SINAMICS Startdrive V15.1 Access Denied Error Complete

1. Problem Overview

The SINAMICS Startdrive Advanced V15.1 installer is shipped as a multi-part self-extracting archive (Startdrive_Advanced_V15_1.exe plus the .001, .002, .003 parts). When launched from certain directories, the extraction phase fails with the Windows error "Access is Denied", immediately followed by the self-extractor's own dialog "An error occurred. Please check the log file". The failure persists even when the user invokes the executable through Run as administrator. Critically, the same workstation installs STEP 7 Safety V15 (or other TIA Portal V15.1 optional packages) without the error, which isolates the fault to the Startdrive installer rather than to a broken TIA Portal installation.

This symptom is reproducible on Windows 10 (1607/1709/1809) and Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 installations where the multi-part installer is unpacked from a path that is denied write access to the self during extraction, or where NTFS reparse points, OneDrive/Dropbox sync roots, or roaming-profile folders interfere with the temp staging the self-extractor creates.

2. Symptoms and Error Messages

The relevant log is normally written to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\Siemens\Setup\<GUID>\Setup.log or, when the user is administrator, %TEMP%\<random>\7zS.sfx.log. Before deletion by the wrapper, copy the log elsewhere; it contains the line ERROR: Can not create file followed by the offending path.

3. Root Cause Analysis

SINAMICS Startdrive V15.1 uses a 7-Zip-based self-extracting wrapper that decompresses the payload into a temporary staging directory before invoking Start.exe (the actual Siemens Setup bootstrapper). The wrapper needs:

1. Read access to the directory containing Startdrive_Advanced_V15_1.exe and all .001-.003 parts.
2. Read access to every part of the multi-volume set (parts must be contiguous and unmodified).
3. Write access to its temporary extraction directory (typically %TEMP%).
4. Write access to its own current working directory while the SFX creates lock files.
5. The ability to enumerate ADS / DSF metadata streams (NTFS Alternate Data Streams) on the executable.

Any of the following environmental conditions violates one or more of the above and triggers the "Access is Denied" return:

• The installer lives on a network share accessed over SMBv1 with the Only allow connections from computers using Kerberos policy.
• The installer lives under a directory monitored by a sync client (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box) whose block-on-write or stub-file behaviour prevents the SFX from creating lock files.
• The installer lives under a profile path containing spaces, special characters, or reparse points (e.g. C:\Users\<user>\Desktop\<localised folder name>\startdrive).
• An antivirus or EDR product quarantines the SFX stub mid-extraction (CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne, Trend Micro Apex One, Symantec Endpoint Protection 14+).
• Windows Controlled Folder Access blocks write attempts under Protected folders.
• Folder redirection maps %USERPROFILE%\Desktop to a UNC path with deny ACLs for the SYSTEM account (the SFX runs partly under SYSTEM during MSI extraction).
• NTFS compression attribute is set on the parent folder, causing access-denied reparse during ADS enumeration.

The fact that the same machine successfully extracts STEP 7 Safety V15 confirms that the failure is not a Windows ACL corruption nor a global 7-Zip issue. STEP 7 Safety V15 is distributed as a single .exe rather than as a multi-volume set, so the path-dependent code path inside the SFX is different.

4. Pre-Installation Prerequisites

Before re-attempting the Startdrive Advanced V15.1 installation, verify the following against the official Siemens support entry 109760845 for SINAMICS Startdrive V15.1 and the TIA Portal V16 release notes on the Startdrive integration:

According to the Siemens knowledge base ID 109760845, "Only the license key is required to use the Startdrive Advanced functionality. No further installation is required." This means the Startdrive Basic functions are already present in every STEP 7 / TIA Portal V15.1 install. If you have already upgraded to TIA V15.1 with Startdrive Basic and you only need Advanced, the simplest fix is to register the Startdrive Advanced license via the Automation License Manager and skip the installer entirely.

5. Step-by-Step Resolution

Follow the procedure in this exact order; do not skip the cleanup step before the retry, otherwise the partial extraction will be reused by the SFX and the error will persist.

5.1 Confirm the installer set is intact and contiguous

1. List the directory containing the installer. The four files must have the same size and the same timestamp:

   dir "C:\install\Startdrive_Advanced_V15_1*"

2. Verify that the MD5 hash of each part matches the manifest in the accompanying checksum.txt. The Siemens distribution typically uses CRC32; recompute with certutil -hashfile "Startdrive_Advanced_V15_1.exe.001" MD5.
3. If any part is missing, re-download the complete archive from the Siemens Industry Online Support portal. Partial sets always fail with "Access is Denied" because the SFX cannot validate the cross-volume checksum.

5.2 Move the installer to a clean path

1. Close TIA Portal, Automation License Manager, and any Siemens background services:

   net stop "S7TraceService" /y
   net stop "CCAgent" /y

2. Create a clean staging directory on the local C: drive:

   mkdir C:\Temp\Startdrive
   mkdir C:\Temp\Extract

3. Copy (do not move) the four-part archive into C:\Temp\Startdrive. Use robocopy if the source is a network share to avoid SMB buffering artefacts:

   robocopy "\\fileserver\siemens\downloads\Startdrive_V15_1" C:\Temp\Startdrive *.exe *.001 *.002 *.003 /Z /R:3

4. Right-click C:\Temp\Startdrive, choose Properties > Security > Advanced. Confirm that SYSTEM and Administrators both have Full control. If the path was previously inherited from a redirected Desktop folder, the SYSTEM entry may be missing.
5. Disable Windows Defender Controlled Folder Access temporarily: Settings > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage ransomware protection and toggle Controlled folder access off. Re-enable it after installation.
6. Disable any third-party AV on-access scan for C:\Temp\Startdrive and C:\Temp\Extract. Add an exclusion if the product supports it.

5.3 Extract to a separate staging directory

1. Open Command Prompt (Admin) and change to the staging directory:

   cd /d C:\Temp\Startdrive

2. Run the self-extractor explicitly with output path and without silent mode:

   Startdrive_Advanced_V15_1.exe -y -gm2 -o"C:\Temp\Extract"

3. Watch the dialog. If the "Access is Denied" reappears, jump to Section 7 (cross-computer extraction workaround).
4. When the SFX completes, open C:\Temp\Extract. You must see Start.exe plus the Setup subfolder. Anything less means extraction was partial.

5.4 Launch the Siemens Setup

1. From the extracted folder, run the bootstrapper:

   "C:\Temp\Extract\Start.exe" /silent

2. If you prefer the GUI, double-click Start.exe. The Setup dialog reads "SINAMICS Startdrive V15.1 Setup".
3. Accept the license agreement. The default install scope is complete; choose user-defined only if you intend to skip SINAMICS DCC (the Advanced-only runtime library).
4. Restart the PC when prompted. The installer copies SINAMICS.Startdrive.dll into C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Portal V15_1\Add-Ins\SINAMICS.
5. Re-launch Automation License Manager and verify the Startdrive Advanced license is detected. If it shows License not found, transfer the license via Edit > Connect target system > Connect to local.

6. Cross-Computer Extraction Workaround

When the local path still produces the error after Steps 5.1 - 5.4, the most reliable resolution documented in the field is to perform the extraction on a different workstation and copy the extracted payload back. This isolates any path- or process-specific ACL issues from the destination machine.

1. Copy the four-part archive to a Windows 10 or Windows 11 machine that does NOT have TIA Portal installed. The destination only needs NTFS with normal user write permissions.
2. Extract with the same command as Section 5.3.
3. Once the extraction succeeds, transfer the entire C:\Temp\Extract folder back to the original PC. Use a USB 3.0 stick formatted as NTFS, not FAT32, because individual setup files exceed the 4 GB FAT32 limit.
4. On the original PC, run Start.exe from the copied folder.
5. The installer copies only the TIA Portal-specific add-ins and registers the COM components; it does not call back into the SFX, so the original access-denied path is no longer relevant.

This procedure preserves the original installer set on the target PC, which is useful for re-installation later, and keeps the temporary extract artefacts out of any controlled-folder path.

7. Multi-Part Archive Handling

The Startdrive Advanced V15.1 distribution is split using the Siemens-internal variant of the 7-Zip SFX module, and the parts must be handled as one logical file. The rules are:

8. Verification

Confirm a successful install with the following checks. They correspond to the official Startdrive V15.1 install verification checklist referenced in the Siemens KB 109760845 article.

1. Open TIA Portal V15.1. In the project tree, right-click Devices & networks > Add new device. SINAMICS drives must list the Startdrive-supported families: G120, G120C, G120D, G120P, G130, G150, S110, S120, S150, ET 200pro FC-2, SIMATIC ET 200SP.
2. Open Help > Installed software > Display detailed information. Verify SINAMICS Startdrive V15.1 with build 15.1.0.0 (or 15.1.0.1 for Update 1). The exact build is also in the registry: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\InstalledSoftware\SINAMICS.Startdrive.
3. Insert a G120 drive into the project. Open the parameter editor; the online/offline tabs, trace, and DCC editor (Advanced only) must all be visible. If only Basic panels appear, the Advanced license was not detected.
4. Open Automation License Manager and confirm the Startdrive Advanced license is listed under Local licenses > SINAMICS.
5. Run C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Portal V15_1\Add-Ins\SINAMICS\SdConfigCheck.exe (if present in your build). It outputs a pass/fail report into %TEMP%\SdConfigCheck.log.
6. If you upgraded from Startdrive Basic only, the Drive commissioning wizard in TIA Portal must show Advanced instead of Basic in the top banner.

9. Related Compatibility and TIA Portal Versions

The Startdrive V15.1 release introduced native integration with the SIMATIC Drive Controller and the S120 Blocksize format (CU320-2 PN-based drive units). The relevant cross-version matrix for in-place upgrades is:

If the long-term goal is to move to TIA Portal V19 (which adds the user/role-based access control wizard referenced in the Siemens content path article on TIA V19 access control), plan the migration as a full uninstall of V15.1 plus Startdrive, install of V19, then re-install Startdrive matching the V19 version. Do not attempt to install a Startdrive V15.1 Advanced on top of a V19 portal.

10. Anti-Virus and Controlled Folder Access Interaction

The single most common cause of "Access is Denied" on managed corporate workstations is the interaction between the SFX and a real-time AV / EDR product. The SFX extracts many small DLLs (typically SdEngine.dll, SINAMICS.Startdrive.Config.dll, SdTrace.dll) into a temporary directory; while the SFX writes these files, the AV intercepts each WriteFile call to scan the buffer, and the SFX reports access-denied when the AV returns a deny disposition. Mitigations:

• Add the entire Startdrive staging folder and the Windows TEMP directory to the AV exclusion list, then reboot to ensure the AV daemon reloads its config.
• Temporarily disable real-time scan only during extraction, re-enable before running Start.exe so the installer is scanned.
• For CrowdStrike Falcon: disable On-Demand scans > Execution Blocking > Self-extracting archive inspection via Group Policy.
• For SentinelOne: add the SFX executable hash to the Allow List (not the entire vendor).
• For Windows Defender Controlled Folder Access: add the staging folder under Allowed app instead of disabling the feature globally.

11. Registry and Service Verification

After successful install, the registry should contain:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\InstalledSoftware\SINAMICS.Startdrive
  DisplayName = "SINAMICS Startdrive V15.1"
  DisplayVersion = "15.1.0.0"
  InstallLocation = "C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Portal V15_1\Add-Ins\SINAMICS"
  Publisher = "Siemens AG"

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\Portal V15_1\Options\Startdrive
  AdvancedEnabled = 1

Services that should be running:

• S7TraceService - Startdrive trace and online tuning.
• CCAgent - Common Components agent for license management.
• SIMATIC_LOG - Trace log writer.

If AdvancedEnabled is 0 after install, the Automation License Manager did not detect the license. Re-import the license via License Manager > Edit > License key > Import.

12. Troubleshooting Matrix

13. Frequently Asked Questions