Resolving WinCC Migration Error Project Reset to Standard Project

Overview

When attempting to migrate a WinCC V7.0 project to WinCC V7.3 SPx (for example Update 1), the Project Migrator dialog can return the message "Project has been reset and will be opened as standard project" and refuse to advance past the first migration step. The error breaks the migration wizard flow at Step 1/Step 2, leaving the project in a non-functional intermediate state where the original .MCP cannot be reopened as a Service Mode project, and the migration cannot continue.

This message is a sibling of the more commonly documented Siemens entry "Open WinCC project — The project cannot be opened before it's converted with Project Migrator" (Siemens Support Entry ID 23712529). Both errors indicate that the project database on disk is inconsistent with the version of the WinCC Explorer or Migrator that is trying to read it.

This article consolidates the known root causes for the Project has been reset condition, the corrective actions in priority order, and the verification steps that confirm a clean migration. It is written for HMI/SCADA engineers, commissioning specialists, and system integrators who maintain legacy WinCC V7 projects.

Affected Versions and Compatibility Matrix

The Project Migrator is invoked from the WinCC Explorer splash screen when a project of an older version is detected in the project path. The migration wizard writes a new project header, rebuilds the picture cache, and regenerates configuration files (PAS files, configuration database, alarm logging, tag logging, user administrator, etc.) to match the target schema.

Root Cause Analysis

Siemens documentation and field reports describe four distinct root causes for the Project has been reset error. Each requires a different corrective action. Diagnose in the order shown below because causes 1 and 2 are the most common.

Root Cause 1: Orphaned or Stale Lock Files

WinCC maintains lock files in the project directory to prevent concurrent access. When a WinCC Explorer instance, WinCC Runtime, or a background service terminates abnormally (crash, power loss, Task Manager kill), the lock files are not removed. The Project Migrator checks for these locks and, when found, resets the project to standard mode rather than risk corrupting a database that another process may still be using.

Lock file types that block migration:

• ProjectOpen.lck — generic project-open lock, present whenever WinCC Explorer has the project loaded
• *.LNK — older short-link file referencing the .MCP
• DBBoot.lck, DBPrint.lck, DBALG.lck, DBTLG.lck — subsystem-specific database locks
• pa_*.lck — Process Historian / PAS locks if WinCC/Connectivity is installed

Root Cause 2: Renamed .MCP File (Filename Mismatch)

The .MCP (Master Control Project) file is the central project header. Several sibling files reference the project by name, and their names must match the .MCP base name. If the project folder was copied and the .MCP was renamed without renaming the companion files, the migrator detects the mismatch, cannot resolve the project root, and reverts to a default project shell, which it then opens as a standard project.

Companion files that must share the base name of the .MCP:

Root Cause 3: Service Mode / Standard Mode Toggle

WinCC V7 supports two project modes: Standard (single-user) and Service (multi-user with redundancy and client/server options). The project mode is stored in the .MCP header and in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Siemens\WinCC\<Version>\ProjectMover. The Project Migrator always forces a project back to Standard mode at the start of the conversion because Service Mode semantics change between major versions. If the source project is in Service Mode, the migrator writes a reset marker and the project is temporarily demoted; the user must re-enable Service Mode manually after migration completes successfully.

Root Cause 4: Concurrent WinCC Components Not Closed

Siemens Support Entry 23712529 specifically states that the companion error "The project cannot be opened before it's converted with Project Migrator" is most often resolved by closing every WinCC component (Explorer, Runtime, CCDiscover, WinCC Channel Diagnosis, and the SQL Server instance) and then re-running the migrator. The same root cause — a live handle to the project database — produces the Project has been reset symptom in many field reports.

Pre-Migration Checklist

Complete every item below before invoking the Project Migrator:

1. Stop the WinCC Runtime on the target computer: net stop "CCWriteService" /y (if running as a service) or close the runtime window directly.
2. Close WinCC Explorer and any open picture editors (Graphics Designer, Alarm Logging, Tag Logging, User Administrator, Text Library, Time Synchronization).
3. Stop the MSSQL Server (WINCC) service or ensure no SQL sessions are open against the project database.
4. Close Siemens Channel Diagnosis, CCDiscover, and WebNavigator Configuration.
5. Copy the entire project folder to a backup path. Include hidden and system files.
6. Confirm that the .MCP and .MCC share the same base file name. Use Windows Explorer to view extensions.
7. Verify that the user running the migrator has full NTFS read/write/modify rights on the project folder and on %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\bin.
8. Confirm the target WinCC version is installed at the same or greater SP level as the source compatibility update (V7.3 Update 1 minimum for projects originating in V7.0 SP2).

Step-by-Step Resolution

Work through the resolutions below in the stated order. Each subsection is self-contained; skip the ones that are clearly not applicable to your installation.

Step 1: Terminate All WinCC Processes and Services

1. Open an elevated command prompt: cmd.exe → Run as administrator.
2. List the active WinCC processes: tasklist | findstr /I "wincc ccwrite s7wnasrv s7wnsrvc"
3. Stop the WinCC data services: net stop CCWriteService /y & net stop CCAlgService /y & net stop CCTlgService /y
4. Stop the SQL Server (WINCC) instance from SQL Server Configuration Manager or via: net stop MSSQL$WINCC /y
5. Verify no residual CCExp.exe or PDLRT.exe process is present in Task Manager → Details.
6. Relaunch the Project Migrator from the WinCC Explorer welcome screen.

If the migrator still resets the project, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Remove Lock Files

1. Navigate to the project root folder (the directory containing the .MCP).
2. Enable the display of hidden and system files in Windows Explorer (View → Options → Change folder and search options → View tab → Show hidden files / Hide protected operating system files unchecked).
3. Delete every .LCK file in the project root, the GraCS subfolder, and the Library subfolder.
4. Delete any orphaned ProjectOpen.lck at the project root.
5. If present, delete the *.LNK shortcut file that points to the old .MCP path.
6. Confirm with a directory listing: dir /A:H /A:S "C:\WinCC_Projects\MyPlant\" | findstr /I "lck lnk"

Step 3: Reconcile Filenames to .MCP Base Name

For every file in the project directory whose extension is .MCC, .LOG, .MDF, or .LDF, rename it to match the .MCP base name exactly, including case. Example:

ProjectFolder\
  MyPlant.MCP           <-- reference name
  MyPlant.MCC           <-- must match
  MyPlant_LOG.LDF
  MyPlant.MDF
  MyPlant_CS_log.LDF

Use the WinCC Project Duplicator (Start → Siemens Automation → WinCC → Tools → Project Duplicator) instead of the Windows copy/paste to clone projects. The Duplicator renames the SQL databases and the .MCC atomically and writes the correct .LNK shortcut. Manual F2 renaming breaks the relationship that the migrator depends on.

Step 4: Re-Enable Service Mode After Migration

If the project is required to run in Service Mode (redundant servers, client with multiple servers, or Process Historian integration):

1. Open the migrated project in WinCC Explorer.
2. Right-click the project in the tree → Properties.
3. On the General tab, change the Type dropdown from Standard Project to Service Project.
4. Configure redundancy and clients under Server → Computer properties.
5. Activate the project and verify that the redundancy partner connects.

The mode change is a header-only write and does not require re-migration.

Step 5: Use an Incremental Migration Path

For projects that originally shipped in WinCC V7.0, the recommended migration path is intermediate. Install WinCC V7.2 on a staging computer, migrate the project to V7.2, validate, then migrate the V7.2 project to V7.3 Update 1. This staging approach isolates the schema changes between V7.0 and V7.3 (which span three releases) and lets the operator verify behavior after each step.

Staging Computer A (V7.2 installed)
  Copy V7.0 project folder from production
  Run Project Migrator with target V7.2
  Open and validate: alarms, trends, pictures, scripts
  Save and copy to Staging Computer B

Staging Computer B (V7.3 installed)
  Copy V7.2 project folder
  Run Project Migrator with target V7.3
  Open and validate
  Copy to production computer

This two-step process is the same approach used by Siemens Technical Support for the SR escalation pattern described later in this article.

Project File Reference

Migration Wizard Decision Flow

The flow below summarizes the diagnostic decision tree when the Project Migrator displays Project has been reset:

1. Confirm WinCC Explorer and Runtime are closed → if not, close and retry.
2. Search for *.LCK and *.LNK in the project folder → delete them and retry.
3. Compare .MCP and .MCC base names → rename siblings to match, retry.
4. Inspect Project Properties → Type in the original (unmigrated) backup → note Service vs Standard.
5. If the project originated in V7.0, install V7.2 on a staging PC and migrate there first.
6. If the migrator still resets the project, escalate to Siemens Technical Support with a zipped copy of the original project folder.

Verification Steps

After the migrator completes Step 2 and rewrites the project header:

1. Open WinCC Explorer — the project must appear in the project list with the correct version stamp.
2. Right-click the project → Properties → confirm the version field reads 7.3.0.x.
3. Open Graphics Designer and load the startup picture. Check that all linked tags, dynamic dialogs, and C/VB scripts are intact.
4. Open Alarm Logging — confirm that all configured messages, message classes, and acknowledgment rules are present.
5. Open Tag Logging — confirm that all archives, trigger conditions, and compression settings are preserved.
6. Start WinCC Runtime in simulation mode. Verify that pictures load, alarms fire, and trends plot.
7. Stop Runtime, close Explorer, and re-open the project once more. A successful migration persists cleanly across a reopen.

Write a migration log entry in your project change log: original version, target version, date, operator, lock files removed, and any Service → Standard → Service toggle sequence performed.

Escalation to Siemens Technical Support

If the four root-cause resolutions above do not clear the error, open a Support Request (SR) via the Siemens Industry Online Support portal at support.industry.siemens.com. Provide:

• The complete project folder (zipped, including hidden .LCK and .LDF files).
• The exact WinCC version and update level of both source and target installations (e.g., V7.0 SP2 HF3 → V7.3 Update 1).
• The full migrator dialog text, including any error numbers.
• Windows event log excerpts from Application and System logs covering the migration attempt.
• The contents of the file %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\WinCC_ProjectMigrator.log if it exists.

Siemens Technical Support may ship a corrected .MCP header or instruct you to apply a specific hotfix to the target installation. Do not run a third-party migration utility; the schema changes are tightly coupled to the binary releases and are not externally reversible.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Preventive Maintenance

To avoid the Project has been reset error on future migrations:

• Always close WinCC Explorer and Runtime from the system tray icon, never from Task Manager. A clean close removes all lock files atomically.
• Use the Project Duplicator for any rename or copy operation. Manual file system operations leave the .MCP/.MCC pair inconsistent.
• Schedule migrations to coincide with maintenance windows so that the Service Mode toggle can be reverted without affecting production.
• Maintain a versioned backup of the project folder on a separate volume. Use a tool that preserves hidden files and ACLs (for example, robocopy with /COPYALL or a versioned VCS commit).
• Document the WinCC version and update level of every computer in the project tree. Mismatched levels are the most common reason that a freshly migrated client cannot connect to a server that has not yet been migrated.

FAQ