Resolve a WinCC Script Server Error by Checking the Project Computer Name
If WinCC reports “script server not running” while you edit a dynamic property, compare the computer configured in the WinCC project with the Windows device name on the engineering station. In one reported case, correcting that project computer name resolved the editing problem. Siemens documents how to inspect or apply the local computer name and notes that WinCC must be closed and reopened before it accepts a changed name. The ticket does not identify the WinCC version or establish that this is the only cause.
Table of Contents
- Symptoms and Scope
- Check the Project Computer Name
- Apply and Reopen the Project
- Expected Result and Next Diagnostics
- Verification
- Limitations and Operational Precautions
- Engineer FAQ
- Technical References
- Related Articles
- Related Tags
Symptoms and Scope
The reported symptom was a “script server not running” message while editing a dynamic property in WinCC. Rebooting the engineering station did not resolve it. The reported successful correction was to make the computer name in the project match the computer on which the project was open. This is an individual reported resolution; Siemens documentation supports the computer-name configuration procedure but does not, in the reference checked here, map that exact message exclusively to a name mismatch.
Check the Project Computer Name
In WinCC Explorer, select Computer in the navigation area, select the relevant computer in the data window, and open Properties from its shortcut menu. Check the Computer Name field against the Windows device name of the station hosting the project. Siemens' WinCC V8.1 system manual also describes choosing Use Local Computer Name to apply the local name. In a multi-user project, confirm that you selected the correct server or client computer object; do not replace another station's configured identity with the engineering station's name.
Apply and Reopen the Project
If the configured name is wrong for the computer object being edited, correct that object using the documented Computer Properties dialog. Save the project as appropriate for the project workflow, close it, and reopen it: Siemens states that WinCC accepts a changed computer name after the project is closed and reopened. The available documentation is for WinCC V8.1; verify the corresponding controls and project topology for other versions before applying the procedure.
Expected Result and Next Diagnostics
The reported case was marked solved after the project computer name was made consistent with the working PC. Reattempt the same dynamic-property edit after reopening the project and confirm that the original message no longer appears. If it persists, capture the complete error text and determine the WinCC version and project type. The available evidence does not establish additional causes or a universal repair for this message, so avoid changing script-runtime startup settings unless runtime script execution is independently the symptom.
Verification
Confirm that the selected WinCC computer object represents the engineering station or project host intended by the project design, that its configured name matches the Windows device name where applicable, and that the project has been closed and reopened after the change. Then repeat the edit that originally triggered the message. A successful edit verifies this specific configuration path; it does not by itself validate scripts during Runtime.
Limitations and Operational Precautions
The source report omits the WinCC version, project architecture, exact dialog text, and screenshot. The name-matching fix is reported experience, not a Siemens diagnosis for every “script server not running” message. In multi-user or client-server projects, computer identities are part of the station configuration; changing the wrong computer object can misidentify a project station. Back up the project and follow its established change-control process before altering station properties.
Engineer FAQ
Does a Windows reboot necessarily fix this message? The reported reboot did not; the reported resolution was correcting the project computer name. That outcome does not establish a general root cause.
Where is the computer name configured? In WinCC Explorer, open the selected computer's Properties and inspect the Computer Name field.
Does WinCC need to be reopened after changing it? Siemens documents closing and reopening the project before WinCC accepts a changed computer name.
Is this confirmed for every WinCC version? No. The cited procedural reference is the WinCC V8.1 system manual, and the original report did not state its version.
Does this prove Runtime scripts will work? No. The report concerns editing a dynamic property; Runtime execution is a separate behavior to verify independently.
Technical References
- Siemens, SIMATIC HMI WinCC V8.1 – Working with WinCC (Part 1), System Manual, section “Creating and Editing Projects,” Computer Properties procedure and changing computer name: https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/attachments/109986766/WinCC_Working_with_WinCC_Part1_en-US_en-US.pdf