PCS 7 V7 can stop during setup on a Windows XP Professional guest and request the Windows Server 2003 SP2 hotfix KB929046. Installing, renaming, or simulating that hotfix is the wrong correction: the Server 2003 package rejects Windows XP by design. Rebuild the guest from clean Windows XP media, apply the PCS 7-supplied Windows XP SP2 baseline, configure the required Windows components, and rerun setup without remnants of SP3.
Virtualization and operating-system baseline
The term guest OS here means the Windows installation running inside Microsoft Virtual PC. PCS 7 V7 was reported as not released for virtual-machine operation, so use this arrangement only as a demonstration or test environment unless the applicable PCS 7 compatibility documentation explicitly lists it. A successful installation in a virtual machine does not establish support for production operation.
Do not change hypervisors to solve an operating-system prerequisite failure. VMware Player was reported to run PCS 7, but it was also described as unsupported. Changing the virtualization layer adds another variable without correcting the Windows service-pack state that setup evaluates.
- Check 1: Confirm the intended guest is Windows XP Professional. Expect Windows to identify itself as Windows XP Professional, not Windows Server 2003.
- Check 2: Confirm the environment is designated for demonstration use. Expect production commissioning and manufacturer support decisions to use a released hardware and operating-system combination.
Clean Windows XP SP2 image
PCS 7 setup evaluates the installed operating system, service pack, Windows components, and product prerequisites before copying the selected packages. Removing Windows XP SP3 after it has been installed does not necessarily reproduce the same component state as a clean Windows XP SP2 installation. Servicing records, replaced system files, or prerequisite detection data can remain inconsistent with the baseline expected by an older installer.
Build a new virtual machine from a Microsoft Windows XP installation disc. Then install the Windows XP SP2 supplied on the PCS 7 tools media. Do not attempt to apply Windows Server 2003 SP2 to Windows XP; the message that it is the wrong software version is the correct platform check.
- Create a new guest rather than continuing with the guest that previously contained SP3.
- Install Windows XP Professional from Microsoft media.
- Reboot and verify that Windows starts normally.
- Apply Windows XP SP2 from the PCS 7 tools disc.
- Reboot again before adding PCS 7 prerequisites.
Check 3: Read the Windows version and service-pack level after the reboot. Expect Windows XP Professional with SP2 and no history of SP3 installation in that guest image.
Windows and WinCC prerequisites
Configure the prerequisite stack only after the clean SP2 baseline is stable. The attempted installation included Windows Message Queuing, the Windows XP hotfix, and the SQL package supplied for WinCC. These items serve different functions and are not interchangeable with KB929046.
| Prerequisite | Required action | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Message Queuing | Install it as a Windows component. | The component appears as installed after reboot. |
| Windows XP hotfix | Use the package intended for Windows XP from the PCS 7 media. | The package installs without a wrong-platform error. |
| SQL for WinCC | Run the SQL installation supplied with the PCS 7 CDs. | SQL setup completes before the main PCS 7 installation. |
KB929046 |
Do not install the Windows Server 2003 SP2 package on Windows XP. | No registry substitution or forced package installation is present. |
Take a virtual-machine snapshot after these prerequisites pass and before starting the main product installation. The snapshot provides a repeatable SP2 baseline if package selection or setup execution fails.
Check 4: Reboot and inspect the installed Windows components and prerequisite programs. Expect Message Queuing, the applicable Windows XP update, and the PCS 7-provided SQL installation for WinCC to be present without a pending restart.
Package selection and prerequisite interpretation
A request for KB929046 does not by itself prove that Windows has been misidentified as Windows Server 2003. A prerequisite engine can enter a Server 2003 dependency branch because the selected PCS 7 package set implies a server role, or because the guest no longer matches the expected XP SP2 baseline. Determine which condition applies before changing the registry.
| Observation | Likely decision path | Action |
|---|---|---|
| The request disappears on a clean XP SP2 guest with the same package selection | The previous SP3 installation and rollback disturbed prerequisite detection. | Continue with the rebuilt guest. |
| The request returns only after selecting a particular package | That package selection invokes a server-oriented prerequisite path. | Remove the package and confirm that it is required for the demonstration role. |
| The request occurs with every package selection on the clean guest | The requested PCS 7 configuration and the guest platform do not agree. | Stop and compare the intended station role with the PCS 7 V7 installation requirements. |
| The Server 2003 hotfix reports the wrong Windows version | The hotfix correctly rejects Windows XP. | Do not force, rename, or emulate the hotfix. |
Check 5: Start setup and select only the packages required for the demonstration station. Expect prerequisite evaluation to remain on the Windows XP path and not request the Server 2003 SP2 hotfix.
PCS 7 installation sequence
Run setup from the original PCS 7 media or from a complete local copy. Copying the installation CD to the guest changes media access but does not alter operating-system detection, so it cannot correct the KB929046 condition.
- Return to the clean snapshot if any registry key or installed-update record was manually changed.
- Log on with an account permitted to install Windows components and software.
- Confirm Windows XP Professional SP2 and complete any pending reboot.
- Confirm Message Queuing, the Windows XP hotfix, and SQL for WinCC.
- Launch PCS 7 V7 setup.
- Select the minimum packages needed for the demonstration station.
- If setup requests
KB929046, cancel setup and vary package selection one package at a time. Do not edit the registry to copy or rename an update identifier. - Proceed only when prerequisite checking completes for Windows XP.
Registry substitution is especially poor practice because a prerequisite identifier represents more than a string. Setup may depend on the files and servicing state installed by the real update. Making the identifier appear present can move the failure into product installation or runtime, where diagnosis becomes harder.
Check 6: Allow setup to enter the package installation phase. Expect no prompt for KB929046 and no wrong-Windows-version message.
End-to-end commissioning verification
Verify the finished guest in a fixed order so that operating-system, prerequisite, and application failures remain distinguishable.
- Check 7: Reboot the guest. Expect Windows XP Professional SP2 to start without an installation-resume prompt.
- Check 8: Confirm Windows Message Queuing remains installed. Expect the component to be available after reboot.
- Check 9: Confirm the SQL installation used by WinCC remains installed. Expect no SQL prerequisite prompt when PCS 7 components start.
-
Check 10: Start the installed PCS 7 engineering or demonstration components selected during setup. Expect each selected component to open without requesting
KB929046. - Check 11: Shut down and restart the virtual machine once more. Expect the same successful application startup, proving that the result does not depend on a one-time installer state.
FAQ
Why does PCS 7 V7 request KB929046 on Windows XP?
Setup has entered a prerequisite path associated with Windows Server 2003 SP2. On this configuration, first eliminate the prior XP SP3 installation by rebuilding from clean Windows XP media and applying the PCS 7-supplied XP SP2 baseline; if the request then depends on package selection, identify the package that invokes the server path.
Why does KB929046 say it is the wrong software version?
KB929046 in this case is the Windows Server 2003 SP2 hotfix, while the guest runs Windows XP Professional. The platform rejection is correct, so do not force the package onto Windows XP.
Why does copying the PCS 7 CD to the virtual machine not help?
A local copy changes where setup reads its files, not how it evaluates Windows, the service pack, installed updates, or selected packages. Correct the XP SP2 baseline and prerequisite path instead.
How do I verify the PCS 7 V7 installation is stable?
Reboot the guest, confirm Windows XP Professional SP2, Message Queuing, and SQL for WinCC, then start every selected PCS 7 component. Perform one final shutdown and restart; expect the components to start again without a KB929046 prompt.