WinCC Professional V17 Runtime Stuck at 60% During Tag Logging: Root Cause and Recovery

When WinCC Professional V17 Runtime (RT) activation halts at exactly 60% while initialising the tag logging subsystem, the project is typically not the cause. The 60% threshold corresponds to the start-up phase in which WinCC opens the MS SQL Server Express instance, mounts the RT project database, and starts the TagLogging and AlarmLogging services. A freeze at this milestone usually indicates a corrupted runtime database, stale InMemory (IM) files, blocked WinCC services, or a missing TIA Portal V17 update that patches the tag logging start-up sequence.

This reference documents the field-proven recovery path for engineering stations running TIA Portal V17 with WinCC Professional RT or RT Advanced, the official reset scripts, the IM file locations, the Windows features that interact with the logging service, and the verification steps that confirm a clean start.

1. Problem Description

Symptom observed on the engineering station:

• RT Professional starts, the splash progress bar advances to 60%, then halts indefinitely.
• The status line reports a state associated with "Tag Logging initialise" / "Database open".
• Deactivating the project from the WinCC RT start-up dialog is not possible; the process must be killed via Task Manager.
• A full TIA Portal "Rebuild all" does not resolve the issue.
• Behavior reproduces on a freshly created test project with minimal HMI tags.

2. Affected Versions and Configuration

3. Root Cause Analysis

Siemens' official KB article 109766432 - Activating WinCC Runtime freezes during Alarm/Tag Logging classifies the 60% freeze as a known behavior triggered by one or more of the following conditions:

1. Corrupted runtime database in the local RT project folder (typically <Project>\<Station>\Hmi\<HmiStation>\IM for RT Professional, or %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC RT Professional\<ProjectName>\IM after RT compile).
2. Stale lock files left over from a previous RT process that was killed instead of deactivated cleanly (file extension .LDF, .ldf, .MDF companions, and *.lock markers).
3. Background tasks interfering with the SQL instance (antivirus, disk-imaging, Windows Search indexer, OneDrive sync on the project folder).
4. Windows feature "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support" or the WinCC add-on "SQL Server full-text search" left in a half-installed state.
5. Missing TIA V17 updates that patch the TagLogging start-up race condition (Update 5 onwards, with Update 8 being the most stable for tag logging fixes in 2023-2024 deployments).

4. Solution: Step-by-Step Recovery

Execute the steps in order. Do not skip the SQL service restart; it is required to release any orphaned handles on the WINCCPLUS database files.

4.1 Prerequisites

• Local administrator rights on the engineering station.
• All WinCC RT processes closed (check Task Manager for CCEServer.exe, WinCC_RT_Professional.exe, SQLSERVR.EXE instances named WINCCPLUS).
• TIA Portal V17 project backed up (.ap17 archive).

4.2 Step 1 - Close All WinCC Processes and Services

1. Open Task Manager > Details.
2. End the following processes if present:
   • WinCC_RT_Professional.exe
   • CCEServer.exe (Component Configuration Editor)
   • SQLSERVR.EXE (only the instance whose command line includes -sWINCCPLUS)
   • Siemens.Automation.Portal.exe (TIA Portal)
3. Stop the Windows services:
   • Siemens Automation License Manager (only if you need to reconfigure licensing)
   • SQL Server (WINCCPLUS) via services.msc

4.3 Step 2 - Execute the Official WinCC Reset Script

Siemens ships a VBScript that resets the local WinCC runtime registry entries, file mappings, and the Component Configuration Editor state. It is documented in Entry ID 109766432.

1. Navigate to the WinCC RT install path, default: C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC RT Professional\Bin.
2. Locate WinCC_Reset.vbs.
3. Right-click > Run as administrator. Confirm any UAC prompt.
4. Wait for the script to complete; it will print status lines to a console window.
5. Reboot the workstation (mandatory - the script edits COM+ and DCOM permissions that only load on a clean start).

4.4 Step 3 - Delete the IM (InMemory) Folder

The IM folder contains the runtime mirror of the project database and is the most common culprit for a 60% freeze.

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to:
   • RT Professional local cache: %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\WinCC RT Professional
   • Project source IM (post-compile): <ProjectPath>\<Station>\Hmi\<HmiStation>\IM
2. Delete the entire IM folder of the affected HMI station. Do not delete the project itself.
3. Empty the Recycle Bin.

4.5 Step 4 - Verify and Re-apply TIA V17 Update

1. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features.
2. Locate Totally Integrated Automation Portal V17 and confirm the installed version string includes Update 8 (build 17.0.0.8 or higher).
3. If Update 8 is not present, download the latest V17 cumulative update from the Siemens Industry Online Support portal (article ID 109769928 series for TIA V17 updates).
4. Run the update as administrator; it patches the tag logging start-up logic and the SQL connection retry counter.

4.6 Step 5 - Check Windows Features

Per the Siemens KB, certain Windows features must be in a defined state to avoid interference with the WinCC SQL instance.

1. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off.
2. Disable the following if present:
   • "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support" (only if no legacy NAS requires it).
   • "Windows Identity Foundation 3.5" if not used by WinCC User Administrator.
3. Ensure the following is enabled:
   • ".NET Framework 4.8 Advanced Services > ASP.NET 4.8" (WinCC RT WebUX depends on it).

4.7 Step 6 - Exclude Project and SQL Paths from Antivirus

Real-time scanning of the SQL transaction log (*.ldf) inside the IM folder is a documented cause of 60% freezes.

• Add the following paths to the antivirus exclusion list (Windows Defender or third-party):
  • %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation
  • C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC RT Professional
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\Automation (x86 COM components)
• Also exclude the file extensions *.ldf, *.mdf, *.log, *.im while WinCC RT is running.

4.8 Step 7 - Recompile and Start RT

1. Open the project in TIA Portal V17.
2. Right-click the HMI station > Compile > Software (rebuild all).
3. Start WinCC RT Professional. The progress should now pass 60% within 10-30 seconds and reach 100%.

5. Verification

Confirm the fix using the following checks:

6. Diagnostic Deep Dive: Tag Logging Architecture in WinCC RT Unified / Professional

Understanding the tag logging boot sequence helps isolate remaining issues. Per the Siemens TIA documentation on data logging (RT Unified), the logging subsystem follows this start-up order:

The 60% milestone corresponds to the "IM db segment open" stage. If the SQL instance cannot acquire a clean write lock on the segment file, the service stalls and the progress bar stops advancing.

7. Common Error Codes and Their Meaning

8. Alternate Diagnosis: Project vs. Environment

Use the matrix below to classify the failure path quickly.

9. Field-Engineer Tips

• Never kill WinCC_RT_Professional.exe with Task Manager during a tag logging write burst. Use the WinCC RT tray icon > Stop Runtime. A hard kill leaves the *.ldf in a recovering state and often triggers the next 60% freeze.
• Schedule tag logging segment rotation (Configuration > Tag Logging > Properties > Segment change) to a size that fits the available disk; default 1 MB segments on a 10-tag project will create thousands of files within hours.
• If the station runs 24/7, set SQL transaction log to Simple recovery via TIA Portal > Runtime settings > Database. This avoids ldf growth stalls.
• Disable Windows Search indexer on the project and IM folders:

  right-click > Properties > Advanced > "Allow files in this folder to have indexed contents" unchecked.

• Reserve at least 8 GB free space on the drive hosting %ProgramData%\Siemens; SQL Express enforces a 10 GB per-database cap and a corrupted write near the cap will lock the segment.

10. When to Escalate to Siemens Support

Open a ticket via Siemens Industry Online Support (product: "SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional") and attach the following before sending:

1. WinCCDiag.xml from C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\WinCC RT Professional\Diag (or WinCC > Help > Save diagnostic files).
2. Application and System event logs filtered by source CCEServer, SQLSERVER (instance WINCCPLUS), and WinCC TagLogging.
3. Screenshots of the freeze and the IM folder contents.
4. The TIA Portal project archive (.ap17) with the password set if WinCC User Administrator is configured.
5. Output of SELECT @@VERSION against the WINCCPLUS instance and a screenshot of the installed TIA V17 build number.

FAQ