STEP 7 V5.5 Service Pack 2: Complete Download, Installation, and Verification Guide

Service Pack 2 for SIMATIC STEP 7 V5.5 (and the bundled STEP 7 Professional 2010 edition) is the last cumulative update Siemens released for the classic STEP 7 V5.x line. It consolidates hotfixes delivered between the initial V5.5 GA release and mid-2011, including corrections to the S7-300/400 online diagnostics, the SFC/SFB online help, the S7-PLCSIM simulation interface, and several Defect Database entries that affected the symbol editor, the cross-reference (XRF) generator, and the HW Config EPLAN import wizard. This guide covers the supported methods for obtaining the package, the prerequisites for a clean install, the step-by-step installation procedure, the post-install verification checks, and the field-proven troubleshooting matrix for the most common installation failures reported on legacy SIMATIC engineering stations.

1. STEP 7 V5.5 SP2 at a Glance

STEP 7 V5.5 is the last release of the classic SIMATIC programming environment before the transition to the TIA Portal (Totally Integrated Automation Portal). It is required to maintain installed bases of S7-300, S7-400, C7, ET 200S, ET 200M, ET 200pro, WinAC, and the older S7-200 (via Micro/WIN add-on). SP2 is the second and final service pack and is the recommended baseline for any production engineering workstation that still programs V5.5 projects.

2. Prerequisites

Before downloading or installing SP2, verify that the engineering workstation satisfies every requirement below. Skipping any single check is the most common cause of failed installs and of the "Setup is unable to continue" dialogs reported in the legacy support tickets.

2.1 Supported Windows operating systems

STEP 7 V5.5 SP2 follows the V5.5 compatibility matrix. The authoritative list is published as the STEP 7 V5.5 / V5.6 Compatibility List (PDF). The qualifying statements at the top of that document apply equally to service packs:

"Statements regarding compatibility with a STEP 7 version also apply to the service packs for this version unless restrictions are explicitly stated."

SP2 has been validated on the following workstation operating systems:

2.2 Hardware and software baseline

2.3 Authorization and license key

STEP 7 V5.5 uses the legacy SIMATIC Authorization key. SP2 does not require a new license but does require that the V5.5 license still be installed on the local hard disk or on a parallel-port USB dongle (the S7-FEUSB stick). If you have migrated to the Automation License Manager (ALM) on a newer parallel install, that ALM license is bound to the TIA Portal and does not activate V5.5.

Run the SIMATIC Manager -> Options -> Authorization dialog and confirm the slot for S7STEP7_V55 shows a valid Installation date. If the date is in the past, the software will still run but you will receive the warning 0x800401F0 when starting the SIMATIC Manager.

3. How to Obtain the SP2 Package

There are three officially supported channels to acquire SIMATIC_S7_STEP7_V55_SP2.zip. Choose the one that matches your contractual relationship with Siemens.

3.1 Channel A - SIOS direct download (recommended)

1. Open the Siemens Industry Online Support page Entry ID 57026032 ("Service Pack 2 for STEP 7 V5.5 and STEP 7 Professional 2010").
2. Authenticate with your Siemens Single Sign-On (SSO) account. If your organization does not yet have one, register a new company account. Personal accounts are accepted.
3. Click the green Download button. The server will return a Part Number (6ES7 998-8XC02-0YE0 for the SP2 ZIP) and a checksum.
4. Save SIMATIC_S7_STEP7_V55_SP2.zip to a local folder with at least 3 GB of free space. Do not extract into a path that contains spaces, parentheses, or non-ASCII characters.

3.2 Channel B - Local Siemens representative

For installations where direct internet access is restricted by corporate policy, request the upgrade DVD from the regional Siemens sales office. Quote the Part Number 6ES7 998-8XC02-0YE0 and reference your existing STEP 7 V5.5 license number. The DVD ships with a printed delivery release that must be archived for the next audit cycle.

3.3 Channel C - Existing upgrade DVD

Customers who participated in the Software Update Service (SUS) for V5.5 received the SP2 DVD as part of the annual SUS shipment. The DVD is labeled "SIMATIC STEP 7 V5.5 SP2 - Service Pack 2". The content is identical to the SIOS ZIP.

4. Step-by-Step Installation

SP2 is a delta installer: it requires an existing STEP 7 V5.5 base (with SP1 strongly recommended) on the target machine. It cannot be used as a stand-alone redistributable.

4.1 Pre-installation checklist

1. Close SIMATIC Manager, HW Config, S7-PLCSIM, S7-GRAPH, S7-SCL, and the Automation License Manager.
2. Stop the S7DOS and SIMATIC WinCC Authorization services from services.msc if they are running.
3. Insert the SP2 DVD or extract the ZIP into a temporary path, for example C:\Temp\STEP7_SP2\.
4. Disable antivirus real-time scanning for the duration of the install. Several enterprise endpoint products flag Setup.exe during the S7DOS service registration phase.
5. Confirm that the user account performing the install belongs to the local Administrators group.

4.2 Running the installer

1. Open an elevated command prompt: right-click Command Prompt -> Run as administrator.
2. Change into the install folder and run Setup.exe. The launch sequence registers Siemens.exe as a privileged installer and triggers the User Account Control consent dialog.
3. When prompted, select the install language (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese Simplified, Korean).
4. Accept the license agreement. The dialog displays the V5.5 base license plus the SP2 addendum.
5. Choose Install. The progress bar runs through the following stages, each of which is logged in %TEMP%\Siemens\S7_Setup.log:
   • Component registration (S7DOS, S7OPCS, SIMATIC Diagnostics)
   • File replacement in %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\
   • Help database update (CHM files)
   • Symbol / cross-reference engine refresh
   • License re-validation
6. When the dialog Setup is complete appears, choose Restart only if you unchecked "Restart later" in the summary screen.

4.3 First-boot configuration

1. After reboot, launch SIMATIC Manager.
2. Open the menu Help -> About. The version string must read STEP 7 V5.5 + SP2 and the build identifier should match the date stamp printed in the SIOS delivery release (typically 55.02.00.06 for the released SP2 DVD).
3. Open Options -> PG/PC Interface and re-validate the access point for the MPI/TCP interface. SP2 re-binds TCP/IP.Auto.1 during install; if the parameter is set to a virtual adapter that no longer exists, online functions will silently fail.

5. Verification Procedures

The five checks below confirm that SP2 is correctly installed, that the license is intact, and that the online path to the PLC is functional.

5.1 File-system fingerprint

Open %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\STEP7\ and confirm the following build files exist with the matching version properties (right-click -> Properties -> Details):

5.2 License validation

In SIMATIC Manager choose Options -> Authorization -> Display. The list must include S7STEP7_V55 with status valid and the slot marked local hard disk. If the slot reads unknown, re-run the AuthorsW tool from

Start -> Programs -> Siemens Automation -> Authorizations -> AuthorsW to migrate the key.

5.3 Online reachability test

1. Connect an MPI or PROFIBUS cable to a real S7-300/400 station.
2. In HW Config select the CPU and click PLC -> Online -> Accessible Nodes.
3. The online view must display the CPU's MAC/IP/MPI address within 5 seconds. A timeout indicates the PG/PC interface parameter was lost during install; reset it as documented in Section 7.

5.4 S7-PLCSIM smoke test

1. Open a project, click Options -> Simulate Module.
2. Power the simulated CPU and download a small OB1.
3. Monitor a bit in VAT. If the simulation runs without error 0x00E1 0x001F ("Internal S7-PLCSIM error"), SP2 is healthy.

5.5 Symbol editor and cross-reference test

1. Open an existing project with at least 200 symbols.
2. Trigger Options -> Symbol Table -> Check Consistency. The check must complete in under 3 seconds on a Core 2 Duo class machine. A hang or "out of memory" dialog indicates the symbol engine DLL was not updated - re-run SP2 Setup and choose Repair.

6. Compatibility Matrix and Bundled Options

SP2 maintains the V5.5 contract on optional packages. The compatibility list at STEP_7_V56_-_Compatibility_list.pdf is the authoritative reference. The condensed view for the most common optional packages follows.

7. Troubleshooting Matrix

The following matrix captures the installation and runtime issues most frequently reported after upgrading to V5.5 SP2. Use it as a first-line diagnostic before opening a Siemens support ticket.

8. Repair, Uninstall, and Reinstall

SP2 honors the standard Windows Installer repair channel.

8.1 In-place repair

1. Insert the SP2 DVD or mount the ISO.
2. From an elevated command prompt run msiexec /fa <PATH_TO_MSI>\STEP7_v55_SP2.msi.
3. Choose Repair in the wizard. Setup re-registers the S7DOS service and refreshes the help files without touching projects.

8.2 Uninstall

Open Control Panel -> Programs and Features and remove SIMATIC STEP 7 V5.5 Service Pack 2. This reverts the binaries to the V5.5 SP1 baseline. The license key, project archives, and HW Config catalog remain intact.

8.3 Clean reinstall

1. Uninstall SP2, then uninstall the V5.5 base, then uninstall any optional packages in reverse order.
2. Delete %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation and %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation manually.
3. Reboot. Reinstall V5.5, V5.5 SP1, then V5.5 SP2 in that order.
4. Reinstall the optional packages with their latest SP.

9. Field-Proven Tips and Best Practices

• Snapshot the engineering station with a disk image tool (Acronis, Veeam, or Windows Backup) before running SP2. Recovery from a failed SP2 install is faster from an image than from a clean reinstall.
• Stagger the rollout. Apply SP2 to a pilot station first, run your project archive through it, then propagate to the rest of the team over a 2-4 week window.
• Document the post-install PG/PC interface parameter. SP2 resets the parameter to the default NIC; record the value that matches your MPI/TCP adapter so it can be restored after a repair.
• Re-export the symbol table after SP2. The CHM help database for the SFC/SFB blocks is rebuilt and the references inside the exported source files may point to the old help set.
• Keep the V5.5 SP2 ZIP on a write-protected network share. The package is the same one shipped on the DVD and serves as the single source of truth for any future repair or audit.
• Plan the migration to TIA Portal. STEP 7 V5.5 SP2 is the last V5.x release; new safety features, PROFINET diagnostics, and CPU firmware releases target TIA Portal V13 and later. Use the TIA Portal migration tool (entry 6ES7 822-1AA00-0YA0) to convert V5.5 projects to TIA Portal V13 SP1 or later, then archive the V5.5 SP2 environment for read-only support.

10. References for Further Verification

The following official Siemens documents are the authoritative source for any deviation from the procedure above. Engineers performing a regulated (GAMP, FDA 21 CFR Part 11) install should keep the printed delivery release on file.

• SIOS entry 57026032 - Service Pack 2 for STEP 7 V5.5 and STEP 7 Professional 2010 (download, checksum, part number)
• SIOS entry 48410768 - Information on the SUS contract and DVD distribution
• SIOS entry 57267466 - Delivery release note for SP2 (PDF, internal audit trail)
• STEP_7_V56_-_Compatibility_list.pdf - Operating system and optional package compatibility matrix

Frequently Asked Questions