Resolving WinCC "Licensing Could Not Be Performed" Setup Error

Siemens WinCC installations occasionally fail at the end of setup with the dialog "Information: licensing could not be performed". The setup appears to finish, but the entire installation is rolled back automatically, leaving no WinCC Explorer, no project editor, and no Automation License Manager (ALM) service. The most common documented cause is Intel Hyper-Threading enabled in BIOS/UEFI on a host running the legacy WinCC V6.x or V7.0 demo DVD. This reference provides the full BIOS, registry, service, and reinstallation sequence, plus diagnostic paths for the other known triggers of this dialog.

1. Problem Details: The "Licensing Could Not Be Performed" Dialog

When the error appears at the end of a WinCC setup, the user typically sees:

• Window title: Information
• Body: Licensing could not be performed.
• No error code, no hexadecimal return value, no log path
• No retry button; the only action is to click OK

Behavior after the message depends on the install mode:

• Demo / trial install: The entire installation is rolled back automatically. The system is left as if the installer was never launched. There is no 14-day countdown because the licensing step fails before the trial license is bound to the host.
• Customer license install: The runtime is registered, but the license key cannot be activated, and WinCC Explorer, Graphics Designer, and Alarm Logging all refuse to start with a "License missing" banner.

2. Root Cause Analysis

Four triggers are documented for the "licensing could not be performed" dialog at the end of WinCC setup:

2.1 Hyper-Threading (most common for legacy demo DVD installs)

Legacy WinCC V6.2 / V7.0 / V7.0 SP1 demo installers for Windows XP and Windows 7 32-bit were validated against a CPU count that assumes one logical CPU per physical core. When Intel Hyper-Threading is enabled, the operating system exposes two logical processors per physical core, and the licensing library interprets the inflated count as a virtualized or otherwise unsupported host. The setup completes the file copy, then fails when the ALM runtime probe returns; the install rolls back and the setup files are deleted.

2.2 Windows Version Mismatch

The WinCC V7.0 demo DVD targets Windows XP SP3 and Windows 7 SP1 32-bit. Running the same installer on Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, or Windows Server 2022 results in a license probe failure because the ALM service cannot register against the newer kernel scheduler. The setup completes the file copy but cannot complete the license step.

2.3 Corrupted Previous Installation

WinCC setup does not perform a clean uninstall of the Automation License Manager. A previous failed install leaves registry keys in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\ and locked files in %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\. The new install detects a phantom prior install, the license probe times out, and the dialog is raised.

2.4 Insufficient Privileges or Blocked Service

The ALM service (almservice.exe) must install with LocalSystem rights. If the user account is a Power User rather than a true administrator, or if Group Policy or antivirus software blocks the almsrv.exe helper, the license probe returns "no service" and the dialog is raised.

3. Solution: Step-by-Step Recovery

3.1 Disable Hyper-Threading in BIOS/UEFI

1. Restart the workstation.
2. Enter BIOS/UEFI Setup (typically DEL, F2, or F10 during POST).
3. Navigate to the CPU configuration menu. The exact path varies by vendor:
   • Intel desktop boards: Advanced → CPU Configuration → Hyper-Threading
   • Intel server (S2600 family): Advanced → Processor Configuration → Hyper Threading
   • Dell workstations: System Configuration → CPU Configuration → HyperThreading
   • HP workstations: Security → System Security → Hyperthreading
4. Set Hyper-Threading to Disabled.
5. Save and exit (typically F10).
6. Verify in Windows: open Task Manager → Performance → CPU and confirm Cores equals Logical processors.

3.2 Perform a Clean Uninstall of WinCC and ALM

Siemens publishes the official removal procedure in FAQ 189025 - How do you uninstall STEP 7 / WinCC completely?. The same procedure applies to WinCC V6.2 through V7.4 because they share the same ALM back-end.

1. Open Control Panel → Programs and Features and uninstall, in this order:
   • Siemens Automation License Manager
   • WinCC
   • WinCC RC (Runtime Core) if present
   • SQL Server 2005/2008 instance WINCC
   • All Microsoft Visual C++ 2005/2008 Redistributable (x86) entries
2. Delete the following folders if they remain:
   • %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\
   • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Siemens\
   • %ProgramData%\Siemens\
   • %CommonProgramFiles%\Siemens\
   • %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Siemens\
3. Open Registry Editor (regedit) as Administrator and remove the keys:
   • HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\ (entire subtree)
   • HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Siemens\ (entire subtree on 64-bit Windows)
   • HKCU\SOFTWARE\Siemens\ (entire subtree)
4. Delete the service entries from an elevated command prompt:

   sc delete almservice
   sc delete almsrv

5. Reboot. Do not skip this step; the ALM kernel driver (almsrv.sys) is locked until the system restarts.

3.3 Reinstall WinCC Demo

1. Insert the WinCC demo DVD (or mount the ISO as a virtual drive).
2. Right-click Setup.exe and select Run as administrator.
3. Accept the license agreement.
4. When prompted for a license key, select No, install as demo / trial version. The setup binds a 14-day trial license at first WinCC Explorer launch, not during setup.
5. Complete the setup. At the final dialog, click Finish. The "licensing could not be performed" dialog should not appear.
6. Reboot when prompted.

4. Verification

1. Open Start → Siemens Automation → Automation License Manager.
2. Confirm the almservice shows Running in services.msc.
3. Launch WinCC Explorer. If the trial has started, the splash screen shows "14 days remaining".
4. Create a test project: File → New Project → Single-User Project, name it TestLicense, click Create.
5. Right-click the project, choose Activate. The runtime should reach Running state within 10 seconds.
6. Open ALM → Help → About and verify the local host fingerprint is present.

If the dialog reappears, the host is not the root cause; see Section 5.

5. Alternate Diagnostic Paths

5.1 Windows Version Mismatch

Confirm the host OS is in the WinCC compatibility matrix:

Source: Siemens Industry Online Support. If the host is not in the matrix, the install cannot succeed; the correct path is to upgrade the WinCC DVD or replace the OS with a supported edition.

5.2 User Account Control

Verify the install account is in the local Administrators group:

net localgroup administrators

Power User accounts fail the ALM service registration. Use a true administrator account or temporarily disable UAC via secpol.msc → Local Policies → Security Options → User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode → Disabled, then reboot and retry.

5.3 Antivirus / EDR Interception

Symantec Endpoint Protection, McAfee Endpoint Security, Trend Micro Apex One, and Windows Defender with controlled-folder-access enabled all block the almservice.exe registration on first install. Whitelist the following paths before setup:

• %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\
• %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Siemens\Automation\
• %ProgramData%\Siemens\

5.4 License Server Reachability

If WinCC is configured for a network license server, the setup will attempt to contact the server's 27000/TCP ALM port during the install. If the server is unreachable, the dialog is raised. Verify reachability:

telnet <license-server> 27000

For local-only demos, ensure the registry value HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\LicenseManager\UseNetworkLicenseServer is 0 or absent.

6. ALM Log Analysis

If the dialog reappears, capture the ALM service log before cleanup. The log directory is:

C:\ProgramData\Siemens\Automation\License Manager\Logs\

Look for the following error codes:

7. Demo Mode: 14-Day Countdown Rules

Once the trial installs cleanly, the 14-day countdown begins at the first WinCC Explorer launch, not at setup completion. Important behavior:

• The countdown is stored in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\LicenseManager\TrialStartTime.
• Do not edit this key; the ALM cross-checks against the file timestamp of %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\LicenseManager\license.key.
• After 14 days, the runtime is locked. Only a full reinstall of the demo or a valid license can recover operation.
• Each demo install is bound to a single host. Moving the trial to another PC requires repeating the full FAQ 189025 cleanup on the first PC and reinstalling on the new one.

8. Permanent License Installation (Not Using Demo)

If a customer license key is available, the install proceeds differently:

1. Install WinCC with admin rights as above.
2. Plug the license USB stick into the host before setup reaches the licensing step.
3. If the key is a file-based license, copy <serial>.zip to the host and unzip. The ALM service picks it up automatically from %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\License Manager\License\.
4. Open ALM, confirm the license appears with status Valid.
5. Continue with setup. The "licensing could not be performed" dialog will not appear.

9. Field-Proven Recovery Checklist

10. Troubleshooting Matrix

11. Hyper-V, VBS, and Memory Integrity

On Windows 10 1903 and later, Microsoft introduced Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Memory Integrity (HVCI). When enabled, the Windows hypervisor runs beneath the OS, and the ALM service sees a virtualized CPU topology even on bare metal. Disable the following before installing the legacy WinCC demo:

1. Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → Device security → Core isolation → Memory integrity → Off
2. Settings → Apps → Optional features → More Windows features → Hyper-V → unchecked
3. Settings → Apps → Optional features → More Windows features → Windows Hypervisor Platform → unchecked
4. Settings → Apps → Optional features → More Windows features → Windows Sandbox → unchecked
5. Settings → Apps → Optional features → More Windows features → Virtual Machine Platform → unchecked
6. Reboot.

Confirm by running msinfo32.exe; the line "Virtualization-based security" should read "Not enabled".

12. Recovery on a Virtual Machine

The legacy WinCC demo often fails on VMware Workstation, VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Oracle VirtualBox, and Parallels. The ALM probe is sensitive to the presented CPU topology. The supported configuration is:

If the dialog persists on a VM, the demo must be installed on physical hardware.

13. Frequently Asked Questions