WinCC Flexible Retrieve: Resolving HMI Project Open Errors

WinCC Flexible Retrieve: Resolving HMI Project Open Errors

When engineers attempt to restore a zipped backup that contains both a STEP 7 PLC program and an integrated WinCC Flexible HMI project, the retrieval workflow frequently fails silently. The WinCC Flexible runtime screens never load, the engineering tool returns a "file not found" or "incoherence" error, and the operator is left with a partially extracted folder. This reference documents the root cause of the failure, the underlying file structure that WinCC Flexible expects, and three verified recovery procedures that work on WinCC Flexible 2008 SP5 and earlier with STEP 7 V5.5 / V5.6.

1. Problem Description

Symptom matrix reported by field engineers when restoring a WinCC Flexible project from a .zip archive:

The dominant failure mode — silently empty retrieve or "incoherence" popup on direct open — is the same root cause: WinCC Flexible expects the project file *.hmi and its companion SQL Server log file *_log.ldf to be sibling files in the same directory. Either file missing, mismatched, or relocated breaks the load sequence.

2. Root Cause: The .hmi / _log.ldf Pair

WinCC Flexible stores every project as two cooperating files:

• <projectname>.hmi — the engineering database (tables, screens, tags, alarms, recipes, scripts)
• <projectname>_log.ldf — the SQL Server transaction log for the embedded MSDE / SQL Server Express database engine that backs the project

On startup, WinCC Flexible executes a database consistency check. If the _log.ldf file is absent, the timestamp / LSN does not match the .hmi file, or the file was written by a different workstation, the engineering tool refuses to open the project. There is no "ignore and continue" option in the legacy release. This is why double-clicking *.hmi after manual unzip produces the incoherence popup, and why WinCC Flexible's native Retrieve function fails when pointed at a STEP 7-integrated archive — it cannot find the .hmi at the expected location because the STEP 7 wrapper placed it one level deeper than the standalone Retrieve workflow assumes.

3. Archive File Structure

A STEP 7 / WinCC Flexible integrated backup is conventionally a .zip or self-extracting .exe (created by WinCC flexible → File → Archive, or by STEP 7 → File → Archive). The internal layout when unzipped is:

<ArchiveRoot>\
├── <STEP7_ProjectName>.s7p          ← STEP 7 project entry
├── <STEP7_ProjectName>\
│   ├── <STEP7_ProjectName>.s7f       ← STEP 7 compressed project
│   ├── hmi_es\                      ← HMI engineering system folder
│   │   └── <WinCCProjectName>\
│   │       ├── <WinCCProjectName>.hmi
│   │       └── <WinCCProjectName>_log.ldf
│   ├── Global\                       ← shared blocks, sources
│   ├── S7libs\                       ← library master data
│   └── ombs\                         ← operator messages, text lists
└── ArchiveInfo.txt                   ← archive metadata

The HmiEs directory is mandatory. The .hmi file alone is useless; the _log.ldf file alone is useless. They must be siblings, byte-for-byte, as they left the source workstation.

4. Solution A — Retrieve via SIMATIC Manager (Recommended)

The single most reliable recovery path is to use the STEP 7 SIMATIC Manager Retrieve function, not the WinCC flexible Retrieve function. SIMATIC Manager is aware of the integrated HMI subproject and reconstructs both the STEP 7 program and the WinCC Flexible project in their canonical locations.

4.1 Prerequisites

• STEP 7 V5.5 or V5.6 installed with matching Service Pack level as the source workstation
• WinCC flexible 2008 (SP2 / SP3 / SP4 / SP5) installed with matching Service Pack level
• WinCC flexible integration enabled in SIMATIC Manager (Tools → SIMATIC Manager Integration — default after install)
• Read/write access to the destination directory (avoid C:\Program Files\... on locked-down workstations; use D:\Projects\ or similar)
• Administrator rights if SQL Server Express instance needs to be (re)attached

4.2 Procedure

1. Launch SIMATIC Manager from Start → Siemens Automation → SIMATIC Manager. Do not start WinCC flexible first.
2. Select File → Retrieve... from the menu bar.
3. Browse to the .zip archive (or extracted folder) and select it. SIMATIC Manager auto-detects whether the archive is a STEP 7 only, WinCC flexible only, or integrated STEP 7 + WinCC flexible project.
4. Choose a destination folder. Avoid spaces and non-ASCII characters in the path — e.g. D:\Projects\Line3_HMI instead of D:\My Documents\Project 3\.
5. Confirm the dialog. SIMATIC Manager extracts the archive, registers the project, and rebuilds the internal references.
6. When prompted "Do you want to open the retrieved project now?" select Yes.
7. The project tree opens in the right-hand pane. Expand the node marked with the HMI icon (a small panel PC graphic). The HMI station is named per the original WinCC flexible project name.
8. Double-click the HMI station. WinCC flexible 2008 launches with the project pre-loaded. The _log.ldf is correctly resolved because SIMATIC Manager placed the files in the canonical hmi_es\<name>\ path WinCC flexible expects.

4.3 Verification

• WinCC flexible Project view loads without the incoherence popup.
• Project → Properties shows the correct HMI device type (e.g. MP 377 15" Touch, TP 177B, Comfort Panel, PC Runtime).
• The Screens folder in the project tree populates with all .fwd screen files.
• Compile → Compiler → All (with errors only) returns no errors. Warnings about unsupported objects on the target panel are tolerable.

5. Solution B — Manual HmiEs Folder Navigation

If SIMATIC Manager is not available (rare on pure HMI engineering workstations) or the project is a standalone WinCC flexible archive (no STEP 7 integration), use the manual open path.

5.1 Procedure

1. Extract the archive with any tool that preserves timestamps (7-Zip, WinRAR — disable "reset archive timestamps" if offered).
2. Browse to <ArchiveRoot>\hmi_es\<WinCCProjectName>\ using Windows Explorer.
3. Confirm both <WinCCProjectName>.hmi and <WinCCProjectName>_log.ldf are present and have original modification timestamps (not "current date" — this indicates a partial extraction).
4. Right-click the .hmi file → Open with → WinCC flexible. Do not double-click — Windows shell associations sometimes launch the wrong runtime viewer.
5. If the incoherence popup appears, the _log.ldf does not match. Do not click OK repeatedly; close the tool, restore the _log.ldf from the archive, and retry.

5.2 Why WinCC Flexible Retrieve Fails Alone

WinCC flexible's native File → Retrieve searches for the project file directly at the path it is pointed at. When the archive is unzipped, the .hmi file is one folder deeper than WinCC flexible expects. The Retrieve dialog therefore completes without copying anything — hence the "nothing happens" symptom. Solution A above bypasses this by using SIMATIC Manager, which walks the archive structure recursively and finds the .hmi wherever it actually lives.

6. Solution C — Launching the WinCC Flexible Runtime

Once the engineering project opens, the runtime component requires a separate launch. The user typically wants to view screens in simulation to verify the restore.

6.1 RT Simulation on the Engineering PC

1. Open the WinCC flexible project via Solution A or B.
2. Select Project → Compiler → All. Resolve all errors. Warnings are acceptable.
3. Select Start → Start Runtime (or press F5). WinCC flexible Runtime launches in simulation mode on the engineering workstation.
4. Use the on-screen keyboard or mouse to navigate screens. Confirm tag connections, alarm view, recipe view, and trend view all populate.
5. To stop, close the Runtime window or press Shift+Esc on the engineering PC.

6.2 RT on Target Panel

1. In the engineering project, select the target panel under Project → Device → [Panel].
2. Select Project → Transfer → Transfer (or Project → Transfer → Ethernet / MPI / PROFIBUS depending on interface).
3. Configure the connection — typically Ethernet with target IP, or MPI/PROFIBUS address 2 for OP/TP panels, 1 for MP panels.
4. Click Transfer. WinCC flexible compiles, builds the runtime image, and pushes it to the panel.
5. On the panel, accept the transfer if prompted. The runtime image writes to flash and the panel reboots into the new project.

7. Compatibility and Service Pack Matrix

Mismatched SP levels are the second most common retrieve failure. The .hmi file header carries an SP version stamp. If the destination WinCC flexible is older, the project will not open. If newer with a higher SP, the tool will offer an upgrade prompt.

8. Error Code Reference

The most frequently encountered WinCC flexible errors during retrieve:

9. Field-Proven Diagnostic Checklist

Run through this matrix in order before calling support:

1. Confirm the archive contains both .hmi and _log.ldf in the same folder. WinRAR / 7-Zip "view as folder" is the fastest check.
2. Confirm both files have the same source timestamp (within seconds of each other). If they differ by days, the archive is from a mixed source.
3. Confirm the WinCC flexible version on the engineering PC matches or exceeds the source SP. Check Help → About.
4. Confirm the destination path has no spaces or Unicode characters. Move to D:\Projects\LineX if in doubt.
5. Run Retrieve from SIMATIC Manager, not from WinCC flexible, when the archive contains STEP 7.
6. Disable read-only attributes on the extracted files (right-click folder → Properties → uncheck Read-only → apply to subfolders).
7. Stop and restart the SQL Server Express instance: net stop MSSQL$WINCCFLEXEXPRESS then net start MSSQL$WINCCFLEXEXPRESS in an elevated command prompt.
8. Retry Retrieve. If it still fails, attach the engineering tool log (%TEMP%\WinCC flexible\*.log) to the support ticket.

10. Migration Path to TIA Portal

For sites moving to TIA Portal V15 / V16 / V17, a recovered WinCC flexible 2008 project must be migrated before further work. The migration uses the TIA Portal Project > Migrate project wizard. The wizard reads the .hmi file, converts all screens, tags, alarms, and recipes to the TIA Portal schema, and produces a .ap15_1 / .ap16 / .ap17 project. After migration:

• Verify all tag addresses — OPC tag prefixes occasionally shift.
• Re-license the HMI runtime; the WinCC flexible RT license does not carry over.
• Re-validate faceplate library references if you used Siemens library panels.

11. Backup Hygiene Best Practices

To prevent future retrieve failures:

• Always archive from SIMATIC Manager (File → Archive) for STEP 7 + WinCC flexible integrated projects, not from WinCC flexible alone.
• Include the archive in your source control with a checksum (SHA-256) — Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 in PowerShell.
• Store the archive on a non-system drive with shadow-copy protection.
• Test a quarterly restore drill — open the latest archive on an isolated workstation and confirm screens compile.
• Document the SP level and SQL Server Express version on every archive label.

12. FAQ