Resolving WinCC V7 "Cannot Open Project" Error hr=0x80046107 / hr=0x80046127 During Example Project Migration

Engineers who download a Siemens WinCC example archive such as CustomizedControls.mcp and try to open it on a workstation running an older WinCC V7 service pack frequently see the runtime abort with the message "Cannot open WinCC Project – Project manager for configured WinCC Server is not already running – Start Project Manager for configured server", followed by migration log entries reporting hr=0x80046107 and hr=0x80046127 against the CS AlarmLogging component. This article documents the exact root cause, the meaning of both HRESULT codes, the official migration paths between WinCC V7 service packs and WinCC Professional, and the verification steps to confirm a clean project load.

1. Problem Description

Reproduction environment captured from the original failure log:

The log window explicitly reports PROJECT TYPE: unknown and the wizard finishes with Migration finished with errors. After the abort the explorer view of the project folder still contains the original .mcp file, the GraCS subfolder, the Library subfolder, and an incomplete Config directory, but the SQL-based configuration databases (WinCC.mdf, Alarm.mdf, Tag.mdf) are not present or are sized to zero.

2. Root Cause Analysis

The HRESULT range 0x80046100 through 0x800461FF is the WinCC COM error class. The two values reported here map to the AlarmLogging service:

The companion error Project manager for configured WinCC Server is not already running is raised by the WinCC project manager shell (CCProjectMgr.exe) when the local project does not list a server that is currently active. On a single-station install, the configured server name is the local machine hostname. The project manager service must be running before the migration wizard attempts to mount the .mcp file, otherwise the migration cannot acquire the COM session to the AlarmLogging configuration interface and returns the COM error above.

The decisive root cause is, however, a version mismatch. The example archive in question is the application "Customizing of WinCC Runtime Professional Controls", which is published on the Siemens support portal with the filter "Software: WinCC up to V7.x". The same example is built against the project database schema introduced in WinCC V7.2. Opening it on WinCC V7.0 SPx triggers the schema-upgrade path of AlarmLogging, which the V7.0 runtime cannot service, and the migration is aborted.

3. Why the Project Manager Does Not Start

On WinCC V7 the project manager is a Windows service group rather than a single daemon. When the migration wizard calls IWinCCProject::Open, the shell invokes CCProjectMgr.exe -open <path>. The shell then checks for the configured server entry in the registry under:

For the example to load successfully, the value Server must resolve to a host on which the WinCC Project Manager service is in state Started. The migration wizard will not start the service itself; it expects the operator to have launched WinCC Explorer on the configured server first. If the service is stopped, the wizard raises the user-visible message and exits with 0x80046107 when it finally tries to open the AlarmLogging configuration store.

4. Required Versions and Components

The example "Customizing of WinCC Runtime Professional Controls" is compatible only with the following minimum configuration:

For the TIA Portal migration path the same prerequisites apply to the TIA Portal project that receives the migrated WinCC Professional runtime:

• TIA Portal V14 SP1 or later with the WinCC Professional option package installed.
• All TIA Portal option packages and Hardware Support Packages (HSP) used by the destination project must be installed on the engineering station. The TIA Portal Openness API documentation states explicitly: "Each TIA Portal option package or HSP used in the project has to be installed for an Openness application to be able to open or attach to the project." See Connecting to the TIA Portal – TIA Portal Openness API documentation.
• The TIA Portal WinCC Professional target runtime must equal or exceed the source runtime build; cross-down-migrations are not supported.

5. Resolution Path A – Upgrade the WinCC V7 Installation

1. Open SIMATIC Manager > Help > About and record the current WinCC version and the installed service pack. If the version is below V7.2, plan an in-place upgrade.
2. Download the required WinCC V7.2 (or later) base install plus the latest update from the Siemens support portal. The download entry for the example lists the supported WinCC version in the Filter criteria block; do not skip this check.
3. Stop all WinCC services: net stop "S7WINCCBXIN_x64", net stop "CCProjectMgr", net stop "WinCC_PM". Closing WinCC Explorer is not sufficient; the services must be stopped.
4. Run the WinCC V7.2 setup with Upgrade installation. The setup detects the existing V7.0 databases, performs the schema upgrade, and re-registers the AlarmLogging COM server under HKCR\CLSID\{...}\InProcServer32.
5. Apply the latest available Update package and restart the system.
6. Open WinCC Explorer on the local machine, then close it again. This forces the registry to be written for the configured server = local hostname.
7. Copy the original CustomizedControls.mcp folder to C:\CustomizedControls\ again (do not reuse the partially migrated tree) and double-click the .mcp file. The project manager will detect the schema version, prompt for upgrade, and write the SQL configuration databases in the same pass.

6. Resolution Path B – Migrate the Example to TIA Portal WinCC Professional

If the target environment is TIA Portal (which is what the original poster also tried), the migration must start from a WinCC V7.2 or later source install. The migration of a V7.0 SPx project to TIA Portal V14+ is not supported by Siemens and will always fail with the 0x80046107 alarm logging schema error.

1. Perform Path A first on a maintenance workstation so the source .mcp is upgraded to V7.2 or V7.5.
2. Install TIA Portal V16 or V17 with the WinCC Professional option package. TIA Portal V18 / V19 / V20 are also valid migration targets; pick the version that matches the rest of your project fleet.
3. In WinCC Explorer, open the upgraded example and run Tools > Migration > Migrate WinCC Project to TIA Portal. The wizard exports an .apxx or an intermediate folder tree containing the converted pictures, tag tables, alarm classes, and the CustomizedControls add-on metadata.
4. Launch TIA Portal, create a new WinCC Professional project, and select Project > Migration > Import WinCC V7 project. Point to the intermediate folder.
5. Confirm that the project compiles. If compilation fails with Alarm Logging: source not found, the source archive is missing the AlarmLogging.xml schema file. Restore it from the original Siemens download or rebuild the alarm classes in TIA Portal manually.
6. Compile, download to the WinCC RT Professional runtime, and verify alarms with a forced tag toggling test.

7. Resolution Path C – Re-Register WinCC COM Components Without Reinstall

On workstations where the WinCC version is already correct but the COM registration is broken (for example after a Windows feature update), the migration can be repaired without a full upgrade:

1. Open an elevated command prompt.
2. Re-register the Alarm Logging COM server: regsvr32 "C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\bin\CSAlarmLogging.dll"
3. Re-register the project manager shell: regsvr32 "C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\bin\CCProjectMgr.dll"
4. Re-register the graphics runtime: regsvr32 "C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\bin\Graphics.dll"
5. Restart the WinCC Project Manager service: net stop "CCProjectMgr" && net start "CCProjectMgr"
6. Retry opening the .mcp file. If the COM HRESULT persists, the project archive is genuinely from a newer WinCC build; proceed to Path A.

8. Detailed Migration Log Interpretation

The log format that the migration wizard writes is fixed and field-engineer friendly. The two entries captured in the original failure look like this:

PROJECT NAME:    C:\CustomizedControls\CustomizedControls.mcp
PROJECT TYPE:    unknown
MIGRATION OBJECTS: pictures and libraries
START TIME:      2014-03-18 11:07:34
ERROR:           Error while opening WinCC project. hr=0x80046107
                 --> CS AlarmLogging could not be updated.
FINISH TIME:     2014-03-18 11:07:36
Migration finished with errors.

The fields have the following meaning:

A successful migration log would show PROJECT TYPE: Single-User Project or PROJECT TYPE: Multi-User Project, a MIGRATION OBJECTS list including alarm logging, tag logging, user administrator, text library, picture tree, and a Migration finished successfully line.

9. Common Pitfalls That Mimic This Error

10. Verification Steps

1. Open WinCC Explorer on the local station. The left-hand tree should show the project under the configured server with the alarm logging, tag logging, and graphics components marked as active (green dot).
2. Right-click Alarm Logging and select Open. The alarm editor should display the configured message classes. If the editor returns Cannot open configuration, the AlarmLogging COM server is still unregistered – repeat Path C.
3. Open the Graphics Designer and load any picture from the example. Confirm the CustomizedControls faceplates render without the OCX not registered error.
4. In the runtime, start WinCC Runtime and force a tag change with the Tag Simulator. The configured alarm should appear in the alarm view within the configured acknowledgement interval.
5. Re-run the migration wizard. The log should now show PROJECT TYPE: Single-User Project (or Multi-User) and Migration finished successfully.

11. Commissioning Checklist After the Fix

• Confirm the SQL Server Express instance assigned to WinCC is running and the WinCC database is attached. Use sqlcmd -S .\WinCC -Q "SELECT name FROM sys.databases WHERE name = 'WinCC'" and verify a single row is returned.
• Confirm the WinCC user has the right to start and stop the project manager service: sc sdshow CCProjectMgr. The output should contain A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;S-1-5-32-544 (local administrators) and the WinCC operator group SID.
• Confirm the firewall allows DCOM and SQL traffic on the local subnet. On a single-station install this is a no-op; on a multi-user install the SQL port 1433 + the DCOM port range 135 + ephemeral must be open between the project server and clients.
• Back up the migrated project with WinCC Project Duplicator before commissioning. The duplicator writes a .zip archive with the same internal layout as the original .mcp, which can be restored on a clean workstation without re-running the migration.

12. Long-Term Recommendation

Operating WinCC V7.0 SPx in 2024+ is no longer advisable for new installations. The V7.0 mainline reached end of standard support, and many Siemens-published example archives have moved to V7.5 SP2 or higher. For plants that must keep an older V7 base, install the example on a parallel engineering station with a current V7.2+ install, migrate the example there, and only then export the converted .mcp to the production fleet. For new engineering, deploy TIA Portal V18+ with WinCC Professional V18 from the start. The Openness API requirement – install every option package and HSP used by the project – is the single most common reason a "clean" TIA Portal install cannot open a project archive that compiles elsewhere; verify it on the engineering station before importing anything.

13. FAQ