WinCC Flexible 2007/2008 Demo Projects: Siemens Download Guide

Overview

Engineers maintaining legacy HMI installations on SIMATIC Panels frequently need a reference project to study tag structures, screen navigation, alarm configuration, or recipe handling. Siemens originally shipped these references on a "Demo Projects for WinCC flexible 2007" CD bundled with the engineering software, but the physical media is no longer distributed. The replacement is a set of downloadable sample projects hosted inside individual Siemens Industry Online Support FAQ entries and the consolidated WinCC flexible 2008 demo project package.

This guide consolidates the official download paths for WinCC flexible 2007 and 2008 demo projects, the three "Getting Started" bundles, the Audit Trail sample, and the S7-PLC integration sample. It also documents the 2007-to-2008 migration considerations you must evaluate before loading a project compiled in a newer version back into a 2007 SP3 engineering station.

Prerequisites

Before retrieving the demo projects, confirm the following items are available on the engineering workstation:

• WinCC flexible 2007 SP3 (or later), 2008 SP1/SP2/SP3, or 2008 SP5. The SP level determines which demo archive can be opened; projects compiled in 2008 will not open in a 2007 SP3 runtime without a forward-backward conversion path.
• Siemens Industry Online Support account (free registration) so the entry pages render the "info" download attachment.
• Microsoft Windows matching the WinCC flexible compatibility matrix (Windows XP SP3, Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate 32-bit, or Windows Server 2003/2008 depending on the SP).
• STEP 7 V5.4 or V5.5 if the S7-PLC demo (FAQ 24104104) will be recompiled against a real S7-300/S7-400 station.
• A target runtime panel (or the WinCC flexible PC Runtime for offline simulation) capable of running the resulting .fwx / .hmi project.

Locating the Consolidated WinCC flexible 2008 Demo Package

Siemens maintains a single canonical entry point for the latest collection of panel and PC-Runtime sample projects:

• Demo projects for SIMATIC Panels (WinCC flexible 2008), Panel PC and WinCC flexible PC Runtime (SIOS entry 22900091)

The page groups projects by target device family and tags each download with a short functional description. Use this entry point when you need a broad sample covering OP 77B, TP 177, MP 177, MP 277, MP 377, or the WinCC flexible PC Runtime. The attachment link appears on the right-hand side of the FAQ under the info button once you are signed in.

If you specifically need the 2007-era project set, the 2008 package is forward-compatible: any project saved in 2008 can be opened in 2008 SP2/SP3/SP5 only. Projects saved in 2007 remain readable in 2008 because WinCC flexible provides a one-way backward-compatible loader. The reverse (2008 → 2007) is blocked by version checking inside the compiler.

Locating the Three "Getting Started" Sample Bundles

Siemens also publishes three dedicated "Getting Started" pages, each focused on a different user role. All three use the same access pattern: scroll to the right-hand column of the FAQ, open the info diskette icon, and download the attached ZIP archive.

Open each page from the Siemens support search using the exact title strings above. Once a page is open, expand the info panel and select Download. The resulting ZIP files contain a complete project folder ending in .hmi plus a PDF walkthrough.

S7-PLC Integration Sample (FAQ 24104104)

The WinCC flexible project that demonstrates a complete connection to a SIMATIC S7-200, S7-300, or S7-400 controller is published in Siemens FAQ 24104104. Open the FAQ at:

• https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/document/24104104

The attached project contains:

1. A pre-configured PROFIBUS DP connection in WinCC flexible for an S7-300 station with rack 0, slot 2 CPU.
2. A matching STEP 7 V5.x project that exposes eight digital inputs, eight digital outputs, two analog inputs, and one data block used as the recipe storage buffer.
3. A complete recipe view with 16 records, three columns, and the import/export file path \Storage Card\Recipes\.
4. An alarm configuration referencing bit-memory area MB10–MB19 with discrete and analog alarm classes.
5. A trend view logging DB1.DBD0 through DB1.DBD28 to a circular log with 500 ms polling.

To run the project offline, you do not need STEP 7 installed. Open the .hmi file in WinCC flexible, start the Simulator (Tools > Start Runtime), and the project runs against the internal tag simulator. To run it online, recompile the STEP 7 project to your hardware, set the PG/PC interface to TCP/IP → your CP or PROFIBUS → CP5611, and download both stations.

Audit Trail Sample (FAQ 24327008)

For regulated environments that require an electronic record of operator actions (FDA 21 CFR Part 11 alignment), the dedicated Audit Trail demo is published in Siemens FAQ 24327008:

• https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/document/24327008

The project ships pre-configured with the WinCC flexible / Audit option. It demonstrates:

• User administration with role-based access (Operator, Supervisor, Administrator) and password aging.
• Operation logs writing to \Storage Card\Audit\oplog.csv in CSV format with a user ID, timestamp, action, old value, and new value column.
• Electronic signature on critical parameter change, with dual approval workflow.
• Sequential recipe control where the recipe body and the parameter changes are both logged.

The Audit option requires a separate license key (article number 6AV6618-7FD01-0AB0 or comparable per panel family). The runtime will boot without the license and report Audit option missing in the diagnostic buffer; the operator logs are not created in that state.

Step-by-Step Download and Open Procedure

1. Open the Siemens support URL for the desired FAQ in Internet Explorer or Edge. The legacy support.automation.siemens.com host redirects to support.industry.siemens.com automatically.
2. Sign in with your Siemens Industry Online Support account. The info download column is suppressed for anonymous sessions.
3. Click the info diskette icon on the right side of the page header.
4. From the drop-down, select Download. Accept the license terms. A signed ZIP file downloads (typical size 1–8 MB).
5. Extract the ZIP into a working folder on a local drive with write access (avoid C:\Program Files\...). Confirm the extracted folder contains a *.hmi file and a PDF.
6. Start WinCC flexible. From the start center, choose Open an existing project and select the *.hmi file.
7. When prompted, confirm the version conversion. WinCC flexible performs a one-way upgrade to the installed engineering version.
8. Select Project > Compiler > All. Resolve any device-mismatch warnings (usually resolved by selecting the actual panel from the project tree).
9. Choose Tools > Start Runtime to launch the simulator, or Project > Transfer > Transfer to send the compiled runtime to a connected panel.

Compatibility Matrix: 2007 vs 2008 Demo Projects

When you must load a 2008 project on a 2007 station, the only supported path is to install WinCC flexible 2008 SP3 on a separate engineering workstation, open and save the project there, and then attempt a manual downgrade. Siemens does not support direct downward conversion; expect tag and screen-level rework if the project uses features added in 2008.

Panel and Runtime Targeting

Each demo ZIP specifies one or more target devices. The most common targets and their recommended firmware are:

Always run OS Update on the target panel before downloading a new project if the bundled image is older than the demo's engineering version. A mismatch produces error 8020 "Wrong image version" on the panel during transfer.

Migration Path When Only the 2007 CD Was Available

Engineers who own the original Demo Projects for WinCC flexible 2007 CD can extend its life by following this migration path:

1. Install the CD on a Windows XP SP3 / Windows 7 32-bit engineering station. The CD installs a project tree under C:\Programs\Siemens\Automation\WinCC flexible 2007\Demo\.
2. Open each *.hmi in turn. Choose Project > Save As and back up to a versioned folder.
3. Copy the project tree to a Windows 7 64-bit or Windows 10 station running WinCC flexible 2008 SP3.
4. Open the project in 2008. The version migration wizard runs. Inspect the Migration log in the output window for any reported feature loss.
5. Select Project > Compiler > All with the new target panel selected. Resolve any tag-prefix or area-pointer warnings before transferring to a physical panel.

If the migration log reports an unsupported scripting function, open the affected script and replace legacy VB-script calls with the 2008 syntax. Common offenders include HMIRuntime.Tags.Item index access and the old Set oItem = ... pattern, which were tightened in 2008 SP1.

Verification

After loading any of the demo projects, run the following verification sequence to confirm a clean install:

1. Open the project, confirm WinCC flexible reports the correct target device in the project tree root node.
2. Compile the project. The Output window must show 0 errors, 0 warnings. Warnings related to the simulator-only SIMATIC HMI Station connection are acceptable for offline use only.
3. Start the Simulator. Verify that the home screen renders, tag values update when you toggle the Set Bit buttons, and the trend view records at least 10 samples.
4. Trigger an alarm by setting a discrete alarm bit. Confirm the alarm row appears in the active alarm window and that the Alarm Logging buffer increments.
5. If the project includes recipes, run Recipe > Transfer from the recipe view. Verify the export file is written to the configured path.
6. If the project is the Audit Trail demo, sign in as Operator, change a parameter, and confirm an entry appears in the configured oplog.csv file with a valid timestamp.
7. Transfer the compiled runtime to a physical panel (or PC Runtime). Confirm the panel boots, the connection status icon turns green, and the project name appears in the Start Center > Information > Project screen.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Field-Commissioning Notes

When loading a demo on a customer site, the following field-tested steps reduce risk:

• Document the baseline — before replacing the panel image, capture the existing image version with ProSave > Backup. This allows a 30-second rollback if the new image introduces a regression on the customer's process.
• Validate the connection — after transfer, open the Connection status screen on the panel. The connection icon must be green before live operation. A yellow icon means the connection is initializing; a red icon means the configured partner PLC is unreachable.
• Test the alarm wiring — deliberately trigger each alarm bit from STEP 7 and verify the panel's alarm list updates within one polling cycle (typically 250–500 ms).
• Verify the recipe hand-off — if the panel is the recipe server, perform at least one full recipe download and one full recipe upload to the PLC, and confirm the data block values match the operator's expectations.
• Check time synchronization — the panel's clock must be synchronized with the PLC or with an NTP source. Without it, the Audit Trail and alarm logs will have incorrect timestamps and fail any subsequent regulatory audit.

Related Official References

• SIOS 22900091 — Demo projects for SIMATIC Panels (WinCC flexible 2008)
• SIOS 24104104 — WinCC flexible demo project with S7 PLC integration
• SIOS 24327008 — WinCC flexible Audit Trail demo project