Resolving WinCC V11 SP2 MSI Install Failure on VMware

Problem: WinCC V11 SP2 Installer Returns ERROR_OPEN_FAILED on a Virtual Machine

When launching the WinCC V11 SP2 setup (delivered inside SIMATIC TIA Portal V11 SP2) inside a VMware Workstation, VMware Player, or ESXi-hosted virtual machine, the Windows Installer (MSI) runtime terminates the bootstrap chain immediately after the splash screen and reports:

The setup rolls back, the TIA Portal entry is partially registered in Programs and Features, the WinCC option is missing, and the log file inside %TEMP%\Siemens\Setup stops at the line that contains the error code. The same dialog reappears on every retry regardless of whether the user copies the DVD image to C:\TempInst first or runs the installer from a mapped ISO.

The ERROR_OPEN_FAILED message is a Windows Installer return code (commonly mapped to MSI error 1620, HRESULT 0x80070020) that is raised when the MSI loader chain tries to open a referenced .msi or .cab payload and the file handle cannot be created. In TIA Portal V11 SP2 the root cause is almost always one of four conditions: corrupted installation media, an unsupported host or guest operating system, a misconfigured extraction path on the virtual disk, or a damaged .NET/Windows Installer stack inside the VM. This guide walks through diagnosis, repair, and verification for each scenario.

Symptoms Captured in the Field

Root Cause Analysis

Root Cause 1: Corrupted or Truncated Installation Package

The MSI runtime uses the Windows Installer service (msiexec.exe) to open .msi and .msp packages. ERROR_OPEN_FAILED is raised when the file path resolves but the file handle cannot be opened with read access. In practice, this is most often a damaged download, an interrupted DVD burn, or a copy that did not preserve the full file size. Several WinCC V11 SP2 payloads exceed 4 GB and frequently fail to copy cleanly over FTP, USB sticks formatted as FAT32, or IMAP attachments that truncate files silently above the 2 GB mark.

Verify the media by computing SHA-256 of the .iso or .zip archive and comparing it with the value published in the Siemens Software Download Server confirmation email. TIA Portal V11 SP2 is distributed as order number 6ES7822-0AA02-0YA0 (DVD) or via the SWD under entry ID 108060858.

Root Cause 2: Unsupported Guest Operating System

WinCC V11 SP2 is part of the SIMATIC TIA Portal V11 SP2 generation and is validated only on the operating systems listed in the SIMATIC software release notes.

Running the installer on Windows XP SP3, whether on bare metal or inside a VMware guest, is outside the support matrix. The MSI loader chain in TIA Portal V11 SP2 relies on the .NET Framework 4.0/4.5 stack and on MSI 5.0 components delivered with Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2; the MSI 4.5 engine present on XP cannot open the V11 SP2 .msi payloads reliably, which is why ERROR_OPEN_FAILED appears even when the media itself is intact. Several field reports confirm that the same DVD installs cleanly on a Windows 7 SP1 host and fails with ERROR_OPEN_FAILED on an XP SP3 VM.

Root Cause 3: Extraction Path or Virtual Disk Constraints

The Siemens installer requires a writable working directory to stage files before invoking MSI. A common documented workaround is to extract the DVD image to a local folder such as C:\TempInst. On VMware, this folder may end up on:

• a shared folder that does not honor long-path semantics (paths over 255 characters)
• a dynamic VMDK that is full and cannot write .cab payloads
• a virtual CD/DVD that the installer cannot re-mount with read/write semantics
• a USB passthrough device formatted as FAT32 with the 4 GB single-file limit
• an NTFS compressed folder that conflicts with MSI transactional semantics

If Setup.exe cannot enumerate or write into the staging path, MSI returns ERROR_OPEN_FAILED even though the actual .msi files are readable. This is the most common cause when the error appears only on the VM and not on the host.

Root Cause 4: Damaged .NET Framework and MSI Patches

Several engineers have observed that the same MSI loader errors on VMware disappear after installing the latest .NET Framework on the guest. The WinCC V11 SP2 setup wrapper (InstData\setup\Setup.exe) chains through a managed bootstrapper that calls MSI APIs; missing MSI 5.0 hotfixes (KB 942288, KB 972397) and a partial .NET 4.0 install cause early loader failures that surface as ERROR_OPEN_FAILED. Re-registering msiexec and repairing .NET frequently resolves the issue without replacing the package.

Diagnostic Procedure

Follow this sequence in order before requesting a replacement package from Siemens Support.

1. Capture the exact error text and the path that triggered it. Screenshot the dialog and copy the contents of %TEMP%\Setup.log and %TEMP%\Siemens\Setup.log to a separate share.
2. Validate the media hash. Compute SHA-256 of the DVD ISO and compare it with the value shown in the Siemens SWD download portal. If they differ, the package is corrupt; jump to Solution A.
3. Confirm the guest OS. Open winver from a command prompt on the VM. WinCC V11 SP2 supports Windows 7 SP1 32-bit/64-bit and Windows Server 2008 R2 only. Windows XP SP3 is not supported regardless of virtualization.
4. Test the package on the host first. If the host runs Windows 7 SP1 64-bit, copy the entire DVD contents to C:\TempInst, run Setup.exe from there, and observe the same dialog. A clean install on the supported host proves the package is intact and isolates the issue to the VM.
5. Verify the staging path. Ensure the working directory is on a fixed VMDK or a physical disk mapped into the VM, not on a network share, a USB passthrough, or a dynamic VMDK with less than 20 GB free.
6. Check the .NET Framework version. The host and the VM must have .NET Framework 4.0 (with KB 982670) or 4.5 installed, with the language pack matching the WinCC UI language.
7. Inspect MSI patches. Run msiexec /regserver from an elevated command prompt to re-register the Windows Installer service. Apply KB 942288 and KB 972397 if the guest is Windows 7 RTM.
8. Disable antivirus real-time scanning of the staging folder. Endpoint protection products intercept .msi opens and cause ERROR_OPEN_FAILED on first contact.
9. Rebuild the staging folder. Delete C:\TempInst and re-extract the DVD contents from a verified-good copy. Long path names, hidden characters, and ACL inheritance problems have all been observed to break MSI extraction silently.
10. Capture a Process Monitor trace. Filter on Setup.exe and msiexec.exe; the CreateFile operation with NAME NOT FOUND or SHARING VIOLATION result pinpoints the exact payload that the loader cannot open.

Solution Procedures

Solution A: Replace Corrupt Installation Media

If hash validation fails, request a fresh copy through the official Siemens channel:

1. Open a Support Request at the Siemens Industry Online Support portal with order number, license key (CoL), and the SWD contract ID.
2. Request a replacement ISO or a new download link. Siemens typically re-issues the package within 24-48 hours for valid maintenance contracts.
3. Verify the new SHA-256 hash against the SWD portal listing.
4. Copy the entire DVD contents to C:\TempInst on the host and on the guest.
5. Right-click Setup.exe, choose Run as administrator, and complete the installation with elevated privileges.

This is the documented resolution path for the reported failure: the engineer confirmed the original package was corrupt, received a replacement from Siemens, and the install completed successfully.

Solution B: Upgrade the Guest Operating System to a Supported Platform

For a WinCC engineering station the supported configuration is Windows 7 SP1 64-bit (or Windows Server 2008 R2). For an engineering VM that must remain on legacy VMware, follow this upgrade path:

1. Snapshot the VM. Shut down, then upgrade the guest to Windows 7 SP1 64-bit using the in-place upgrade option of the Windows 7 SP1 media.
2. Install VMware Tools for the new OS to restore display, network, and shared folder drivers. The Tools ISO must match the VMware Workstation / ESXi release (Tools 8.6.x for ESXi 5.0, 9.0.x for ESXi 5.1/5.5).
3. Apply Windows updates to bring the guest fully current. Reboot.
4. Install .NET Framework 4.5 (or later) and Windows Installer 5.0 hotfixes.
5. Copy the TIA Portal V11 SP2 DVD contents into C:\TempInst. Run setup from there.

Solution C: Repair the .NET and MSI Stack on the VM

1. Open Programs and Features, locate the latest .NET Framework, and choose Repair.
2. Run the .NET Framework Repair Tool from Microsoft for the installed version.
3. Re-register the Windows Installer service from an elevated command prompt:

   msiexec /unregserver
   msiexec /regserver
   net stop msiserver
   net start msiserver

4. Re-extract the DVD image to a clean folder. Retry the install.

Solution D: Adjust Virtual Machine Storage Layout

If the staging path is constrained:

1. Allocate a fixed-size VMDK of at least 60 GB for the engineering VM. WinCC V11 with options requires roughly 12-15 GB plus paging space.
2. Move the staging folder (C:\TempInst) to the fixed VMDK. Avoid dynamic disks and avoid NTFS compression on the staging folder.
3. If using shared folders, copy the contents to a local NTFS volume first, then run setup from the local copy.
4. Increase the SCSI controller to LSI Logic SAS for Windows 7 64-bit guests and ensure the disk controller driver is current.
5. Set the VMware virtual disk mode to Independent - Persistent if the host is running on a SAN where snapshot commits are slow.

Verification Steps

Once setup completes, validate that WinCC V11 SP2 is fully functional inside the VM:

1. Launch SIMATIC WinCC from the Start menu. The portal should open without license warnings.
2. Open Project view, create a new HMI project, and add a Comfort Panel target (for example KTP1200 or TP1500). Save and compile. Compilation must finish without "DLL not found" or "Tag generation failed".
3. Open the TIA Portal Help → Installed software dialog and confirm WinCC V11 SP2 and all optional components are listed.
4. In Windows Event Viewer, look under Application for any residual MSI event ID 11708 or 11734 entries. A clean install produces no errors in the last 24 hours.
5. From a remote engineering station, attempt to download a compiled HMI runtime to a physical panel over PROFINET. If the download succeeds end-to-end, the WinCC toolchain is verified.
6. Restart the VM and confirm WinCC V11 SP2 still launches without re-running the installer.
7. Run the TIA Portal Automation License Manager and confirm the WinCC license is recognized. A missing license here indicates the install rolled back at the WinCC option stage.

VMware-Specific Best Practices

Related MSI Error Codes and How to Distinguish Them

WinCC V11 SP2 setup can raise several MSI error codes that look similar at first glance. Use this matrix to triage:

Field Commissioning Notes

Engineers deploying WinCC V11 SP2 on VMware in plant environments should consider the following:

• Some HMI runtime options require the VMware guest to have a fixed MAC address and a stable UUID. Random UUIDs regenerate after every power-on event and can invalidate WinCC licensing on certain CoL keys.
• If the WinCC engineering station will push projects to physical panels over PROFINET, the VM network adapter must be bridged to a physical NIC that has PROFINET IRT capability. VMXNET3 is supported; E1000 has been observed to drop IRT frames.
• Disable VMware time synchronization when commissioning panels that rely on absolute timestamps. Time jumps confuse the WinCC alarm logging subsystem.
• Reserve CPU and memory at the VMware level so the engineering station never gets preempted during long compile operations. Preemption can manifest as MSI rollback errors that look identical to ERROR_OPEN_FAILED.

Frequently Asked Questions