Troubleshooting SINAMICS STARTER 5.4 SP2 HF1 Installation Failure

1. Problem Overview

Engineers and commissioning personnel attempting to install SINAMICS STARTER V5.4 SP2 HF1 (and the earlier V5.4 HF release) on Windows 7, Windows 10, or Windows Server 2008 R2 / 2012 R2 hosts frequently encounter a hard installer abort with a dialog that references the file:

C:\PROG~\Siemens\AUTOMA~1\logfile\setup\installCheckRequirementsLog.txt

The Siemens Setup wizard closes immediately after displaying this path, leaving the system with no installed STARTER components, no usable Start menu entries, and a partially constructed registry tree under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Siemens\AUTOMA~1. The displayed path is the legacy 8.3 short-name form of the actual installation directory; the failure is not caused by the path itself, but by the pre-installation requirements check that writes its log to that location and aborts when an OS prerequisite is not satisfied.

2. Affected Versions and System Requirements

Per the official Siemens delivery release note for STARTER V5.4 SP2 HF1, the following software is supported as the install target:

STARTER V5.4 SP2 HF1 ships as a single Setup.exe launcher that handles both installation modes: STARTER Standalone and STARTER integrated in STEP 7 V5.x. If STEP 7 V5.x is not present on the target machine, the integrated-mode branch of the installer is silently skipped, but the requirements check is run unconditionally and its failure aborts both modes.

3. Root Cause Analysis

The installCheckRequirementsLog.txt dialog is emitted by the pre-flight check phase of the Siemens Setup framework, before any STARTER component is copied. The framework performs the following sequential checks, any one of which can write a fatal entry into the requirements log and trigger the dialog abort:

1. Administrator privilege verification on the user token.
2. Windows Installer version probe (minimum 4.5 on Windows 7-class systems).
3. 8.3 short-name support on the system drive (NTFS disable detection).
4. Required Visual C++ runtimes present in WinSxS.
5. Existing installation of STARTER V5.3, V5.4, or V5.4 SPx in the target directory.
6. No locked files in %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation.
7. Registry write permission under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens.

The most common root causes, in order of frequency reported by field engineers:

4. The installCheckRequirementsLog.txt Mechanism

The pre-flight check writes its result to a file whose location is taken from the environment variable %AUTINSTLOG%. The installer dialog always displays the 8.3-collapsed version of the path, which is the source of the confusion in the original failure report. To find the real log:

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Click into the address bar.
3. Type %AUTINSTLOG% and press Enter.

The directory that opens contains installCheckRequirementsLog.txt. This is the file the installer is complaining about. Open it in Notepad; it is a plain ASCII text file with one line per requirement check. The last line ending with RESULT: FAIL identifies the blocking prerequisite.

Typical content:

Siemens Setup CheckRequirements V5.4.2.0
2024-03-14 11:42:08  CHECK  WindowsInstaller  ... ok
2024-03-14 11:42:08  CHECK  DotNet35       ... ok
2024-03-14 11:42:08  CHECK  DotNet40        ... ok
2024-03-14 11:42:08  CHECK  VC2005SP1       ... FAIL
2024-03-14 11:42:08  CHECK  VC2008SP1       ... not run
2024-03-14 11:42:08  RESULT FAIL  -- aborting setup

The environment variable %AUTINSTLOG% is set by the launcher MSI and is normally %TEMP%\Siemens\Setup or %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\logfile\setup. To inspect it from a command prompt:

echo %AUTINSTLOG%
dir "%AUTINSTLOG%\installCheckRequirementsLog.txt"

5. Common Failure Modes and Their Signatures

Match the signature in installCheckRequirementsLog.txt to the remediation in the table below.

6. Step-by-Step Resolution Procedure

Execute the steps below in order. Do not skip a step; STARTER installers are stateful and a partial fix can leave the registry in an inconsistent state that blocks subsequent attempts.

6.1 Capture State Before Changes

1. Open an elevated command prompt: Start > cmd > right-click > Run as administrator.
2. Record the current STARTER install state:
   reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation" /s > C:\Temp\starter_reg_before.txt
3. Copy the requirements log to a safe location:
   copy "%AUTINSTLOG%\installCheckRequirementsLog.txt" C:\Temp\

6.2 Remove Partial Install Artifacts

1. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features and uninstall every entry that contains "Siemens Automation", "SINAMICS STARTER", "SIMATIC S7", and "Drive ES".
2. If a previous uninstall was interrupted, the entry may be marked as "damaged". Use the official Microsoft msizap tool only as a last resort, and only for orphaned MSI GUIDs you have verified against the Windows Installer database:
   msizap TP {GUID}
3. Delete residual folders:
   rd /s /q "%ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation"
rd /s /q "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Siemens\Automation"
4. Delete residual environment variables:
   setx AUTINSTLOG "" /M then delete from System > Advanced > Environment Variables.

6.3 Install Prerequisite Runtimes

1. From the STARTER installation media, open the Redist folder.
2. Install in this exact order:
   • dotnetfx35.exe (or enable the Windows feature on Windows 10)
   • dotnetfx40_full_x86.exe
   • vcredist_x86_VS2005_SP1.exe
   • vcredist_x86_VS2008_SP1.exe
   • vcredist_x86_VS2010_SP1.exe
   • vcredist_x86_VS2013.exe
3. Reboot after each VC++ install if prompted.

6.4 Pre-Stage the Setup Folders

1. Copy the entire STARTER installation media (the contents of the DVD or the unpacked ISO) to a local directory, for example D:\STARTER_5_4_SP2_HF1\. Do not run Setup.exe from a network share that uses DFS or a read-only mount; the framework needs to write to the source tree.
2. Right-click Setup.exe, choose Properties > Compatibility, and set "Run this program as an administrator".
3. If your system has 8.3 short names disabled by policy and you cannot re-enable them, copy the setup tree to a path that does not require the installer to display a 16-bit dialog. The original 8.3 path is purely cosmetic, but the framework check 8.3 name generation disabled on C: still triggers a real abort.

6.5 Run the Installer

1. From the elevated command prompt, cd /d D:\STARTER_5_4_SP2_HF1.
2. Launch:
   Setup.exe /silent /norestart for a fully unattended install, or simply Setup.exe for the GUI flow.
3. If the install completes, the dialog referencing installCheckRequirementsLog.txt will not appear and a "Setup successful" line will be appended to the log.

6.6 Apply HF1 Patches

STARTER V5.4 SP2 HF1 is delivered as a single integrated build. There is no separate hotfix step in the field. The delivery release for the package documents the build number and the catalog file under:

• Official delivery release: Delivery release for SINAMICS STARTER V5.4 SP2 HF1 and additive SSPs

7. Repairing an Existing 5.3 Installation Before Upgrade

A common field scenario: an engineer has STARTER 5.3 installed, attempts to install 5.4 SP2 HF1 over it, fails with the requirements dialog, and then cannot re-install 5.3 either because the 5.4 attempt left a partial registration in the MSI database. The recovery procedure is:

1. Boot into Safe Mode with Networking.
2. Stop the SIMATIC automation services:
   net stop "S7DOS Helper Service"
net stop "SIMATIC Event Service"
3. Remove the STARTER MSI registration from the registry:
   reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{STARTER_GUID}" /f (replace GUID with the actual value from Programs and Features).
4. Delete the install tree:
   rd /s /q "%ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\STARTER"
5. Reboot into normal mode and re-run the 5.3 installer first, then the 5.4 SP2 HF1 installer.

8. Verification Steps

After a successful install, verify the deployment with the following checks:

1. The Start > Siemens Automation > STARTER entry exists and launches starter.exe without error.
2. The Help > About dialog reports V5.4 SP2 HF1 and the build number from the delivery release note.
3. The STARTER topology editor can open an existing project file (.star or *_proj.star) and enumerate the connected SINAMICS S110, S120, or G120 devices.
4. Online mode establishes a connection to a SINAMICS drive via PROFIBUS DP, PROFINET, or Ethernet/IP and the device appears in the project tree.
5. The trace function captures a real-time trace of speed, current, and torque at a 1 ms sample rate without dropping samples.
6. The following registry keys are present:
   HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\STARTER\5.4\InstallPath
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\STARTER\5.4\Build

9. Diagnostic and Troubleshooting Matrix

10. Preventive Best Practices

1. Capture a clean baseline image of a known-good STARTER host. Use Sysprep or a sector-based image tool. Tag the image with the exact VC++ and .NET patch level so the deployment is reproducible.
2. Disable antivirus during install, then re-enable. The STARTER installer unpacks hundreds of small MSI and CAB files; AV scanning during this phase is a top-three cause of hangs and silent aborts.
3. Use the Siemens approved OS list. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) is preferred over the consumer Semi-Annual Channel because LTSC does not roll forward feature updates that break the 8.3 name path and the Microsoft Edge WebView component used by the STARTER help system.
4. Do not run Setup.exe from a network share. Copy the media locally first. The setup framework opens the source tree for both read and write access during the requirements check and will fail silently if the share is read-only.
5. Maintain a single, clean version of STARTER per host. The 5.3 to 5.4 transition is supported in place only with the V5.4 SPx installer; do not attempt to install 5.3 after a 5.4 SP2 HF1 partial install without the registry cleanup described in Section 7.
6. Document the install state after every change. A two-line diff of reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation" /s before and after a setup attempt is invaluable when escalating to Siemens technical support.

11. Related Reference Material

For background on the SINAMICS drive families that STARTER V5.4 SP2 HF1 configures, refer to the SINAMICS S120 High Frequency Drive system manual, which documents the supported firmware versions, commissioning workflow, and the Safety Integrated functions that are part of the project tree STARTER creates:

• SINAMICS S120 High Frequency Drive System Manual (PDF)
• Delivery release for SINAMICS STARTER V5.4 SP2 HF1 and additive SSPs

These documents are the authoritative reference for firmware compatibility, additive SSPs (Support Packages), and the build numbers that a healthy install should report. Always cross-check the Help > About build number against the delivery release before commissioning.

FAQ