Resolving PCS 7 V8.0 SP2 Installation Errors 0xc0000006 and SQL Bootstrapper Crash on VMware

In VMware virtual machine environments running Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, PCS 7 V8.0 SP2 setup failures displaying 'vcredist_x86.exe Application Error 0x0000006' and 'Native SQL Install Bootstrapper has stopped working' are caused by in-page I/O errors (STATUS_IN_PAGE_ERROR). This occurs when the installer executes directly from VMware Shared Folders (HGFS), network shares, or unstable virtual ISO mounts. To resolve this, copy the complete installation media directly to a local virtual NTFS hard drive inside the VM, install pending Windows Server prerequisites, and launch Setup.exe locally as Administrator.

Executive Summary

Virtualizing industrial automation engineering environments using VMware Workstation or VMware ESXi is standard practice for maintaining legacy engineering baselines such as SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 SP2 on Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 x64. However, engineers installing legacy packages inside VMs frequently encounter severe setup aborts during the prerequisite extraction phase.

Typically, the installation wizard fails during the deployment of Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable with the error dialog: vcredist_x86.exe - Application error: The application was unable to start correctly (0x0000006). If the user skips this error, the subsequent installation of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 crashes immediately with Native SQL Install Bootstrapper has stopped working. Both errors stem from hypervisor-level storage paging interruptions combined with missing Windows C-runtime dependencies. This guide explains the root cause of in-page memory faults and provides the procedure to complete installation cleanly.

Architecture and Fundamental Mechanics

The error code 0x0000006 (more formally represented in NTSTATUS format as 0xC0000006 - STATUS_IN_PAGE_ERROR) is a Windows kernel exception. It occurs when the operating system attempts to read an executable binary, DLL, or cabinet archive from storage into physical RAM via memory-mapped file I/O, but the underlying storage channel drops or times out.

In VMware virtual environments, this exception is commonly triggered by three architectural mechanisms:
1. VMware Shared Folders (HGFS): The Host-Guest File System driver (hgfs.sys) does not fully support memory-mapped file locking and high-concurrency multi-megabyte I/O streams required by Microsoft Visual C++ and SQL Server bootstrappers. When the PCS 7 installer executes across a shared folder, random paging drops occur.
2. SMB2/SMB3 Network Share Caching: If the installation media is accessed via a mapped network drive or UNC path (\\Host\Share), Windows Server 2008 R2 lease caching can drop packet segments during high-load multi-threaded extractions.
3. Dependency Cascade Failure: The SQL Server 2008 R2 Bootstrapper (Setup.exe inside SQL media) relies on the Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 and 2008 runtimes to initialize its native CLR hosting engine. When vcredist_x86.exe crashes due to 0xC0000006, the essential C-runtime libraries (msvcr80.dll, msvcp80.dll) remain unregistered. When the installer proceeds to SQL Server, the unhandled dependency missing exception causes Native SQL Install Bootstrapper to crash immediately.

Step-by-Step Implementation Procedure

Follow these steps to resolve installation errors and deploy PCS 7 V8.0 SP2 cleanly on Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 inside VMware:

Stage Installation Media on Local Virtual NTFS Storage:
- Do NOT run Setup.exe from VMware Shared Folders (\\vmware-host\Shared Folders), virtual optical drive ISO pass-through, or network UNC paths.
- Inside the VMware virtual machine, open Windows Explorer.
- Create a local directory on the C:\ drive or a secondary virtual hard disk (e.g., C:\Install\PCS7_V80_SP2).
- Copy the entire contents of all PCS 7 V8.0 SP2 DVDs directly into this local folder.
- Ensure the total path length is kept short to avoid Windows 260-character path limits.
Verify Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Prerequisites:
- Open 'Computer Properties' and verify the operating system is Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Service Pack 1 (64-bit).
- Open 'Server Manager' and verify required Roles and Features:
- Features > Add Features > .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features (ensure both .NET Framework 3.5.1 and WCF Activation are installed).
- Features > Add Features > Message Queuing > Message Queuing Services > Message Queuing Server.
- Install Microsoft Windows Update KB2999226 (Universal C Runtime) and ensure no pending reboots exist in the Windows registry.
Manually Pre-Install Visual C++ Redistributable Packages:
- Navigate to the local installation directory: C:\Install\PCS7_V80_SP2\DVD_1\Support (or the respective prerequisite folder containing vcredist).
- Right-click vcredist_x86.exe (2005 SP1) and select 'Run as Administrator'.
- Allow the installer to complete successfully without errors.
- Right-click and install vcredist_x64.exe (2005 SP1), followed by the 2008 and 2010 redistributable packages located in the same directory.
Configure Windows User Account and Permissions:
- Ensure you are logged in as a local Administrator account (e.g., .\Administrator).
- Temporarily disable User Account Control (UAC) via Control Panel > 'User Accounts' > 'Change User Account Control settings' (set slider to 'Never notify') and reboot.
- Temporarily disable third-party antivirus software during the installation sequence.
Execute PCS 7 V8.0 SP2 Setup Locally:
- Open the local folder C:\Install\PCS7_V80_SP2\DVD_1.
- Right-click Setup.exe and select 'Run as Administrator'.
- Proceed through the system check: confirm that Visual C++ prerequisites are recognized as already satisfied.
- Allow the installer to proceed to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 deployment. The native SQL bootstrapper will execute from local storage without memory-paging faults.

Verification

Confirm that the PCS 7 V8.0 SP2 installer finishes all components with status 'Successfully installed'.
Open 'Programs and Features' in Windows Control Panel and verify the presence of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) and Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable.
Open Windows Services (services.msc) and confirm that SQL Server (WINCC) is running.
Launch SIMATIC Manager, create a test project, insert an S7-400 station and a WinCC OS station, and verify that both Step 7 and WinCC Explorer open without licensing or DLL initialization faults.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 is a legacy operating system retired from mainstream Microsoft support; ensure virtual machines running legacy OS environments are isolated within dedicated OT network segments protected by industrial firewalls. Never mix installation files from different PCS 7 service pack levels in the local staging folder. Hardware, hypervisor, and software licenses must be validated against Siemens compatibility matrices through an authorized Siemens distributor or the Siemens Industry Mall.

Engineer FAQ

What causes the specific error code 0x0000006?

Error 0x0000006 is STATUS_IN_PAGE_ERROR. It signifies that the operating system encountered an I/O read failure while paging executable files from virtual shared folders or network locations into RAM.

Why does SQL Server 2008 R2 Native Bootstrapper crash after skipping vcredist?

The SQL bootstrapper relies on Visual C++ 2005/2008 runtime libraries (msvcr80.dll). If vcredist fails to install, the missing DLLs cause an unhandled exception in the native bootstrapper.

Can PCS 7 V8.0 SP2 run on Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016?

No. PCS 7 V8.0 SP2 is released exclusively for Windows 7 SP1 (32/64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (64-bit), and Windows Server 2003 R2 (for specific clients). Running it on Windows 10 is unsupported.

Is VMware Workstation supported for PCS 7 engineering?

Siemens officially supports VMware vSphere / ESXi for virtualized PCS 7 systems. VMware Workstation is commonly used for offline testing and engineering simulations but is not officially certified for production plants.

How much disk space should be allocated for local installation staging?

Allocate at least 30 to 40 GB of free space on the local virtual drive to accommodate both the extracted installation DVD media and the installed program files.