Resolving ACE60.dll Missing Errors and Station Configuration Failures in PCS 7 V9.0

The error 'Can not continue executing the code, because the system did not detect ACE60.dll' followed by Station Configuration failure ('Verbindungsversuch fehlgeschlagen') during SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0 installation occurs when setup is attempted on an unsupported operating system build, such as consumer Windows 10 Pro. PCS 7 V9.0 is certified exclusively for Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise 2015 LTSB (64-bit, Build 10240) and Windows Server 2012 R2. On non-LTSB editions, dynamic path registrations and Visual C++ runtimes fail to register ACE60.dll. To resolve this, install the certified Windows 10 2015 LTSB build or manually add the Siemens ACE directory to the Windows system PATH.

ACE60.dll Architecture and Industrial Communication Stack

In SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0 and SIMATIC WinCC V7.4, the Adaptive Communication Environment (ACE) framework provides underlying network abstraction services for inter-process communication, Station Configuration Editor (s7snpaex.exe), and SIMATIC NET channel drivers. The core binary ACE60.dll resides in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Siemens\ace\bin.

During software installation, the PCS 7 setup engine registers this directory in the Windows system PATH environment variable and installs corresponding Microsoft Visual C++ redistributable packages. If ACE60.dll cannot be loaded by background services, WinCC installation aborts and the Station Configuration Editor cannot establish local IPC communication, generating the German error message 'Verbindungsversuch fehlgeschlagen' (Connection attempt failed).

Operating System Compatibility: Windows 10 LTSB vs Windows 10 Pro

The primary cause of ACE60.dll resolution failures is deploying unreleased operating systems. Siemens strictly qualifies PCS 7 releases against specific Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB / LTSC) editions of Windows 10:
- SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0 (Baseline): Certified exclusively on Windows 10 Enterprise 2015 LTSB (64-bit, Build 10240).
- Windows 10 Pro / Enterprise SAC: Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) builds (such as 1809, 1903, 1909) receive continuous rolling feature updates from Microsoft. These updates frequently alter system DLL loading rules, safe DLL search modes, and user account virtualization, breaking Siemens installer scripts.

Compatibility Matrix and Prerequisite Runtimes

The table below details operating system releases, runtime dependencies, and compatibility for PCS 7 V9.0:

Operating System / ComponentPCS 7 V9.0 Release StatusRequired Build / Service PackDLL Loading StatusWindows 10 Enterprise 2015 LTSBCertified / Released64-bit (Build 10240)Native registration; stable installation.Windows Server 2012 R2Certified / ReleasedStandard / Datacenter (KB2919355)Native registration; fully operational.Windows 10 Pro (SAC 1809 / 1909)Unreleased / UnsupportedAll Semi-Annual BuildsPath registration fails; throws ACE60.dll error.ACE60.dll DirectorySystem ComponentC:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Siemens\ace\binMust exist in Windows System PATH.Visual C++ 2010 / 2015 RuntimesMandatory Prerequisitex86 and x64 RedistributablesRequired for ACE DLL initialization.

Step-by-Step Resolution and Path Remediation Procedure

Deploy Supported Operating System (Production Recommendation):
- For production Engineering Stations and Single Stations, install Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise 2015 LTSB (64-bit).
- Re-run PCS 7 V9.0 setup cleanly from the original Siemens installation media.
Manual Workaround for Non-Production / Engineering Laptops:
- If testing on Windows 10 Pro, open System Properties -> Advanced -> Environment Variables.
- Under System Variables, locate Path and click Edit.
- Append the following path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Siemens\ace\bin.
- Reboot the workstation.
Reinstall Prerequisite C++ Redistributables:
- Navigate to the PCS 7 installation media: Setup\Prerequisites.
- Manually install vcredist_x86.exe and vcredist_x64.exe for Visual C++ 2010, 2012, and 2015.
Re-run Setup via User-Defined Installation:
- Launch Setup.exe with administrative privileges.
- Select User-Defined Installation -> navigate to SIMATIC WinCC V7.4 SP1.
- Complete the installation: setup detects the registered DLL and completes Station Configuration initialization.

Verification

Verify resolution through the following milestones:
1. Confirm that PCS 7 setup completes with status 'Installation completed successfully' without any DLL popup errors.
2. Open the Station Configuration Editor from the Windows taskbar: confirm that the virtual rack displays components (WinCC Appl., IE General) without 'Verbindungsversuch fehlgeschlagen' errors.
3. In the Windows Services console (services.msc), verify that SIMATIC Station Configuration Service is running and set to Automatic.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Running SIMATIC PCS 7 on unreleased Windows 10 Pro builds is strictly unapproved for production control systems. Future Windows feature updates can arbitrarily break communication drivers or invalidate WinCC licensing without notice. For development laptops requiring modern Windows 10 host OS environments, Siemens recommends running PCS 7 inside a certified Type-1 or Type-2 virtual machine (e.g., VMware Workstation running Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2012 R2).