healthy:

1. Open the TIA Portal V20 Start Page. Start → Siemens Automation → TIA Portal V20. The Start Page should display "TIA Portal V20" in the title bar without a license error.
2. Open Automation License Manager. Confirm at least one V20 license is visible. If the V20 license is missing, the License Manager is reading a stale ALMService cache - restart the ALMService service.
3. Open WinCC Explorer for the Professional project. Create a dummy project, add a WinCC RT Professional, and run a quick compile. The compile should complete without SQL Server errors.
4. Inspect the installation report.

   reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\InstalledProducts"

   The InstalledProducts value should list STEP7PROFESSIONAL20, WCCPROFESSIONAL20, and WCCRUNTIME20 as REG_MULTI_SZ entries, with no V17/V18/V19 leftovers.
5. Test a WinCC Pro Runtime load. Start the runtime locally on a PC station, monitor the Windows event log for the source CCRTProc, and confirm a clean startup without the database migration warning.
6. Verify the Package Cache has been repopulated for V20.

   dir /s "%ProgramData%\Package Cache" | findstr /i "v20"

   A list of MSIs/MSPs for the V20 release should be visible.

7. Field-Proven Diagnostic Matrix

8. Common Pitfalls and Edge Cases

• Do not delete %ProgramData%\\Package Cache while a Windows Update run is in progress. The installer chain can deadlock on missing MSIs for, e.g., the .NET runtime.
• Do not mix 32-bit and 64-bit Office COM add-ins. WinCC Professional installs an Office Excel add-in. If the engineering station is running a 32-bit Office and a 64-bit TIA Portal, the add-in registration may leave a stale Uninstall key that the V20 setup misreads.
• Domain-joined engineering stations may receive a Group Policy that re-creates the Package Cache by running msiexec /fums during the next logon. Run the V20 setup twice: once to clear the cache, once after the next logon to confirm the install persists.
• Hyper-V checkpoints. If the engineering station is a Hyper-V VM, capture a checkpoint before each major step. The Package Cache clear is the most aggressive operation and benefits most from a checkpoint.
• Antivirus scan of the V20 ISO. Some EDR products quarantine Setup\\autorun.inf files. Extract the ISO with a Windows-native tool, not a third-party extractor that may strip the embedded signatures.
• Windows feature "Windows Installer 5.0" service state. On Windows 10 1809 builds the msiserver service can be disabled by group policy. Confirm Services → Windows Installer → Startup Type: Manual before starting the cleanup.

9. Alternate Path: Side-by-Side Install with WinCC 7.x

It is possible to maintain an active WinCC 7.5 SP2 (or 8.0) install and add TIA Portal V20 with only the engineering components (STEP 7 V20, PLCSIM V20, WinCC Professional V20). The constraint is:

• Do not select WinCC Runtime Professional V20 in the V20 product tree - it is mutually exclusive with WinCC 7.x/8.x runtime hosts.
• Do not select WinCC Unified V20 if the engineering station has WinCC 7.x - the SQL instance naming will conflict.
• Use a dedicated SQL Server instance for the V20 WinCC Pro databases to avoid migration of the WinCC 7.x databases.

The setup will then install without the popup because the mutex is satisfied: WinCC 7.x is an MSI product, but it is not one of the package codes the TIA V20 setup checks for. The TIA V20 setup only checks the TIA family of WinCC products.

10. Frequently Asked Questions