Resolving PKZIP Evaluation License Prompts During Project Archiving in SIMATIC PCS 7

When SIMATIC PCS 7 prompts for a license key stating that 'the evaluation license has expired' during project archiving, an independent commercial or evaluation installation of PKZIP on Windows has overridden the built-in Siemens archiving utility. SIMATIC Manager does not require a separate license for archiving; it includes a royalty-free archiving engine. To resolve this, change the archiver tool to the internal ZIP format under 'Options' -> 'Customize' -> 'Archive' in SIMATIC Manager, or uninstall the third-party standalone PKZIP software from Windows Programs and Features.

Executive Summary

Project backup and archiving via SIMATIC Manager ('File' -> 'Archive...') is a core daily engineering operation. In SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 and related versions, engineers occasionally encounter an unexpected popup during archiving stating that an evaluation license has expired and prompting for a registration code. If the user clicks 'No', the archive process aborts immediately. This issue is not caused by a missing Siemens software license in Automation License Manager (ALM), but by an external, expired copy of PKZIP installed on the operating system that hijacked the Windows PATH or file associations. This article explains the archiver integration mechanism and provides step-by-step instructions to restore normal archiving.

Architectural and System Mechanics

SIMATIC Manager Archiving Architecture:

Internal Archiving Engine: STEP 7 bundles its own customized, royalty-free archiving binaries located in C:/Program Files (x86)/Siemens/Step7/S7BIN/ (such as pkzip.exe or pksfx.exe). These tools are pre-activated and licensed as part of the STEP 7 engineering package.
Windows PATH Hijacking: If an external trial version of PKZIP, WinZip, or PKWARE software is installed on the computer, its installation path is typically added to the Windows system PATH variable ahead of the Siemens directories. When SIMATIC Manager spawns an archiver shell process, Windows launches the third-party trial executable instead of the Siemens-bundled tool.
Archiving Configuration in STEP 7: SIMATIC Manager allows engineers to explicitly select the archiving program and format under Project Properties, allowing users to switch away from external command line wrappers to internal archive handlers.

Step-by-Step Engineering and Implementation Procedure

Step 1: Check Archiving Configuration in SIMATIC Manager

Open SIMATIC Manager.
Navigate to 'Options' -> 'Customize...'.
Select the 'Archive' tab.
Inspect the 'Archiving program' setting. If it is set to an external PKZIP executable, change the drop-down selection to the internal default (e.g., 'PKZip' using the Siemens directory or internal ZIP).

Step 2: Uninstall External Standalone PKZIP Installations

Open Windows Control Panel -> 'Programs and Features'.
Look for standalone software such as 'PKZIP for Windows', 'PKWARE', or third-party compression utilities.
If an expired trial version is installed, uninstall it completely.

Step 3: Inspect the Windows System PATH Variable

Open Windows System Properties -> 'Advanced' tab -> 'Environment Variables'.
Under 'System variables', select Path and click 'Edit...'.
Remove any paths pointing to third-party PKWARE / PKZIP directories (e.g., C:/Program Files/PKWARE/...).
Ensure the Siemens S7BIN directory (C:/Program Files (x86)/Siemens/Step7/S7BIN) is present.

Step 4: Verify Automation License Manager Keys

Open Automation License Manager (ALM).
Verify that existing PCS 7 engineering licenses are valid.
Note that temporary 'Trial' licenses for PCS 7 do not control PKZIP; however, expired trial keys should be removed or transferred to a USB stick to keep ALM clean.

Verification

To verify archiving functionality:
1. In SIMATIC Manager, select 'File' -> 'Archive...'.
2. Select the Multiproject and set the destination path.
3. Click OK; verify that the archiving progress dialog runs from 0% to 100% without displaying any licensing popups.
4. Test retrieving the generated .zip archive via 'File' -> 'Retrieve...' to confirm data integrity.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Operational precautions:
- Never interrupt an active archiving process; doing so can create corrupt .zip archives with missing database tables.
- When archiving projects in production environments, select 'With reorganization (slow)' to purge deleted blocks and defragment database indices.
- Do not install consumer compression utilities (e.g., WinRAR, 7-Zip trial packages) with aggressive file association takeovers on certified engineering stations.

Engineer FAQ

Q: Does SIMATIC PCS 7 require a separate license for PKZIP?

A: No. The archiving utility bundled with STEP 7 is licensed as part of the core engineering package and never requires a separate license key.

Q: Why did the evaluation expired popup appear?

A: Because an external commercial or trial edition of PKZIP was installed on Windows, overriding the internal Siemens executable.

Q: Can I use 7-Zip instead of PKZIP in newer PCS 7 versions?

A: Yes. Starting in PCS 7 V9.0 and STEP 7 V5.6, Siemens integrated modern internal zip algorithms and 7-Zip archive handlers.

Q: What does 'With reorganization (slow)' do?

A: It reorganizes the internal database tables, removes deleted block remnants, and shrinks the total archive file size.

Q: Can archiving be performed while CFC charts are open?

A: It is strongly recommended to close all CFC charts, HW Config, and WinCC Explorer before archiving to prevent file lock errors.

Technical References

Related Tags

PKZIP, Archiving, SIMATIC Manager, Evaluation License, STEP 7 Utilities

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Resolving PKZIP Evaluation License Prompts During Project Archiving in SIMATIC PCS 7