How to Retrieve and Download a PCS 7 V8.0 Multiproject Archive

You can retrieve a PCS 7 V8.0 Update 1 multiproject to a separate engineering-station directory; Siemens' V8.0 service manual has SIMATIC Manager prompt you to choose the destination, then creates the multiproject folder structure there. To download that copy, open the retrieved project in SIMATIC Manager and work from that selected project. The retrieval path does not require replacing the live project folder. Keep the archive and existing project until the retrieved copy has been checked and the planned download is approved.

How the Retrieval Destination Works

In SIMATIC Manager, archive retrieval extracts the archived project data to the destination directory selected by the engineer. For a multiproject, PCS 7 V8.0 creates a subdirectory—by default based on the multiproject name—with the multiproject, its contained projects and libraries, including the master data library. The manual does not describe the destination as a fixed project path to which every archive must be restored.

Method: Retrieve the Multiproject to a Separate Folder

In SIMATIC Manager, choose File > Retrieve.
Select the intended multiproject archive and choose Open.
In Select Destination Directory, choose a separate, clearly named engineering-station folder with the required read/write access.
Complete retrieval. When prompted, choose whether to open the retrieved project.
If it did not open, use SIMATIC Manager to open the multiproject from the destination you selected. Confirm that the multiproject, expected contained projects and libraries are present before editing.

Siemens' V8.0 manual says that a subdirectory is created under the selected destination and that the multiproject data are placed in it. Keep the archive itself and any other project copy separate so you can identify which version is open.

Method: Compile or Download the Retrieved Copy

After retrieval, make the intended project copy active by opening it in SIMATIC Manager. Use the project's own CFC/HW Config/OS objects for the planned engineering and download tasks. Do not assume the original live directory becomes the working copy, and do not delete the live project as part of archive retrieval. The forum discussion reports that the selected project path is the path used for subsequent compile and download work; this is consistent with selecting and opening that retrieved project, but the archive manual's retrieval section does not itself define the full compile/download workflow.

Before an AS or OS download, confirm the target station, project version, current process state and the site-approved download procedure. Retrieval only restores engineering files; it does not by itself download the project to an AS or OS.

Access and Multiproject Considerations

The discussion notes that the SIMATIC software needs read and write access to the chosen directory. Treat this as a prerequisite for working with the retrieved files, not as a PCS 7 path restriction. Siemens' V8.0 manual also notes that multiproject archiving is a cross-project operation and requires that other processes not access projects in the multiproject during archiving. For multiprojects distributed across networked PCs, it specifies PKZip for archiving. Those archive-time requirements do not imply that retrieval must use a particular fixed project path.

Verification

Before compiling or downloading, verify that SIMATIC Manager has the intended retrieved multiproject open, that the expected subordinate projects and libraries are present, and that you can access the required objects. Check the title/path in the engineering application to distinguish the retrieved copy from the live project. Before any online download, independently verify the target AS or OS and apply the approved change, backup and operational controls. A completed retrieval dialog confirms extraction, not successful engineering validation or an online download.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

The original question does not identify target hardware, project status, required compile steps or a download result. No particular compile or download procedure can therefore be prescribed here. Do not treat the archive retrieval path as proof that a project is compatible with a target or ready for download. Preserve the live project and the archive until the retrieved copy is checked; a wrong-project download can change a running process-control system.

Engineer FAQ

Must I retrieve the archive to the original project directory? No. The PCS 7 V8.0 service manual explicitly asks you to select a destination directory for retrieval.

Does retrieval download the AS or OS? No. Retrieval extracts project data to the engineering station; online downloading is a separate operation.

Will SIMATIC Manager use the retrieved copy? Open the multiproject from the destination selected for retrieval before editing or carrying out project tasks.

Should I delete the existing live project first? No. The archive procedure does not require that; preserve distinct copies until you have checked the retrieved project.

Technical References

Siemens, Service support and diagnostics (V8.0), §3.2.2.4 “How to archive and retrieve a multiproject,” pp. 19–20. It documents choosing a retrieval destination and the extracted multiproject structure: https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/456/61187456/att_41317/v1/ps7slf_b_en-US.pdf

This version-matched Siemens manual was opened and checked. Its retrieval section supports the extraction procedure; compile and online-download tasks remain separate engineering actions.