TP900 Comfort HMI: OS Update, Firmware & IP Configuration

Overview

The SIMATIC HMI TP900 Comfort is a 9" widescreen Comfort Panel from Siemens (article number 6AV2 124-1JC01-0AX0 and earlier variants) running WinCC Comfort Runtime on a Windows CE / Windows Embedded Compact image. Two operational issues drive the majority of field calls regarding this panel: locating the correct OS / firmware image after a corruption or version mismatch, and recovering IP configuration when the panel boots into a project that locks the user out of the Control Panel or when the "IP config" entry the user expects is missing from the Start Center.

This reference consolidates the procedures to download TP900 Comfort firmware from Siemens Industry Online Support, to apply the OS update via ProSave, USB, or SD card, to access Service Mode, and to assign a static IP address from the on-device Control Panel. It addresses the specific scenario where the HMI project is missing and the panel only shows the Start Center (or a black screen), and where the user has no backup of the original WinCC Comfort project.

Prerequisites

• Physical access to the TP900 Comfort (touch screen and rear service ports).
• Article number of the panel — readable from the rear nameplate (e.g., 6AV2 124-1JC01-0AX0) or from Start Center > System > Device Info.
• Configured engineering station with WinCC Comfort / TIA Portal (V13 onward) OR a Windows PC with ProSave V13 or higher installed from the WinCC Comfort DVD / TIA Portal installation media.
• Ethernet cable (RJ45) connected to the HMI's PROFINET port X1, on the same subnet as the engineering station. The default TP900 Comfort IP is 192.168.0.3, subnet 255.255.255.0.
• For storage-media-based updates: a FAT32-formatted USB stick (≤ 32 GB recommended) or SD card.
• Siemens Industry Online Support account (free registration) for firmware download from support.industry.siemens.com.
• HMI image with original WinCC Runtime project backup (if available), otherwise a freshly compiled .hmi / .zip project from TIA Portal.

Identifying Your TP900 Comfort Variant

Siemens has shipped multiple TP900 Comfort hardware revisions. Confirm the article number and firmware version before downloading an image — installing a mismatched OS image can render the device temporarily unbootable and will require a factory reset.

The OS image is hardware-keyed. Use only the firmware file that matches the article number printed on the rear of the device. Firmware files are named in the form SIMATIC_HMI_TP900_Comfort_Vxx_yy_xx_xx.img (e.g., V16_Update_6_of_8_for_TP900_Comfort_6AV2124-1JC01-0AX0.zip). Major version transitions (e.g., V13 → V16) require a chained update of up to eight partial images applied in sequence.

Locating TP900 Comfort OS and Firmware Files

Siemens distributes HMI firmware exclusively through the Industry Online Support portal. The TP900 Comfort firmware package is delivered as a ZIP archive containing one or more .img files. Each Comfort Panel typically requires a chained update (a sequence of partial images, e.g., "Update 1 of 8" through "Update 8 of 8") when moving across major runtime versions.

1. Open support.industry.siemens.com and sign in.
2. In the search field, enter the article number (e.g., 6AV2 124-1JC01-0AX0) or the string TP900 Comfort firmware.
3. Filter results by entry type Download using the left-side filter tree.
4. Select the entry titled "SIMATIC HMI TP900 Comfort — Update image for ... Vxx". Confirm the article number in the download's compatibility table matches your panel.
5. Download every chained archive listed under "Chained update" or "Cumulative update" for the same target version.
6. Verify the ZIP is unblocked: right-click the file → Properties → Unblock → OK. Extract to a local working folder with full NTFS support (e.g., C:\Siemens\HMI_Images\TP900). Avoid UNC paths; ProSave can mis-handle network shares.

Accessing Service Mode on TP900 Comfort

Service Mode on the classic TP900 Comfort is reached from the Start Center, not from a dedicated tile. The Start Center appears whenever no runtime project is running, after a controlled reboot, or after a project stop.

1. Cycle power to the HMI. Watch the lower-left corner of the screen during boot — Siemens prints a five-second countdown reading "Tap here to enter Start Center" on the splash sequence.
2. Tap the countdown area within the five-second window. The Start Center opens.
3. If a project is currently running (no Start Center visible), press the Start hard key on the rear of the unit (where fitted) or open the on-screen taskbar and tap Start > Stop Runtime. Confirm the stop dialog.
4. In the Start Center, tap Settings (icon: a spanner) to open the Windows CE Control Panel. This is where network, transfer, regional, and display settings live — equivalent to a desktop Windows Control Panel.

If the touch is unresponsive after a corrupted OS, an external USB mouse can be plugged into the HMI's USB-A port. The TP900 Comfort enumerates USB HID devices natively, enabling emergency Control Panel navigation without touch.

Configuring IP Address in Control Panel

The reason the user sees "no IP config tab" is that the classic Comfort Panels do not expose IP configuration as a top-level tile in the Start Center. IP configuration lives inside the Control Panel under Network and Dial-up Connections. The "Service & Commissioning" tile that contains an IP config shortcut is a Unified Comfort Panel feature.

1. From the Start Center, tap Settings to launch the Control Panel.
2. Double-tap Network and Dial-up Connections. Two adapters are listed by default: PN_X1 (PROFINET, X1 port) and — on variants with a secondary interface — PN_X2.
3. Long-press (right-click equivalent on resistive touch) the PN_X1 adapter and select Properties, or double-tap it.
4. In the IP Address tab, select Specify an IP address and enter the target values:
   • IP Address: e.g., 192.168.10.50
   • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
   • Default Gateway: 192.168.10.1 (only if a router exists beyond the local subnet)
5. Switch to the Name Servers tab and enter the DNS server IP if the project uses symbolic PLC names. Static IP without DNS is the norm on the plant floor.
6. Tap OK. The HMI applies the address on a network stack restart. Tap Start Center > Reboot or cycle power.
7. After reboot, re-enter Settings and select Transfer > Configure to set the desired startup behavior (Start Center / Transfer / Last project).

OS Update via ProSave

ProSave is the on-host utility shipped with WinCC Comfort / WinCC Advanced / TIA Portal for managing HMI images, backups, restores, and license handling. It runs on the engineering PC and talks to the HMI over Ethernet.

1. Start ProSave from Start > Siemens Automation > ProSave, or open the TIA Portal project, right-click the HMI device, and choose Update operating system.
2. Select Connection type > Ethernet.
3. Enter the HMI's current IP address (e.g., the default 192.168.0.3, or whatever was set in the previous section) and click Connect.
4. ProSave prompts to switch the HMI to Transfer mode. Confirm. The Start Center must be visible on the HMI; if a project is auto-starting, stop it first via Start > Stop Runtime.
5. Select Image in the ProSave backup group, browse to the extracted .img file, and click Restore (or Update OS).
6. When transferring multiple chained images (e.g., Update 1 of 8 through Update 8 of 8), ProSave prompts for the next file in sequence. Keep all extracted files in one folder and let ProSave auto-load them in numerical order.
7. After the final image writes, the HMI reboots twice. Verify the new runtime under Start Center > System > Device Info.

OS Update via USB or SD Card

If the panel is unreachable on Ethernet (e.g., IP is unknown or the touch is miscalibrated past usability), the on-device loader can read firmware from an inserted USB stick or SD card. The TP900 Comfort has two USB-A ports (rear + front bezel) and one SD card slot (under the front cover).

1. Format a USB stick or SD card as FAT32 (default allocation size).
2. Create the folder structure expected by the loader:

   <root>\SIMATIC_HMI\TP900\<firmware folder>\*.img

   The exact path varies slightly by runtime version; consult the README in the downloaded ZIP archive. Siemens documentation labels this tree as the SIMATIC HMI Update Center.
3. Insert the medium and cycle power. The HMI displays a prompt reading "Update OS? [Yes] [No]" when valid media is detected.
4. Tap Yes and follow the on-screen wizard. The panel will flash and reboot multiple times.
5. After the final reboot, remove the medium. The Start Center appears.

Factory Reset to Recover Communication

A factory reset is the last-resort recovery when no backup exists and the panel is stuck in a boot loop, when the runtime image is corrupted, or when the OS-level password is lost. Factory reset wipes the OS image AND any user data. Use this procedure only when IP reconfiguration in the Control Panel is not feasible.

1. Power off the panel.
2. Hold a finger on the touch screen during power-on (some firmware variants use the rear Start button instead). Maintain contact through the entire boot sequence.
3. When the Start Center appears, tap Settings > OP Properties > Reboot with the option "Reset to factory settings" enabled.
4. If touch is not available: power off, open the rear service cover, and press the Reset button (where fitted on the 6AV2 124 series) for ten seconds while reapplying power.
5. After factory reset, the panel reverts to the OS image shipped from factory (typically V13 SP1 / V14 depending on production year). The IP resets to 192.168.0.3. Reconfigure the IP per the Control Panel section above.

For the canonical Siemens procedure see the official FAQ 67653385 on Siemens Industry Online Support: "How do you do an Operating system update (OS update) or Reset to factory settings on operator panels?"

Verification Steps

• IP verification: Start Center > System > Network > Status. Confirm the configured IP, subnet mask, and gateway. Ping the panel from a Windows command prompt: ping 192.168.10.50 -t. Latency < 5 ms is expected on a hardwired PROFINET line.
• OS verification: Start Center > System > Device Info. Confirm the displayed Image / Runtime version matches the target (e.g., WinCC Comfort V16 Update 6).
• PLC link verification: Start Center > System > Connections. The configured PLC connection should read Connected with the correct PLC IP. If the project is missing, transfer a freshly compiled project from TIA Portal > HMI device > Transfer to device.
• Touch calibration: Start Center > Settings > Touch > Calibration. Tap the five crosshair targets to recalibrate after an OS update — drift of up to 5 mm is normal post-update.
• License audit: Start Center > Settings > License Management. Confirm expected licenses are still listed.
• PROFINET name verification: From TIA Portal, run Online > Accessible devices. The TP900 Comfort should advertise itself under its assigned PROFINET name with the configured IP.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Cross-Reference: Unified Comfort Panel (6AV2 128)

If you discover that the panel in front of you is a SIMATIC HMI Unified Comfort (TP900 Unified, article number 6AV2 128-...), the procedures diverge. Unified panels expose the OS update and IP configuration directly under Service & Commissioning in the Start Center's tile menu and load firmware from Siemens' TIA documentation cloud. Unified panels run a Linux-based image with a different settings tree and do not use ProSave.

FAQ