Resolving WinCC 7.0 Project Manager Not Running Error on Client

Resolving the WinCC 7.0 "Project Manager for Configured WinCC Server is Not Running" Error

When a WinCC 7.0 client fails to open a project with the dialog "Cannot open WinCC project - Project Manager for configured WinCC Server is not already running - Start Project Manager for configured server", the fault is almost always traced to a missing or stopped server-side process, an incomplete SQL Server 2005 patch level, or a broken client-server connection. This reference walks through the exact diagnostic path used on PCS 7 V7.1 / WinCC 7.0 client stations installed on Windows XP SP3, and lists the patches, services, and configuration items that must be verified before the project will open.

1. Problem Statement

A WinCC 7.0 client has been installed on a freshly imaged Windows XP SP3 workstation alongside the Siemens PCS 7 V7.1 client package. SQL Server 2005 is running locally, Windows Firewall is disabled, and the project files appear accessible from the network share. When the operator starts the WinCC client and selects the configured project, the runtime aborts with the following dialog:

Cannot open WinCC project
Project Manager for configured WinCC Server is not already running.
Start Project Manager for configured server.

The dialog does not identify which executable is missing, which host is the "configured server," or whether the failure is local (on the client) or remote (on the WinCC server). The error is therefore ambiguous: the same string is raised when the project manager service on the server is stopped, when the client cannot reach the server, when the SQL back-end is unpatched, or when the local WinCC Explorer has not yet completed its startup sequence.

2. WinCC 7.0 Client-Server Architecture

WinCC 7.0 in a PCS 7 V7.1 distributed configuration separates runtime roles into three functional tiers. The error described here spans all three.

When a WinCC client opens a project, it performs a sequence of remote procedure calls against the server. The Project Manager referenced by the error is the server-side WinCCExplorer.exe process, which hosts the project configuration database, the tag subscription service, and the alarm logging engine. If that process has not initialized by the time the client attempts to bind, the client raises the described error and aborts the connection.

3. Root Cause Analysis

Three primary root causes, plus four secondary causes, account for the majority of field occurrences on PCS 7 V7.1 / WinCC 7.0 client stations.

3.1 Primary Causes

1. Server-side WinCC Explorer not started. The WinCC Explorer on the WinCC server is the project manager. If the server has been rebooted, if the WinCC service is set to manual start, or if the project is in a faulted state (e.g., the previous run crashed and left a stale *.ldf lock), the explorer never reaches the ready state and the client will report the error.
2. SQL Server 2005 unpatched. WinCC 7.0 requires SQL Server 2005 with the post-SP2 cumulative update package and the WinCC-specific hotfix bundle from the Microsoft Tools 2005 CD. Missing hotfixes cause the WinCC configuration database to fail silently, leaving the project manager in a half-initialized state.
3. Client-to-server connectivity failure. The WinCC client cannot reach the server on the required DCOM, SMB, and SQL TCP ports. With Windows Firewall disabled on the client, the failure is almost always on the server or on intermediate network equipment.

3.2 Secondary Causes

4. DCOM / COM+ security misconfiguration. WinCC clients use DCOM to instantiate the project manager on the server. If the Default Launch and Access permissions do not include the WinCC user group, the server-side activation fails.
5. Stale or mismatched project files. A *.mdf / *.ldf pair copied from another server without detaching the database first.
6. License service not available. The CCAgent service has not started; some WinCC 7.0 builds block project activation if the licensing RPC cannot bind.
7. Operating system patch level mismatch. Windows XP SP2 versus SP3 changes the DCOM authentication default from Connect to None, which can mask the issue on SP2 and surface it on SP3.

4. Prerequisites and Required Software

Before opening a WinCC 7.0 client for the first time, confirm that the following components are installed in the documented order. This list mirrors the standard Siemens PCS 7 V7.1 client prerequisites for Windows XP SP3.

1. Windows XP Professional SP3, English or German MUI, 32-bit.
2. Internet Explorer 6.0 SP2 or higher (required for the Web Navigator client).
3. Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) service installed and started.
4. SQL Server 2005 Standard or Express, with the configuration tools installed.
5. SQL Server 2005 post-SP2 hotfix package (cumulative update) - the exact build is supplied on the Microsoft Tools 2005 CD bundled with PCS 7 V7.1.
6. PCS 7 V7.1 DVD or the dedicated WinCC 7.0 Client installation set.
7. Siemens Automation License Manager 5.x.
8. WinCC 7.0 client binaries (only the client role is installed - the explorer, runtime, and Web Navigator).

5. Diagnostic Procedure

Run the following diagnostic sequence in order. Each step rules out one root cause and produces a verifiable result before moving to the next.

5.1 Verify the Server-Side WinCC Explorer

1. RDP or console into the WinCC server.
2. Open Start → All Programs → SIMATIC → WinCC → WinCC Explorer.
3. Confirm the project loads and shows Activated in the title bar or status pane.
4. If the explorer does not start, check the Windows Event Viewer under Application for entries with source CCProjectManager or SQLSERVER.

If the WinCC Explorer on the server is stopped, start it manually by double-clicking the project file. If it fails to start, repair the project database with the WinCC Project Duplicator or restore from the last known good backup.

5.2 Verify SQL Server 2005 Patch Level

Run the following query against the local SQL instance on both server and client to capture the patch level:

SELECT @@VERSION AS VersionString,
       SERVERPROPERTY('ProductLevel') AS ProductLevel,
       SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') AS ProductVersion;

Compare the output against the build number documented on the Microsoft Tools 2005 CD label. A build below the required level causes the configuration database attach to fail silently and triggers the project manager error. Apply the cumulative update package from the Siemens CD, then reboot the host.

5.3 Verify Client-Server Connectivity

From an elevated command prompt on the client, run the following reachability checks. WinCC 7.0 requires TCP/UDP reachability to the server on the ports listed below.

net view \\<servername>
ping <servername>
netstat -an | findstr :1433
telnet <servername> 135

If net view fails, resolve the SMB / DNS / name resolution issue first. The WinCC project manager error will not clear until the share hosting the project is reachable.

5.4 Verify the WinCC User Group Membership

On the server, open Computer Management → Local Users and Groups → Groups and confirm that the user account used to start the WinCC client is a member of SIMATIC HMI and SQLServer2005SQLBrowserUser$<HOSTNAME>. On a PCS 7 station, the relevant group is SIMATIC NET. The user must be added on both the client and the server with identical SID resolution.

6. Resolution - Server-Side Configuration

If diagnostics 5.1 or 5.4 indicate a server-side issue, perform the following remediation steps in order.

1. Start the WinCC service. On the server, set the SIMATIC WinCC Explorer service startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start) and start it.
2. Re-attach the project database. Open SQL Server Management Studio Express, detach the WinCC configuration database, copy a clean *.mdf / *.ldf from backup, and re-attach with the original logical file names.
3. Reset DCOM permissions. Run dcomcnfg.exe on the server, expand Component Services → Computers → My Computer, right-click and select Properties. On the Default Properties tab, enable Distributed COM on this computer and set the Default Authentication Level to Connect. On the COM Security tab, add the SIMATIC HMI group to Access Permissions → Edit Limits with Allow on Local Access and Remote Access; repeat for Launch and Activation Permissions.
4. Restart WinCC Explorer. After the DCOM changes, restart the SIMATIC WinCC Explorer service, then the SQL Server instance, then the host.

7. Resolution - Client-Side Configuration

The client station has its own set of configuration items that must be in place.

1. Confirm the project name in WinCC Explorer on the server matches the client configuration. The error string is generated when the client looks for a project name that does not exist on the server, or when the project exists but the server-side explorer has not published it via DCOM.
2. Set the project startup mode. On the client, edit the project file in a text editor (use the WinCC Project Duplicator) and confirm the [Configuration] section has ServerName=<correct server FQDN> and ProjectName=<correct project>.
3. Clear the local WinCC cache. Delete the contents of %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\bin\Cache and the per-user folder under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Siemens\WinCC. A stale cache entry will cause the client to attempt to bind to a server that no longer hosts the named project.
4. Recreate the ODBC data source. Open Data Sources (ODBC) on the client and confirm the system DSN CC_CFG_DB_<servername>_<projectname> points to the server's SQL instance with the correct credentials.

8. Resolution - SQL Server 2005 Patch Application

The Microsoft Tools 2005 CD contains the SQL Server 2005 cumulative update package and a set of WinCC-specific hotfixes. If the CD is not on site, request it from Siemens Industry Online Support; do not attempt to substitute a stock Microsoft CU package, because Siemens only certifies the combination on the CD.

1. Insert the Microsoft Tools 2005 CD. If the autorun is disabled, run Setup.exe from the root.
2. Select SQL Server 2005 Hotfix & Tools.
3. Accept the license terms and allow the installer to detect the existing instance.
4. Choose Upgrade an existing installation and apply the hotfixes to the local SQL instance.
5. Reboot. Run the query in section 5.2 to confirm the new build number.

If a hotfix install fails with an MSI error, stop the SQL Server and SQL Server Agent services from the SQL Server Configuration Manager, re-run the hotfix, then restart the services.

9. Resolution - Windows XP SP3 Specific Items

Windows XP SP3 changed the default DCOM authentication level for the workstation and the host. Several WinCC 7.0 deployments work on SP2 and fail on SP3 because the elevated DCOM default breaks the WinCC callback path.

1. Open dcomcnfg.exe on the client.
2. Navigate to Component Services → Computers → My Computer, right-click and select Properties.
3. On the Default Properties tab, set Default Authentication Level to Connect.
4. On the COM Security tab, confirm Access Permissions and Launch and Activation Permissions both include Everyone with Allow for the local limits (tighten later once the project opens).
5. Reboot the client.

10. Forced Local Activation Workaround

If the project will not open after the above steps and you need to confirm that the project files are themselves healthy, attempt a local activation. Press and hold Ctrl + Alt while launching WinCC Explorer on the client. The Explorer will start in local mode and bypass the server check. This step is for diagnostic purposes only - it confirms the local installation is sound, but production runtime must still connect to the server.

11. Verification

After applying the remediation, verify the fix with the following checks.

1. On the client, launch the WinCC project. The project must open without the project manager error.
2. Open the WinCC Explorer - Server dialog from the client (right-click the system tray icon). Confirm the server name, project name, and runtime state are reported correctly.
3. From the client, open the alarm log and tag browser. Confirm tags are subscribing to the server and that the alarm view is populated.
4. On the server, open the Windows Event Viewer and confirm no new DCOM or SQL Server errors have been logged since the client connected.
5. Reboot the client. Confirm the project opens automatically on user logon (if configured) without the project manager error reappearing.

12. Troubleshooting Matrix

13. Key File and Registry Locations

The following locations are referenced during diagnosis. Knowing where to look saves a service call.

• %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\bin\WinCCExplorer.exe - server-side project manager
• %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\bin\CCStartWsHost.exe - client-side runtime host
• %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\WinCCProjects\<Project>\<Project>.mdf - project database
• HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\WinCC\Config - WinCC registry tree
• HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\MSSQLServer\CurrentVersion - SQL build number
• %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Setup Bootstrap\LOG\Summary.txt - SQL install log

14. Safety and Operational Notes

WinCC 7.0 in a PCS 7 V7.1 environment is a process-control runtime. Apply the following constraints when troubleshooting.

• Never detach a project database while the WinCC runtime is active. Stop the runtime first, then stop the WinCC Explorer, then detach.
• Always take a file-level backup of the project directory and a SQL backup of the configuration database before applying hotfixes or DCOM changes.
• Test the fix in a non-production environment that mirrors the production OS patch level. WinCC 7.0 behaviour differs between Windows XP SP2 and SP3 and between Windows Server 2003 and 2003 R2.
• Do not promote a client to Server role by installing server binaries as a remediation step. The mismatch will surface as a license violation and a separate CCProjectManager error.

15. FAQ