Resolving WinCC v7 SP1 Network Name No Longer Available Error

1. Problem Statement

On a station running Siemens WinCC V7.0 SP1 hosted on Windows XP Professional SP3 (32-bit), attempts to create a new WinCC project or open an existing .MCP project terminate with the dialog:

The specified network name is no longer available.

Two to three repeated attempts cause the CCExplorer.exe / WCCILpmon.exe process tree to abort, after which the WinCC project manager will not start at all (immediate process exit, no entry in the Event Viewer beyond a generic application hang). A clean reinstall of WinCC V7.0 SP1 (uninstall via SIMATIC Manager Setup, manual purge of %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation, reboot, reinstall) does not clear the fault.

2. Affected Environment

The fault is reproducible on Windows XP SP3 hosts. It may also manifest on Windows Server 2003 R2 stations using the same WinCC V7.0 SP1 runtime. WinCC V7.0 (no SP) and V7.0 SP2 / SP3 typically behave identically when the same environmental trigger is present.

3. Decoding the Windows Error

The string "The specified network name is no longer available" is the text representation of Win32 error code:

Confirm via an elevated command prompt:

net helpmsg 64
The specified network name is no longer available.

Microsoft's official error-code reference documents this as a transport-level disconnect on a named resource - either an SMB share, an SMB redirector session, or a Win32 device opened by UNC/namespace path. Win32 System Error Codes (0-499) - Microsoft Learn lists it under networking/system category.

4. Root Cause Analysis

WinCC V7.0 SP1 writes thousands of small files (.LOG, .LDX, .MCP, .PF, .DBF, .RT, archive fragments) into the project directory during open and new operations. The internal project manager uses Win32 CreateFile / MoveFile to stage and rename these files. Any of the following environmental conditions converts a normal file write into an ERROR_NETNAME_DELETED:

1. NTFS compression on the drive or directory hosting the WinCC projects (root cause in the majority of reported cases).
2. Project opened from or saved to a disconnected / offline mapped network drive or stale DFS link.
3. AV / file-system filter driver blocking MoveFileEx calls mid-rename (Trend Micro, McAfee VSE 8.7i, Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.x are common offenders on XP).
4. Folder redirection of Application Data or My Documents to a UNC path that is unavailable at the moment WinCC starts.
5. Corrupt WinCC project manager state in %APPDATA%\Siemens\WinCC\ and HKCU\Software\Siemens\Automation\WinCC.
6. Residual entries from a previous WinCC version pointing at a non-existent device or share.

5. Pre-Flight Diagnostics

Run these checks before changing anything; the output narrows the fault dramatically.

5.1 Confirm NTFS compression on the project directory

cmd /c compact /S:"C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\WinCCProjects"

Look for output similar to:

 9   1.234.567  C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\WinCCProjects\MyProj\MyProj.MCP
        1.0:1   0 = no compression
        1.0:1   1 = compressed

If any line shows 1 = compressed, compression is set. This is the prime suspect.

5.2 Confirm drive-level compression

In Windows Explorer, right-click the drive root (e.g. C:\) → Properties → verify that Compress drive to save disk space is not checked.

5.3 Verify the project path is fully local

cmd /c net use
cmd /c dir C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\WinCCProjects\<ProjectName>

Look for any \UNC\share\ entries. WinCC V7.0 SP1 does not fully support UNC-hosted active project databases; the runtime may attempt to negotiate SMB and lose the session, returning ERROR_NETNAME_DELETED.

5.4 Capture a WinCC trace

Open Start → Programs → Siemens Automation → WinCC → Tools → WinCC Diagnostics and enable verbose logging. Reproduce the failure. The WCCILpmon.log / CCAlg.log will show the offending CreateFile call.

5.5 Process Monitor filter

Download Process Monitor - Sysinternals. Apply a filter:

Path   begins with   C:\Program Files\Siemens   include
Result is NOT SUCCESS                               include

Reproduce the open. ERROR_NETNAME_DELETED will appear as 0xC0000080 (STATUS_NETNAME_DELETED) on the failing CreateFile / SetEndOfFile stack. Note the immediate calling process and target path.

6. Resolution Path A - Remove NTFS Compression (primary fix)

1. Close WinCC Explorer and stop the WinCC services:

   cmd /c net stop "CCAlg" /y
   cmd /c net stop "CCProjectMgr" /y
   cmd /c net stop "CCArchiveMgr" /y
   cmd /c net stop "CCMsgServer" /y
   

2. Recursively remove the compression attribute from the WinCC project tree:

   cmd /c compact /U /S:"C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\WinCCProjects" /Q
   

3. Verify:

   cmd /c compact /S:"C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\WinCCProjects" /Q | findstr /I "compressed"
   

   No output must be returned.
4. Untick the global option: Explorer → right-click C:\ → Properties → Advanced → clear Compress drive to save disk space. Click Apply to drive, subfolders and files.
5. Reboot. Disk Cleanup alone is not sufficient and does not strip NTFS compression.
6. Retry WinCC project open.

7. Resolution Path B - Eliminate UNC / Mapped Drive References

1. List mapped drives and persistent connections:

   cmd /c net use
   cmd /c reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MountPoints2" /s
   

2. Drop every entry that points at an offline server:

cmd /c net use Z: /delete /y

3. Verify no WinCC project files live on a UNC path. Open the registry and check:

reg query "HKLM\Software\Siemens\Automation\WinCC" /s | findstr /I "\\\\"
reg query "HKCU\Software\Siemens\Automation\WinCC" /s | findstr /I "\\\\"

Remove any value referencing a UNC path; replace with the local equivalent. Re-start WinCC.

8. Resolution Path C - Disable Conflicting Filter Drivers

1. Open Device Manager → View → Show hidden devices.
2. Under Non-Plug and Play Drivers look for legacy antivirus minifilters (e.g. SymEFA, MfeEpePc, tmactmon).
3. Temporarily disable; reproduce the WinCC failure. If WinCC opens normally, request an exclusion from the AV vendor for C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\ including its subfolders, and the working project directory.
4. Re-enable the driver once the exclusion is configured.

9. Resolution Path D - Repair the WinCC Project Manager State

1. Close WinCC.
2. Move (do not delete yet) the user state folders:

cmd /c move "%APPDATA%\Siemens\WinCC" "%APPDATA%\Siemens\WinCC.bak.%date:~-4%%date:~3,2%%date:~0,2%"
cmd /c move "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Siemens\WinCC" "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Siemens\WinCC.bak"

3. Clear registry project-state for the current user:

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\Projects" /f

4. Re-launch WinCC Explorer. A new project can be created. Migrate any legacy state from the .bak folder once the fault is cleared.

10. Resolution Path E - Full Reinstallation with Correct Order

When paths A through D fail, perform a documented clean reinstall:

1. Run SIMATIC Manager Setup → Install / Uninstall → select WinCC V7.0 SP1 → Uninstall. Reboot.
2. Manually delete residual folders:

rmdir /S /Q "%ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation"
rmdir /S /Q "%CommonProgramFiles%\Siemens"
rmdir /S /Q "%APPDATA%\Siemens"

3. Remove leftover services and drivers:

   sc delete CCAlg
   sc delete CCProjectMgr
   sc delete CCArchiveMgr
   sc delete CCMsgServer
   sc delete CCNSHelper
   

4. Purge registry branches (export first as .reg backup):

   reg delete "HKLM\Software\Siemens\Automation" /f
   reg delete "HKCU\Software\Siemens\Automation" /f
   reg delete "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\CCAlg" /f
   

5. Reboot. Disable all third-party filter drivers / antivirus temporarily.
6. Insert the WinCC V7.0 SP1 DVD. Install WinCC with the Typical profile; do not deselect components unless you have a documented reason.
7. Apply NTFS compression hardening (Section 12) before launching WinCC.
8. Re-enable antivirus; apply the SCADA whitelist.

11. Service & Runtime Verification

After any of the above resolutions, confirm the WinCC service stack is healthy:

cmd /c sc query CCAlg | findstr STATE
cmd /c sc query CCProjectMgr | findstr STATE
cmd /c sc query CCMsgServer | findstr STATE

12. Preventive Hardening

Apply these baselines after the fault is cleared to prevent recurrence:

• Disable NTFS compression host-wide for the WinCC install tree:

cmd /c fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 1
cmd /c compact /U /S:"C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC" /Q

• Set WinCC project directories to \Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC\WinCCProjects only; never on a UNC or DFS path.
• Schedule a daily Compact -U job from the host's maintenance plan to catch any third-party tool that re-applies compression.
• Add the WinCC project tree to the antivirus exclusion list - both real-time scan and on-demand scan.
• Disable Folder Redirection for the WinCC service account user profile to a UNC target.
• Lock the registry keys that control WinCC project paths via group policy preferences.

13. Troubleshooting Matrix

14. Cross-Reference: WinCC V7.0 Service Packs

The patterns above also apply to:

• WinCC V7.0 SP2 - introduces stricter UNC validation; remove UNC paths before installing.
• WinCC V7.0 SP3 - adds support for Windows Server 2008 R2 but retains XP / Server 2003 path; same compression caveat.
• WinCC V7.0 SP4 - last XP-capable build; treats ERROR_NETNAME_DELETED as fatal on project open and aborts the project manager, which is the failure mode observed.

When upgrading across service packs, reapply the path and compression hardening on the new install root before opening a legacy project.

15. Frequently Asked Questions