WinCC Flexible 2008 SP2 64-bit Install and TP 177A RS-485

Overview

WinCC flexible 2008 is the legacy Siemens HMI configuration suite used to program the SIMATIC TP 170, TP 177, TP 270, TP 277, MP 177, MP 277, MP 370 and the OP 170/270/277 operator panels. The suite was later succeeded by TIA Portal WinCC, but WinCC flexible 2008 remains the only supported engineering tool for the TP 177A 6" panel because the device class was never migrated into TIA Portal V13 or later.

This reference covers three tasks that frequently come together in field service:

1. Obtain and install a 64-bit-capable WinCC flexible 2008 service pack on Windows 7 SP1, Windows 10, or Windows Server 2008 R2/2012 R2.
2. Satisfy the export-restricted download flow that Siemens enforces for service pack executables.
3. Configure the TP 177A transfer port (RS-485 / RS-422) so that projects can be downloaded to the panel from a PC running WinCC flexible.

WinCC Flexible 2008 Product Editions and SP Coverage

WinCC flexible 2008 ships in five editions. The service pack you need depends on the edition key on the installation media or the license you purchased.

The 2008 base DVD is required for any service pack installation. A service pack does not include the base installation; it patches an existing install in place. The SP2 baseline is documented in Siemens support entry 38612895.

64-bit Operating System Support

WinCC flexible 2008 was originally released for Windows XP 32-bit. Starting with Hotfix 11 and formalized in Service Pack 4, the engineering environment runs on the following 64-bit operating systems:

For Windows 7 x64 and Windows 10 x64 deployment, install the latest hotfix bundle on top of SP5. The SP5 media is documented in Siemens support entries 109749111 and 100777999, which list the validated Windows 7 / Windows 10 x86 and x64 combinations.

Prerequisites

Before starting the SP2/SP5 install on a 64-bit machine, verify each item below. Skipping any step is the most common cause of "setup aborted", "error 27502", or "MFC42 not found" failures.

1. Local administrator account. WinCC flexible refuses to install under a domain user without explicit elevation, even if the user is in the local Administrators group.
2. Base WinCC flexible 2008 DVD or ISO already installed. Run the base installer once and let it complete; the service pack is a patch, not a stand-alone product.
3. .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (Win7 ships with it; on Win10 enable via Turn Windows features on or off or DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:NetFx3).
4. Message Queuing Service (MSMQ) – required for the transfer daemon. Install from Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off > Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) Server.
5. Disable User Account Control (UAC) prompts to "Never notify" for the duration of the install; re-enable afterwards.
6. Temporarily disable antivirus real-time scan. Several AV products quarantine CCAuthor.dll and WcFlex.exe on the SP2 service pack, which then fails to register.
7. Free 4 GB of disk space (SP2 full + SP5 update + hotfixes + project archives).

Downloading the Export-Restricted Service Pack

Siemens treats the WinCC flexible service packs as export-controlled software because the suite includes cryptographic components for S7 communication. Direct download of the .exe is blocked; you must first collect the CSA (Certificate / Signature / Authorization) files, then run the .exe that aggregates them.

Step-by-step

1. Open Siemens Industry Online Support and navigate to the SP2 entry: Service Pack 2 for WinCC flexible 2008 (ID 38612895).
2. Sign in with a Siemens user account. If the account is not yet approved for export-restricted downloads, submit the End-User Statement when prompted. Approval arrives by e-mail, typically within 24 hours.
3. Download every file with CSA in the filename (e.g. WinCC_flexible_2008_SP2_CSA01.exe, WinCC_flexible_2008_SP2_CSA02.exe, …). Place them all in a single empty directory such as D:\Siemens\WCF_SP2\.
4. Download the .exe installer (typically WinCC_flexible_2008_SP2.exe) into the same directory.
5. Right-click each CSA file and select Run as administrator. Each CSA file extracts a signature container into the directory. Wait for the prompt before launching the next one.
6. Once all CSA files are processed, run the main .exe as administrator. The installer detects the accumulated signature containers and proceeds with the file copy.

Installing SP2 on Windows 7 / Windows 10 x64

1. Insert the WinCC flexible 2008 base DVD or mount the ISO. The autorun launches setup.exe.
2. Choose Install WinCC flexible 2008, accept the license, and complete the base install.
3. Reboot. Some x64 installs need the restart to register the S7DOS drivers.
4. Launch the SP2 .exe you collected in the previous section. Choose Modify / Patch on the existing installation.
5. When prompted, enter the license key from your Certificate of License (CoL). The license is checked against the hardware fingerprint of the PC; moving the install to a new machine requires a reissue via the Siemens License Key Web portal.
6. Allow the installer to register CCAuthor.dll, WcFlex.exe, and the transfer service S7TranSrv.exe. The default install path on x64 is C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\Automation\WinCC flexible 2008.
7. Reboot again. Open WinCC flexible; the splash screen should report WinCC flexible 2008 SP2 + HF11 (or later) under Help > About.

TP 177A Hardware Reference

The TP 177A 6" panel is the target device for most WinCC flexible 2008 service questions. Two hardware variants exist; identify the variant before configuring the transfer port.

Power supply is 24 V DC, 0.5 A nominal. The IF1B port is the only way to load a WinCC flexible project onto the TP 177A – there is no Ethernet, no USB, and no CompactFlash update path on this panel. Configuration data and the runtime image are stored in 2 MB of onboard flash.

RS-485 / RS-422 Transfer Configuration

The TP 177A IF1B port is a 9-pin sub-D female connector carrying an RS-485 / RS-422 multipoint interface. The panel implements the Siemens MPI / PROFIBUS DP electrical standard, which is RS-485 with a fixed baudrate set by the master.

Default MPI/DP parameters on the TP 177A

Building the PC-to-TP 177A Transfer Cable

Two cables are supported by WinCC flexible 2008 for the TP 177A. The PC Adapter USB A2 path is preferred on 64-bit systems because the original COM-port adapter is blocked by Windows from accessing COM ports above COM4 in many cases.

Option A – PC Adapter USB A2 (6GK1571-1AA00)

The PC Adapter USB A2 ships with a 9-pin sub-D to 9-pin sub-D cable. Pinout is straight-through with a built-in RS-485 termination that must be enabled by the rotary switch when the adapter is at the end of the segment.

1. Install driver SIMATIC PC Adapter USB A2 V2.0 from the Siemens support site. Restart.
2. Connect the adapter to a USB 2.0 port (USB 3.0 ports work but are not validated).
3. Open SIMATIC Manager > Set PG/PC Interface and select S7ONLINE (STEP7) > PC Adapter (MPI) > PC Adapter USB A2. For WinCC flexible-only use, WinCC flexible > PC Adapter (MPI) is also valid.
4. Set the adapter's rotary switch to MPI. Default baudrate is 187.5 kbit/s, which matches the TP 177A factory setting.

Option B – Serial COM port (legacy)

If the host has a true RS-485 port (rare on modern PCs), use a direct 9-pin crossover:

Configuring the Project Transfer in WinCC Flexible

1. Open the WinCC flexible project for the TP 177A.
2. Open Project > Transfer > Transfer Settings. Under Mode select MPI / PROFIBUS DP.
3. Set PG/PC interface to PC Adapter (MPI) > PC Adapter USB A2.
4. Set Target address to the MPI/DP address of the panel – the TP 177A factory default is 1. The host PC is typically address 0.
5. Confirm the baudrate. WinCC flexible auto-negotiates; the default 187.5 kbit/s works for all TP 177A panels.
6. Click Transfer > Download to Target System > All (or Project for the project only). WinCC flexible compiles the .img, then pushes it via the active transfer channel.

Putting the TP 177A into transfer mode

The TP 177A has no dedicated transfer button. Trigger transfer mode by one of the following:

• Power-cycle the panel. During the Siemens splash, tap the center of the screen – the loader menu appears with Transfer, Start, and Info.
• From the loader, select Transfer and confirm with OK. The panel waits 60 s for the host; if no connection is established, it returns to the loader.
• If a runtime project is already running, call the SetDeviceMode function in the project to switch programmatically: SetDeviceMode(2, 0) (mode 2 = transfer).

Verification

After a successful transfer the panel reboots automatically and starts the new runtime. Confirm each of the following:

1. WinCC flexible shows Transfer completed successfully and the elapsed time matches the project size (a 600 KB project on USB A2 typically transfers in 20 – 40 s).
2. On the TP 177A, the loader reports Last transfer: OK, <timestamp> in Info > Versions.
3. Open the project online with WinCC flexible (Transfer > Online) and verify that the tag list updates in real time from the connected S7 PLC.
4. Touch each configured button on the panel; the corresponding event bit must change state in STEP 7 / TIA Portal (if wired to a PLC).
5. Check the version in the loader: Info > Versions > Image version should match the build counter in WinCC flexible (Project > Properties > Project Information > Version).

Troubleshooting Matrix

Field-Commissioning Checklist

1. Confirm the WinCC flexible version in Help > About shows the SP you need (SP2 + HF11 minimum, SP5 preferred).
2. Confirm the PC Adapter USB A2 is recognized in Device Manager as Siemens PC Adapter USB A2 without a yellow bang.
3. Confirm the TP 177A's loader reports the correct image version.
4. Confirm the bus termination is enabled at the two physical ends of the MPI/DP segment and disabled in the middle.
5. Confirm the shield of the transfer cable is bonded to ground at one end only.
6. Back up the current project from the panel (Transfer > Backup > Restore) before pushing a new image.