Siemens PCS 7 V7.1 SP4 SQL Server 2005 Install Error 1603 Fix

Problem Description and Error Manifest

During the installation of WinCC 7.0 from the SIMATIC PCS 7 V7.1 SP4 DVD onto a Windows Server 2003 R2 host, the SQL Server 2005 setup terminates with the message "The SQL server service failed to start. For more information, see the SQL Server Books Online topics, 'How to: View SQL Server 2005 Setup Log Files' and 'Starting SQL Server manually'." The setup dialog returns control to the technician without rolling back cleanly, leaving a partial install in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Binn.

Inspection of SQLSetup[MachineName]_SQL.log in %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Setup Bootstrap\LOG\Files surfaces two decisive entries:

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Update 'Hotfix 1546 for SQL Server Database Services 2005 ENU (KB919357)'
could not be installed. Error code 1603.

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 installation failed.

The hotfix referenced, KB919357, is a General Distribution Release (GDR) for the SQL Server 2005 Database Services engine. When its MSI returns 1603 (ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE), every subsequent component in the WinCC 7.0 chain (WinCC Archive Server, Connectivity Pack, User Archives) fails because they all depend on a healthy SQL instance.

Compatibility Requirements

Before any troubleshooting, confirm the target operating system against the official Siemens compatibility list. PCS 7 V7.1 SP4 is released only for the operating systems listed in entry 2334224 on the Siemens Industry Online Support. The supported server platforms are:

Root Cause Analysis

The failure sequence is deterministic. When the PCS 7 media invokes SQL Server 2005 setup with the WinCC instance configuration, the installer executes the KB919357 GDR MSI as a child action. That MSI performs three sub-actions that must succeed in order:

1. Stop the running MSSQL$WINCC service via SCM.
2. Replace sqlservr.exe and sqlos.dll in the BINN folder.
3. Restart the service and re-attach the master/model/msdb databases.

On Windows Server 2003 R2 with certain patch levels, the freshly delivered sqlservr.exe from the KB919357 payload carries a IMAGE_DLLCHARACTERISTICS_FORCE_INTEGRITY flag that conflicts with a non-updated sqlos.dll. The MSI returns 1603, leaves the engine stopped, and the parent setup rolls forward with an unbootable instance. The binaries in the install media are stamped RTM 9.00.1399 for sqlos.dll but a post-RTM build for sqlservr.exe, which is the exact combination Microsoft describes in the SQL Server 2005 release notes as a known-incompatible pairing.

Pre-Installation Verification Checklist

Run the following on the target server before re-attempting the install. Each must pass; do not proceed on partial green.

1. Confirm OS: winver reports Windows Server 2003 R2, Service Pack 2, build 3790.
2. Confirm account running setup: member of local Administrators. PCS 7 setup must not be elevated from a domain account with "Deny logon locally".
3. Confirm no residual SQL instance: sc query | findstr MSSQL returns no rows. If any are present, run Add or Remove Programs → remove all "Microsoft SQL Server 2005" entries, then delete C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server and C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\SQL Server.
4. Confirm Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) service is set to Automatic and Started. WinCC's archive writers depend on MSDTC for cross-database transactions.
5. Confirm 4 GB free on C: and at least 8 GB on the data volume; SQL tempdb defaults to the system drive during install.
6. Disable antivirus on-access scanning on C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server and the install temp folder for the duration of the setup.
7. Capture a baseline with msinfo32 /report %temp%\preinstall.nfo for after-action comparison.

Resolution: BINN File Replacement Procedure

The field-proven remedy replaces the two engine binaries with a known-good pair from an already-patched SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition SP3 instance, then resumes setup. This is not a permanent fix - the goal is to let the install complete, then immediately install SP3 to bring the engine to a coherent build level.

Prerequisites

• A donor server with SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition SP3 32-bit ENU running and confirmed healthy. Verify with SELECT @@VERSION returning 9.00.4035 or later in the 9.00.4xxx GDR range.
• Local Administrator rights on both donor and target.
• External USB media or a mapped network share writable by both machines. Format: NTFS, large file support enabled.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Stop the install cleanly on the error dialog. Do not click Cancel; leave the Retry / Cancel dialog open. If the parent setup was closed, restart it - the SQL sub-install will re-prompt at the same point.
2. On the donor server, copy the BINN binaries. Open an elevated command prompt:

   cd /d "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Binn"
   cryptgen.exe stop
   copy /Y sqlservr.exe  E:\pcs7_recovery\
   copy /Y sqlos.dll    E:\pcs7_recovery\
   certutil -hashfile E:\pcs7_recovery\sqlservr.exe SHA256 > E:\pcs7_recovery\sqlservr.sha256
   certutil -hashfile E:\pcs7_recovery\sqlos.dll   SHA256 > E:\pcs7_recovery\sqlos.sha256

   Record the hashes. They are your integrity check.
3. On the target (broken) server, stop the orphan service if it managed to start:

   sc query MSSQL$WINCC
   sc stop  MSSQL$WINCC
   sc query MSDTSSvc100

   Set start mode to Disabled temporarily: sc config MSSQL$WINCC start= disabled.
4. Back up the broken binaries (do not skip - rollback path):

   cd /d "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Binn"
   ren sqlservr.exe sqlservr.exe.broken
   ren sqlos.dll   sqlos.dll.broken

5. Copy the donor binaries in place:

   copy /Y \\DONOR\pcs7_recovery\sqlservr.exe  "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Binn\"
   copy /Y \\DONOR\pcs7_recovery\sqlos.dll    "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Binn\"

   Verify the SHA256 against the donor manifest.
6. Return to the setup dialog and click Retry. The setup engine re-invokes the post-install action. With coherent binaries in place, the service starts and MSSQL$WINCC registers as Running. The setup proceeds to the WinCC connectivity components.
7. Do not reboot before installing SQL Server 2005 SP3. The instance is now running on donor binaries; a reboot is safe but the patch must be applied to lock in consistency:

\<media>\SQLServer2005SP3-KB955706-x86-ENU.exe /quiet /action=patch /instancename=WINCC

After SP3 completes, SELECT @@VERSION must return a build >= 9.00.4035. Delete the .broken backup files only after the install passes a full archive restart cycle.

SQL Server 2005 Setup Log Forensics

When the install fails, always work the log tree in this order. Each file answers a different question.

Search syntax for quick triage:

findstr /i /c:"1603" /c:"KB919357" /c:"sqlservr.exe" "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Setup Bootstrap\LOG\Files\*.log"

Alternative Remediation Paths

If the donor-binary method is not an option (isolated network, no second server), the following alternatives have also resolved the 1603 in field deployments.

1. Pre-apply the standalone KB919357 package from a separately downloaded Microsoft update cab, then rerun the PCS 7 setup so that its internal SQL install sees the instance already at the post-GDR level. Use Hotfix.exe /quiet with verbose logging to C:\kb919357.log.
2. Full OS re-image. If a previous failed install left orphan registry keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server and HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall, the cleanest resolution is a saved image restore. See Remove a SQL Server instance for the canonical cleanup sequence when a re-image is not possible.
3. Repair via Add or Remove Programs with the original SQL install media mounted, then immediately apply SP3. This is the lowest-risk option if the engine itself is functional and only the post-install hotfix failed.

Post-Installation Verification

After the PCS 7 install completes and SP3 is applied, run this checklist before handing the server to operations.

1. Service state: sc query MSSQL$WINCC returns STATE: 4 RUNNING; start mode 0 (boot) for servers, 2 (auto) for workstations.
2. Engine version: from sqlcmd -S .\WINCC → SELECT @@VERSION; returns 9.00.4xxx or later.
3. WinCC archive test: open WinCC Explorer → Tag Logging → start a runtime archive and confirm rows are written to CC_ALG_xxx tables.
4. Redundancy check: if a redundant WinCC pair is configured, force a partner failover and confirm archive replay.
5. Backup baseline: capture a Windows Server Backup job and store offline. The recovery procedure above depends on having a known-good image to fall back to.
6. Compare msinfo32 /report %temp%\postinstall.nfo against the pre-install baseline. Discrepancies outside the SQL and WinCC entries must be investigated.

Prevention and Process Hardening

Document the following in your site acceptance procedure so the issue does not re-occur during the next migration.

• Maintain a golden donor SQL Server 2005 SP3 32-bit ENU image. Re-snapshot it once a quarter to keep the BINN binaries current against the latest GDR roll-up. Many sites have used a Hyper-V VM with differencing disks chained off an immutable base.
• Never apply the PCS 7 setup over an existing partial SQL install. Always uninstall, delete the MSSQL.1 directory, and remove the SQLServer registry key before retrying.
• Stage the install on a non-production box first when patching the master image, and capture SELECT @@VERSION, SERVERPROPERTY('ProductLevel') in the site acceptance report.
• Run a periodic review against the Siemens compatibility list 2334224 whenever a Windows update is being scheduled.
• Keep a printed runbook of the BINN replacement procedure in the engineering cabinet; this is the kind of recovery that must work in a maintenance window with no internet access.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Frequently Asked Questions