Troubleshooting SIMATIC Manager V5.5 Missing Software Errors

Problem Details

When opening a STEP 7 project created on a different engineering workstation, SIMATIC Manager V5.5 frequently displays a dialog box titled "Software not installed" or "Required software package missing." The prompt names one or more components referenced inside the .s7p project file but absent from the local installation, blocking the offline view, online connection, and download operations. The most commonly reported missing packages in field escalations are:

• SIMOTION SCOUT (V4.4, V4.5, or V5.1 referenced inside the project)
• ProTool / ProTool/Pro (legacy HMI configuration tool, V6.0 SP2/SP3 era)
• STEP 7 V5.6 base package when an existing V5.5 install is being reused
• Optional packages such as S7-PLCSIM, S7-GRAPH, S7-SCL, or Distributed Safety

The error is not a corrupted installation of SIMATIC Manager itself; it is the project's package manifest requiring a target version that is not registered in the local HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\InstalledSoftware tree. Each STEP 7 optional package writes its EntryComponent GUID into that registry hive on install, and SIMATIC Manager cross-references it on project open.

Root Cause Analysis

STEP 7 V5.5 stores project metadata in the binary Subcontainer blocks of the Global and OM+ subfolders. Each program element (S7 program, technology object, HMI station, drive, SIMOTION axis) carries an IFB_Version tag that points to a specific engineering tool. When SIMATIC Manager parses the project it performs the following check:

1. Read IFB_Version for every program element.
2. Compare against the registry hive under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\InstalledSoftware.
3. If a referenced GUID is missing, raise a modal dialog naming the absent component and its required version.

This mechanism is by design: SIMATIC Manager will not silently downgrade a project because doing so would corrupt technology objects, cam profiles, and drive parameter sets that have no backwards compatibility path. The corrective action is therefore to install the missing package, upgrade the base, or reorganize the project to drop the references.

Solution 1 – Install the Correct SIMOTION SCOUT Build

SIMOTION SCOUT is the engineering tool for SIMOTION motion controllers (D410, D425, D435, D445, D455) and is required whenever a project contains SIMOTION technology objects. The build you install must match the project's IFB_Version exactly; a newer build can open an older project, but an older build cannot open a newer one.

Verified SIMOTION SCOUT Downloads (Siemens SIOS)

Installation Procedure

1. Identify the SCOUT version referenced by the project: open <project>\OM+<timestamp>\<po>\<po>_inf\<po>_inf.xml and search for <ScoutVersion>.
2. Download the matching build from the SIOS entry above using your Siemens Support account.
3. Disable antivirus real-time scanning and close SIMATIC Manager.
4. Launch the SCOUT setup as Administrator and select the same installation path as STEP 7: C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\Step7 on 32-bit OS, or C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\Automation\Step7 on 64-bit Windows 7/10/11.
5. Reboot. The setup writes its registry keys only after a clean restart.

Solution 2 – Upgrade SIMATIC Manager to V5.6

SCOUT V5.1 and the modern drive/technology packages released after 2014 require a STEP 7 base of V5.6. The V5.6 upgrade package is delivered as a delta installer that sits on top of an existing V5.5 install and replaces the S7homp_x.exe, SIMATIC_Manager.exe, and the entire s7libs tree.

STEP 7 V5.6 Package

• Download: SIOS entry 109747981
• Prerequisite: valid STEP 7 V5.5 license (Floating License or Single License) registered through AuthorsW or the Automation License Manager.
• Size: ~3.2 GB unpacked, ~950 MB download.
• Supported OS: Windows 7 SP1 (32/64), Windows 10 (64-bit, 1709–1909 are the last officially tested builds per Siemens).

Upgrade Procedure

1. Back up the STEP 7 project folder and the C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation directory.
2. Export the license through Automation License Manager → License Management → Export to a .zip container.
3. Run the V5.6 setup; it will detect V5.5 and offer an in-place upgrade.
4. After install, re-import the license and reactivate.
5. Open the project to confirm the "Software not installed" dialog no longer appears.

Solution 3 – Reorganize the ProTool Project

The second error typically reports "ProTool: old or incomplete installation." ProTool/Pro V6.0 was the HMI configuration tool superseded by WinCC flexible 2004 and eventually TIA Portal. A project built in ProTool V6.0 SP3 may reference libraries and ActiveX controls that V6.0 SP2 cannot resolve. Two corrective paths exist.

Path A – Update ProTool

Install ProTool/Pro V6.0 SP3 + Hotfix 6 (or the latest ProTool/Pro Agent build) and ensure protbase.dll is at version 6.0.3.x or later. Run the ProTool setup as Administrator; the package registers its EntryComponent GUIDs in the same Siemens registry hive used by SIMATIC Manager.

Path B – Reorganize the Project

1. Open the project in SIMATIC Manager.
2. Select File → Reorganize from the menu bar (German UI: Datei → Reorganisieren).
3. In the wizard, check "Compact" and "Check the project".
4. Choose a temporary directory outside the original project tree (e.g., D:\Reorg\<project>).
5. Click OK and let the wizard rewrite the Global, OM+, and Symbols subcontainers. This strips orphaned references, removes deleted HMI station stubs, and rewrites the IFB_Version tags to match the locally installed package versions.
6. Reopen the reorganized project. The ProTool error should be cleared even without a ProTool upgrade.

Solution 4 – Project Loading Without Installing Anything

If the only objective is to load a compiled block onto the CPU (for example, to recover a machine after a memory card failure), the missing-software prompts can be safely ignored. SIMATIC Manager handles missing optional packages as follows:

• S7 Program blocks in CPU 3xx / CPU 4xx remain fully open and editable.
• HMI stations become read-only stubs flagged with a red exclamation mark.
• SIMOTION technology and drive objects are hidden in the component view but their compiled code on the target is not affected.
• Online Download to Target System works for the PLC subtree provided the block consistency check passes.

This is a valid workflow for break-fix service calls. It is not valid for project editing, cross-commissioning, or HMI/drive modification.

Alternative Path – Stay on V5.5 and Use SCOUT V4.5

For teams that do not want to purchase a V5.6 license, the recommended combined install on a STEP 7 V5.5 host is:

SCOUT V4.5 HF1 cannot open projects built with SCOUT V5.1, but V4.5 HF1 itself can open any project from V4.0 forward, which covers the majority of installed-base machines.

Installation Path and Coexistence Rules

STEP 7 V5.x and its optional packages share a single installation root. Splitting the install across multiple roots breaks the registry hive and re-introduces the original error. Observe the following rules:

1. Install STEP 7 first, then optional packages, then the latest Hotfix on each.
2. Use the default Siemens\Automation path; custom paths are unsupported for SCOUT and ProTool.
3. Do not run V5.5 and V5.6 SIMATIC Manager side by side on the same workstation; the registry collisions generate false "missing package" reports on both versions.
4. Do not install SIMOTION SCOUT into a folder separate from STEP 7. The shared DLLs (s7otbxdx.dll, simotion_utility.dll) are resolved at runtime relative to the STEP 7 install root.

Verification

After applying any of the four solutions, verify the fix with the following checklist:

1. Close and reopen the project in SIMATIC Manager — the "Software not installed" dialog must not appear.
2. Open the component view and confirm the previously missing HMI/SIMOTION/drive subfolders are no longer flagged with a red exclamation mark.
3. Right-click the project root → Object Properties → Block Consistency → Check All. The check should return No errors.
4. Attempt an online connection: PLC → Accessible Nodes. The target CPU should appear without a yellow warning triangle.
5. Open Start → Siemens Automation → STEP 7 → Check Installation (or run S7Check.exe). The result must list SCOUT, ProTool, and the base package as OK.

Troubleshooting Matrix

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