Siemens STARTER V4.5.1 Error Creating New Project on Windows 10

Problem Overview

Siemens STARTER V4.5.1 (commissioning software for the SINAMICS drive family) installs cleanly on Windows 10 Pro but throws an error when the engineer attempts to create a new project, open an existing offline project, or save a topology. Installation completes without reported errors, the executable launches, but the project wizard terminates with an unspecified error dialog or the application closes immediately after the user clicks "New Project." Re-installation does not resolve the issue. The symptom appears on both fresh installations and on workstations where STARTER previously worked, which indicates a Windows-side or user-profile-side condition rather than a corrupted installer payload.

This article consolidates the diagnostic path and field-proven remediation steps for this failure mode, references the official STARTER readme constraints, and documents the supporting runtime environment (Windows build, .NET, Java, account privileges, working directory) required for STARTER 4.5.x to operate.

Affected Software and Drive Families

STARTER 4.5.1 is the commissioning tool used to parameterize, diagnose, and back up the following Siemens SINAMICS platforms:

Projects created in STARTER 4.5.1 are not forward-compatible with the newer Startdrive / TIA Portal environment without a migration step. Engineers maintaining long-lifecycle machines should treat STARTER 4.5.1 as the canonical commissioning tool for legacy SINAMICS hardware and Startdrive as the forward path for new installations.

Root Cause Analysis

The failure has four independent root causes that must be ruled out in order. In field practice, the symptom is almost always a combination of one Windows-side issue and one user-permission issue.

Why the installer does not report the problem

STARTER 4.5.1's installer validates the presence of the .NET Framework and the JRE but does not validate the write-permission state on the per-user working folder %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Siemens\STARTER. When the project wizard instantiates, it tries to materialize this folder. If the Windows version does not support the call pattern or if a Group Policy redirects %AppData% to a read-only share, the wizard throws a generic exception rather than a structured error code.

Pre-Diagnosis Checklist

Capture the following before attempting remediation. Each item changes the answer to the root-cause question.

1. Confirm the Windows 10 build with winver from the Run dialog. Minimum required: 10.0.10586 (Threshold 2 / 1511). Recommended for STARTER 4.5.1: 10.0.17763 (1809) or later. Builds 1903, 1909, 2004, 20H2, 21H2, and 22H2 are validated against STARTER 4.5.1 SP3 or later; refer to the STARTER 4.5.1 HF readme for the latest confirmation.
2. Confirm STARTER build via Help > About: STARTER 4.5.1.0 + SP3 (or whichever Service Pack is installed). Patches issued via SIMATIC Automation License Manager or the Siemens Software Update Server alter the .exe timestamp; record it.
3. Capture the Windows event log: Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application, filter by source Application Error and .NET Runtime for the timestamp of the failed project creation. Note the faulting module name (often KERNELBASE.dll, ntdll.dll, or STARTER.exe itself).
4. Identify the user account type: local Administrator, domain Administrator, standard user with UAC elevation, or standard user without elevation. STARTER's project wizard requires write access to its install folder and to the user profile.
5. Check disk encryption and folder redirection: BitLocker, EFS, OneDrive Known Folder Move, and corporate folder redirection policies all change the effective permissions on the working folder.

Solution Procedure

Apply the steps in order. Each step is independently verifiable. Stop at the first step that resolves the issue.

Step 1 - Verify Windows build compatibility

1. Open winver from the Run dialog (Win+R).
2. If the displayed version is older than Version 1511 (OS Build 10586), upgrade Windows. STARTER 4.5.1 was validated against the Threshold 2 release and later. Earlier builds (1507, 1511 pre-release) are not supported and produce the project-creation error because the installer sets manifest flags that older Windows code cannot satisfy.
3. If the build is valid, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2 - Launch STARTER with administrative rights

1. Close all instances of STARTER.
2. Right-click the STARTER desktop shortcut (or STARTER.exe in C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\STARTER V4.5.1\).
3. Select Run as administrator.
4. Confirm the UAC prompt.
5. Attempt to create a new project (Project > New > Empty project).

If the project creates successfully under elevated rights, the issue is folder-write permissions (Step 3).

Step 3 - Repair the working directory and install folder

1. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features.
2. Select STARTER V4.5.1 and click Repair. If the entry does not include a Repair option, skip to sub-step 3.
3. If Repair is unavailable, uninstall STARTER 4.5.1 completely.
4. Reinstall into a path that does not contain (x86) redirection if the workstation is 64-bit. The default 64-bit install path C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\STARTER V4.5.1 is preferred. Avoid C:\Program Files (x86)\ because certain older .NET assemblies used by STARTER's project wizard do not enumerate correctly under WOW64 file virtualization.
5. Disable User Account Control folder virtualization for the install path during the install: secpol.msc > Local Policies > Security Options > User Account Control: Virtualize file and registry write failures to per-user locations = Disabled. Reboot.
6. Right-click the install folder, Properties > Security > Edit, and grant Users the Modify permission. By default, the installer grants SYSTEM, Administrators, and Users Read/Execute; STARTER's project wizard additionally requires Modify for its offline cache.

Step 4 - Verify the per-user working folder

1. Open %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming in File Explorer (paste the path into the address bar).
2. Create the folder Siemens\STARTER if it does not exist.
3. Right-click the folder, Properties > Security, and confirm the current user has Full Control. On machines with OneDrive Known Folder Move active, this path may have been redirected to %USERPROFILE%\OneDrive\AppData\Roaming. If redirection is in effect, exclude Siemens from the redirection list or move STARTER's working directory (Step 5).

Step 5 - Override the working directory

If folder redirection or roaming profiles prevent write access to the default working directory, redirect STARTER via environment variable.

1. Open System Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables.
2. Under System variables (preferred for multi-user machines), create STARTER_USERDATA = D:\STARTER_DATA.
3. Create the folder D:\STARTER_DATA and grant Users Modify.
4. Restart STARTER.

STARTER honors the STARTER_USERDATA variable before the default path. This is the supported override; do not use registry edits.

Step 6 - Validate the Java Runtime

1. Open cmd as administrator.
2. Run java -version.
3. STARTER 4.5.1 ships with its own bundled JRE (typically JRE 8u202 or later within the install tree). It does not require a system-wide Java. If a system-wide Java exists and is older than 7u80 or newer than 8u999, STARTER's class loader can fail silently.
4. If a corporate system-wide Java is enforced, set JAVA_HOME to the bundled JRE: set JAVA_HOME="C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\STARTER V4.5.1\jre" and reboot.

Step 7 - Validate the .NET Framework

1. Confirm .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later is installed. STARTER 4.5.1 was rebuilt against 4.7.2; earlier 4.x versions may load but fail during project serialization.
2. Validate with reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full" /v Release. The Release DWORD should be 461808 or higher (4.7.2).
3. If Release is missing or below 461808, install the latest .NET Framework 4.8 via Windows Update or the offline installer.

Step 8 - Clear cached DCOM and OPC catalog

1. Stop the SIMATIC Automation License Manager service: net stop "ALM_Service".
2. Stop the STARTER-related DCOM services: net stop "S7oiehsx" and net stop "s7onlinx" if installed.
3. Delete %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Siemens\STARTER\cache.
4. Restart the services and re-launch STARTER.

Verification

1. Launch STARTER (no admin elevation required if Step 3 grants Users Modify).
2. Select Project > New > Empty project.
3. Choose a target drive family (e.g., SINAMICS S120 CU320-2).
4. Save the project to the working directory. A successful save writes *.sdf and a Settings folder containing *.xml topology files.
5. Close and re-open the project. The project tree should load within 5 seconds for an empty project.
6. Go online against a connected drive or a simulator instance. Successful online state confirms the project, the drive enumeration, and the PROFIBUS/PROFINET stack are all healthy.

Extended Troubleshooting Matrix

When to Migrate to Startdrive

STARTER 4.5.1 reached end of active development. For new installations on Windows 11 or Windows 10 22H2, Siemens recommends the Startdrive commissioning tool integrated into TIA Portal. The migration steps are:

1. Open the existing *.sdf project in STARTER 4.5.1.
2. Export to *.tnzip via Project > Migrate to TIA Portal (requires STARTER 4.5.1 SP3 or later).
3. Import the *.tnzip into TIA Portal V17 or later with the Startdrive option installed.
4. Re-validate the topology against the physical drive; some G120 firmware versions below 4.7 require a firmware update before migration.

Do not migrate live production machines without a documented rollback path. STARTER 4.5.1 remains the recommended tool for any commissioning activity where a fallback to legacy project files is required.

Preventive Hardening for Commissioning Workstations

1. Apply Windows updates through Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) at a controlled cadence; avoid the optional preview cumulative updates that occasionally break .NET DCOM.
2. Exclude the STARTER install and working folders from antivirus real-time scanning. McAfee, Trend Micro, and Windows Defender have each been observed to lock STARTER.exe during project serialization, producing the same generic error.
3. Disable OneDrive Known Folder Move for AppData on commissioning laptops; use a local working directory under D:\STARTER_DATA.
4. Maintain a system image with STARTER 4.5.1 SP3 pre-installed; image-based provisioning avoids the cumulative Windows update drift that produces the symptom described.
5. Document the Windows build and the STARTER Service Pack on every machine commissioning sheet. Traceability between the software version and the machine's SINAMICS firmware version is required by ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061 safety lifecycle documentation.

Related Official Documentation

• STARTER V4.5.1 readme and installation notes (Siemens ID 109750571)
• SINAMICS S120 Commissioning Manual (Siemens ID 109766395)
• SINAMICS G120 Operating Instructions (Siemens ID 109751246)
• Startdrive commissioning system manual (Siemens ID 109763477)