Missing PG/PC interfaces

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When using Siemens STEP7 software for programming and debugging, it can be quite frustrating if you can’t find the PG/PC interface or if the network card within the PG/PC interface is not selectable or visible.

Let’s now discuss how to make the PG/PC interface usable again.

Recovering the PG/PC Interface:

Why is the PG/PC interface missing?

The main reason is that the “S7DOS Help Service” is either missing or not running. During the installation of industrial control software or other applications, it’s possible to accidentally delete or forcefully stop this service. Therefore, the core idea to solve this issue is to create the service and make it run automatically.

Locating the S7DOS Help Service:

Check if the “S7DOS Help Service” exists and is running on your computer. Follow these steps:

  • Right-click on the desktop icon “My Computer” and select “Manage.” Then, expand “Services and Applications.” Alternatively, you can enter “gpedit.msc” in the Windows 7 command prompt and press Enter.

Enter computer management method 1

Enter computer management method 2

  • Click on “Services” and look for “S7DOS Help Service” in the list on the right-hand side.
  • If you find “S7DOS Help Service,” set its startup type to “Automatic.”

Creating the S7DOS Help Service:

If you couldn’t find “S7DOS Help Service” in the previous step, follow these steps to create it:

  • Check if the following executable file exists on your computer: Program Files\Common Files\Siemens\Automation\Simatic OAM\bin\s7oiehsx64.exe

Program Files\Common Files\Siemens\Automation\Simatic OAM\bin\s7oiehsx64.exe

  • If the file is not found, create the service using the “SC” command in an elevated command prompt (run as administrator). Follow these steps:

Find “Command Prompt” in Windows 7 accessories or enter “cmd” in the Windows 7 command prompt to open the DOS interface.

Enter the DOS interface Method 1

Enter the DOS interface Method 2

DOS interface

Paste the following command and press Enter to create the service: sc.exe create “S7DOS Help Service” binPath= “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Siemens\Automation\Simatic OAM\bin\s7oiehsx64.exe”

  • After successful creation, start the service and set its startup type to “Automatic.”
  • Launch the Siemens programming software again, and you should find the PG/PC interface available.

Retrieving the Network Card in the PG/PC Interface:

Remedies for Windows XP:

  • Open the computer’s Device Manager.
  • Under “Network Adapters,” select the relevant network card (e.g., “Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet”), right-click, and choose “Uninstall driver,” then close the Device Manager.
  • Check if there are any related folders in the registry. Open the registry editor by running “Regedit” from the “Start -> Run…” menu and navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Siemens\SINEC\LogDevices.”
  • Delete the folder related to the network card you want to activate (e.g., TCP/IP Broadcom NetXtreme). If there are no related entries in the registry, restarting the computer after uninstalling the network card driver (refer to step 2 above) should be sufficient.

Note: If the driver folder of the driver device you want to activate is not deleted, no new registration information will be generated after the computer is restarted. The Windows operating system will ignore the registration and will not have other related functions

  • Restart the computer. After the restart, the required interface (e.g., TCP/IP interface) should reappear and be selectable in the PG/PC interface settings.

Remedies for Windows 7 (64-bit) / Windows 10:

In Windows 7 (64-bit) and Windows 10, the driver information is stored in an XML file instead of the registry. The file is located at: “C:\ProgramData\Siemens\Automation\Simatic OAM\data\LogDevices”.

If the “C:\ProgramData” directory is not visible in File Explorer, adjust the settings: Launch File Explorer, click “File,” then “Options.” On the “View” tab, enable “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” under “Hidden files and folders.”

  • First, restart Windows and ensure no SIMATIC software is running.
  • Right-click on the Windows Start icon, open Device Manager, and uninstall the network adapter (if prompted, keep the driver).
  • Immediately after that (without rebooting), open the following folder: “C:\ProgramData\Siemens\Automation\Simatic OAM\data\LogDevices”
  • Rename the “LogDevices” folder (e.g., “LogDevices_old”).
  • Restart the computer/Windows and wait for the network card to be recognized.
  • After the restart, the required interface (e.g., TCP/IP interface) should reappear and be selectable in the PG/PC interface.

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