Windows Embedded 8 Standard

1. Windows Embedded 8 Standard Activation
2. Windows Embedded 8 Standard Vs Industry
3. Windows Embedded 8 Standard

Windows Embedded Industry, formerly Windows Embedded POSReady and Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS), is an operating system subfamily developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows Embedded family of products.^[11] Based on Windows NT, Windows Embedded Industry is designed for use in industrial devices such as cash registers, automated teller machines, and self service checkouts.^[12] Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry was the last release, with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise superseding Windows Embedded Industry, Windows Embedded Standard, and Windows For Embedded Systems (FES).

Windows Embedded 8 Standard consists of 3 DVD images (ISO's). Download the.exe and.rar files for each DVD image into its own folder and run the.exe file in that folder to reconstitute the.ISO file. It is recommended that users with older browsers (Internet Explorer 5, 6 and 7) use the download manager that is available here to. Windows Embedded 8 Standard is a modular operating system that provides enterprise and device manufacturers the freedom to choose which capabilities will be part of their industry devices and intelligent system solutions. Technical questions about lockdown and branding Features, components or run-time images, tools like Image Creation Editor (ICE), Image Based Wizard (IBW), etc., deployment, updates, servicing, device management and any miscellaneous issues for Windows Embedded 8 Standard. Add Strong to text by clicking or by using.

Releases

Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS)

Windows Embedded for Point of Service was released on May 24, 2005.^[13][2] Based on Windows XP with SP2 and designed for use in Point of Service situations, WEPOS expanded Microsoft's Windows Embedded family of products. It was the first edition of Windows Embedded that could use the Windows Update Agent to update an installed and deployed image.^[14] Service Pack 3 (SP3) for WEPOS was released on October 8, 2008.^[15] When the new Microsoft Lifecycle Support policy for Internet Explorer went into effect on January 12, 2016, IE6 support was dropped from not only WEPOS, but all other supported platforms. WEPOS was also the last supported platform for IE7 after this date.^[16]

Windows Embedded POSReady 2009

Based on Windows XP with SP3, this edition offers more features over Windows Embedded for Point of Service such as Full Localization, Internet Explorer 7 and XPS support if .NET Framework 3.5 or higher is installed.^[17] Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 was released on December 9, 2008.^[13] Prior to XP's end of support, some Windows XP users have reported that the Regedit tool on their operating system can be used to 'trick' Windows Update into accepting updates targeting POSReady 2009, though it can break some older applications.^[18][19][20] POSReady 2009 is also notable as being the last XP derived operating system to receive official support from Microsoft. Starting in 2017, Microsoft announced end of support for POSReady 2009. Extended support for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009--the last supported edition of Windows based on Windows XP--ended on April 9, 2019, marking the final end of the Windows XP codebase after 17 years, 7 months, and 16 days.^[3]

Windows Embedded POSReady 7

Windows Embedded POSReady 7 is based on Windows 7 with SP1.^[21] It was released on July 1, 2011. It is the last supported edition of Windows based on Windows 7 to receive official support from Microsoft. Mainstream support for Windows Embedded POSReady 7 ended on October 11, 2016^[4] and extended support ends on October 12, 2021.^[22] Windows Embedded POSReady 7 is eligible for the Extended Security Updates service. This service is available via OEMs, in yearly installments. Security updates are available for the operating system until at most October 14, 2024.^[5] This will mark the final end of the Windows 7 codebase after 15 years, 2 months, and 22 days.

Windows Embedded 8 Industry

Based on Windows 8,^[23] Windows Embedded 8 Industry was released on April 2, 2013^[13][24] and is available in Pro, Pro Retail, and Enterprise editions.^[7][8][25] The Pro and Pro Retail editions are only available pre-installed on OEM devices, while the Enterprise edition is available through the volume licensing channel only. The Pro Retail edition adds a few extra features for use in retail environments, while the Enterprise edition provides embedded-specific features designed to integrate seamlessly with Windows 8 Enterprise. Alaska Airlines uses Windows Embedded 8 Industry in-flight entertainment devices.^[26] Support ended on January 12, 2016; users must install Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry in order to continue receiving updates and support. IE11 was made available only for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard in April 2019. It is the only supported version of Internet Explorer on these operating systems since January 31, 2020.^[27][28]

Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry

Based on Windows 8.1,^[23] Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry was released on October 17, 2013 by Microsoft as a component of the operating system itself.^[13] As with 8 Industry, it is available in Pro, Pro Retail, and Enterprise editions.^[9][10] Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Update was released on April 16, 2014.^[29] Mainstream support for Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry ended on July 10, 2018 and extended support ends on July 11, 2023.^[9][10]

Windows IoT Enterprise

Microsoft rebranded 'Windows Embedded' to 'Windows IoT' starting with the release of embedded editions of Windows 10. Windows IoT Enterprise acts as the successor to Windows Embedded Industry.

System requirements

References

1. ^http://blogs.windows.com/itpro/2014/04/16/windows-8-1-update-wsus-availability-extended-deployment-timing/
2. ^ ^abc'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded for Point of Service'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
3. ^ ^abc'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
4. ^ ^abc'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded POSReady 7'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
5. ^ ^ab'Lifecycle FAQ-Extended Security Updates'. support.microsoft.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020. The Extended Security Update (ESU) program is a last resort option for customers who need to run certain legacy Microsoft products past the end of support.
6. ^'Windows Products Support Lifecycle FAQ'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
7. ^ ^ab'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded 8 Industry Enterprise'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
8. ^ ^ab'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded 8 Industry Pro'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
9. ^ ^abcd'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Enterprise'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
10. ^ ^abcd'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
11. ^'Microsoft Maps Out Its Road Map for Windows Embedded Business'. Wireless News. Close-Up Media, Inc. via HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2012.(subscription required)
12. ^'Windows Embedded POSReady'. Microsoft Website. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
13. ^ ^abcd'Windows Embedded Product Lifecycles & Support'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
14. ^'Developing POS Applications with POS for .NET'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.^{[permanent dead link]}
15. ^'Service Pack 3 for Windows Embedded for Point of Service'. Microsoft Download Center. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
16. ^'Internet Explorer Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ'. Microsoft Lifecycle Support Website. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
17. ^'POSReady 2009 vs WEPOS 1.1 SP3'(PDF). Microsoft Download Website. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
18. ^'Simple Hack Gives Windows XP Users 5 More Years Support'. Forbes. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
19. ^'Windows XP rises from the grave: Simple hack gives you five more years of updates'. extreme tech. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
20. ^'How to continue getting free security updates for Windows XP -- until 2019'. betanews. 26 May 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
21. ^'Windows Embedded POSReady 7'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
22. ^'Search Product and Services Lifecycle Information - Microsoft Lifecycle'.
23. ^ ^ab'Windows Embedded 8 Industry'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
24. ^Volpe, Joseph. 'Windows Embedded 8 Industry scheduled for release first week of April'. Engadget. AOL Inc. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
25. ^'Windows Products Support Lifecycle FAQ'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
26. ^Al-Riyami, Fahad (26 March 2015). 'Microsoft details Alaska Airlines new Windows-powered in-flight entertainment tablets'. WinBeta.
27. ^Tung, Liam. 'Microsoft makes final push to rid world of Internet Explorer 10'. ZDNet. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
28. ^'Lifecycle FAQ'. support.microsoft.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
29. ^'Windows 8.1 Update: WSUS Availability, Extended Deployment Timing'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
30. ^'Hardware Requirements for Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS)'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
31. ^'Before You Install POSReady'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
32. ^'Requirements for a POSReady 7 Device (POSReady 7)'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
33. ^'Requirements (Industry 8)'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
34. ^'Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry (Industry 8.1)'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.

Further reading

• Mackie, Kurt (14 January 2011). 'Microsoft Rolls Out Windows Embedded Handheld and POSReady 7'. Redmond magazine. 1105 Media Inc. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
• Oiaga, Marius (11 January 2011). 'Download New Windows 7-Based OS: Windows Embedded POSReady 7 CTP'. Softpedia. SoftNews Net SRL. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
• 'Installing Windows Embedded POSReady 7 CTP'. Embedded Techblog. 11 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
• 'Windows Embedded POSReady 7 CTP is available!'. Embedded Techblog. 11 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
• Kanthak, Stefan (21 August 2013). 'Windows Embedded POSReady 2009: cruft, not craft'. Full disclosure (mailing list). Retrieved 19 September 2013.

External links

This guide walks you through the process of creating and capturing a basic Windows Embedded Standard 8 image. The intent is to familiarize you with the tools and processes required so that you can move on to more advanced scenarios. Please consult TechNet for the latest information on recommended practices for Windows Embedded Standard 8, I don’t offer any guarantee for the accuracy or reliability of this content, use at your own risk

Like it’s predecessor, Windows 8 Embedded Standard includes an Image Build Wizard (IBW) that provides a simple mechanism to install the OS on a source computer for an image. Afterward, command-line tools are used to generalize and capture the image to a .WIM file that can be used with deployment solutions like Configuration Manager 2012.

You will need a source computer (I used a Hyper-V VM with 1gb RAM and 127GB hard disk). You will also need the source files for Windows 8 Embedded Standard. The source file I downloaded was “en_windows_embedded_8_standard_image_builder_winzard_x86_dvd_1791542”. Insert the media or ISO into your DVD drive and boot to start the installation wizard.

Part I- Install Windows Embedded 8 Standard on a target computer:

1- The first screen is similar to that in Windows 7 Embedded Standard except that you have an “Install Now” button where there used to be a “Build an Image” button. Click “Install now”:

2- At the product key screen, enter your product key and click Next. We no longer have the option to leave the product key blank for an eval version as the ‘Next’ button is subdued until you enter a key:

3- Click “I accept the license terms” on the license terms screen and click Next

4- At the “Choose how to create your image” screen, I selected the “Thin client” template. You can create a new image without a template if desired. Click Next.

5- At the “Choose a language and other preferences” screen select your language and regional settings and click Next

6- At the Summary screen you have the option to install additional drivers and/or features (you may need to resolve dependencies if you modify drivers/features). Click Next

7- Select the drive where you would like to install Windows and click Next

At this point you see the familiar “Installing Windows” screen. Files are expanded and installed.

8- When complete you may see a warning that you are installing an evaluation copy (if you don’t have a full version key like me). Notice that there is no supported upgrade path, you must reinstall with a full product key if you wish to upgrade. Click Next:

9- The next screen prompts you to choose a color scheme and computer name. Click Next when complete.

10- At the setting screen, select whether to use express settings or customize. Express settings turn-on Windows Update, the Customer Experience Improvement Program, and turn on location-based settings among other configuration settings.

11- If you select Customize in the previous step you will see a series of screens walking you through the different user configuration settings. For this demo I will use Express settings. Either way, you will wind up at this screen prompting you for an email address to sign into the device. Enter a valid email address and click Next.

12- If no internet connection is available in the previous step you see this screen prompting to create a local user account. Click Finish when complete:

13- Settings are finalized and Windows 8 Embedded Standard launches. We are left at the familiar Start screen:

Windows Embedded 8 Standard Activation

Here are a few interesting facts about the build:

• The user account that you created is a member of the local Administrators group
• The Administrator account and Guest accounts are disabled by default
• Windows Firewall is enabled by default
• Write filter command line tools (fbwfmgr.exe and ewf.exe) are GONE by default! Windows Embedded 8 includes a new write filter type, Unified Write Filter. It combines the functionality of Enhanced and File-based write filters. Enhanced and File-based write filters are included in Windows 8 for backward compatibility (mainly). Be aware that the old and new technology are mutually exclusive. If you have EWF or FBWF in your image, you cannot have Unified Write Filter. The reverse is also true…

If you built a test machine using this guide you will find that there is a new command-line tool available for the Unified write filter, UWFMGR.EXE. To check the write filter status with UWFMGR, type UWFMGR GET-CONFIG:

Part II Generalize your image to prepare it for capture

Sysprep is used to remove device and user-specific information from Windows before an image is captured. This is required for images that will be deployed to other devices.

1. Open an administrative command prompt and switch to the C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32SYSPREP folder. To generalize the image, run the command below (this will shut your device off so make sure you have already made any changes you wish to make):

Sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown

2. Restart the device in Windows PE. You may boot from the Windows Embedded media (the en_windows_embedded_8_standard_image_builder_winzard_x86_dvd_1791542.iso file that we booted from to kick-off our Embedded build). Make sure you do not let it boot back into Windows Embedded or it will run through the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) and you will need to run the Sysprep command line again.

3- If you booted from the Embedded media you will be back at our initial screen. Click “launch Winpe command prompt” in the lower-Left corner of the screen. You should map a drive letter to a network location that is suitable for holding the Windows Embedded 8 image (I will map drive Z: for this demo).

4- At the command prompt type the following:
Reg load hklmtemp D:WINDOWSSYSTEM32CONFIGSYSTEM
(If the generalized Windows image is installed on a drive other than D:, replace D: with your Windows drive letter)
Next, type:
Reg delete hklmtempmounteddevices
Type Y when prompted to delete
Next, type:
Reg unload hklmtemp

5- Verify that bootmgr and bootbcd files are present on the generalized OS drive. If they are not (they weren’t in my case) change to the WinPE drive at the command prompt and switch to the directory that contains BCDBOOT.EXE. Type the following:

Hazeover 1.8.5. Bcdboot d:windows /s d:

(again, if the generalized Windows image is installed on a drive other than D:, replace D: with your Windows drive letter)
Part III- Capture the Windows Embedded Standard 8 OS image

Windows Embedded 8 Standard Vs Industry

At this point you have a device with a generalized image that is ready to capture and apply to other devices. In Windows 7 we would use the ImageX tool to capture our image. You may notice that ImageX is no longer included in the Image Build Wizard Windows PE boot .iso as it was in Windows 7 Embedded. That’s because in Windows 8 we use the DISM tool, which is in the SOURCES folder on our IBW bootable WinPE disk. Use DISM to capture your image by following these steps (assuming you are already booted into Windows PE with a disk that includes the DISM tool):

Based on Windows XP with SP3, this edition offers more features over Windows Embedded for Point of Service such as Full Localization, Internet Explorer 7 and XPS support if .NET Framework 3.5 or higher is installed.^[17] Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 was released on December 9, 2008.^[13] Prior to XP's end of support, some Windows XP users have reported that the Regedit tool on their operating system can be used to 'trick' Windows Update into accepting updates targeting POSReady 2009, though it can break some older applications.^[18][19][20] POSReady 2009 is also notable as being the last XP derived operating system to receive official support from Microsoft. Starting in 2017, Microsoft announced end of support for POSReady 2009. Extended support for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009--the last supported edition of Windows based on Windows XP--ended on April 9, 2019, marking the final end of the Windows XP codebase after 17 years, 7 months, and 16 days.^[3]

Windows Embedded POSReady 7

Windows Embedded POSReady 7 is based on Windows 7 with SP1.^[21] It was released on July 1, 2011. It is the last supported edition of Windows based on Windows 7 to receive official support from Microsoft. Mainstream support for Windows Embedded POSReady 7 ended on October 11, 2016^[4] and extended support ends on October 12, 2021.^[22] Windows Embedded POSReady 7 is eligible for the Extended Security Updates service. This service is available via OEMs, in yearly installments. Security updates are available for the operating system until at most October 14, 2024.^[5] This will mark the final end of the Windows 7 codebase after 15 years, 2 months, and 22 days.

Windows Embedded 8 Industry

Based on Windows 8,^[23] Windows Embedded 8 Industry was released on April 2, 2013^[13][24] and is available in Pro, Pro Retail, and Enterprise editions.^[7][8][25] The Pro and Pro Retail editions are only available pre-installed on OEM devices, while the Enterprise edition is available through the volume licensing channel only. The Pro Retail edition adds a few extra features for use in retail environments, while the Enterprise edition provides embedded-specific features designed to integrate seamlessly with Windows 8 Enterprise. Alaska Airlines uses Windows Embedded 8 Industry in-flight entertainment devices.^[26] Support ended on January 12, 2016; users must install Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry in order to continue receiving updates and support. IE11 was made available only for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard in April 2019. It is the only supported version of Internet Explorer on these operating systems since January 31, 2020.^[27][28]

Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry

Based on Windows 8.1,^[23] Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry was released on October 17, 2013 by Microsoft as a component of the operating system itself.^[13] As with 8 Industry, it is available in Pro, Pro Retail, and Enterprise editions.^[9][10] Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Update was released on April 16, 2014.^[29] Mainstream support for Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry ended on July 10, 2018 and extended support ends on July 11, 2023.^[9][10]

Windows IoT Enterprise

Microsoft rebranded 'Windows Embedded' to 'Windows IoT' starting with the release of embedded editions of Windows 10. Windows IoT Enterprise acts as the successor to Windows Embedded Industry.

System requirements

References

1. ^http://blogs.windows.com/itpro/2014/04/16/windows-8-1-update-wsus-availability-extended-deployment-timing/
2. ^ ^abc'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded for Point of Service'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
3. ^ ^abc'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
4. ^ ^abc'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded POSReady 7'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
5. ^ ^ab'Lifecycle FAQ-Extended Security Updates'. support.microsoft.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020. The Extended Security Update (ESU) program is a last resort option for customers who need to run certain legacy Microsoft products past the end of support.
6. ^'Windows Products Support Lifecycle FAQ'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
7. ^ ^ab'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded 8 Industry Enterprise'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
8. ^ ^ab'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded 8 Industry Pro'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
9. ^ ^abcd'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Enterprise'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
10. ^ ^abcd'Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
11. ^'Microsoft Maps Out Its Road Map for Windows Embedded Business'. Wireless News. Close-Up Media, Inc. via HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2012.(subscription required)
12. ^'Windows Embedded POSReady'. Microsoft Website. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
13. ^ ^abcd'Windows Embedded Product Lifecycles & Support'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
14. ^'Developing POS Applications with POS for .NET'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.^{[permanent dead link]}
15. ^'Service Pack 3 for Windows Embedded for Point of Service'. Microsoft Download Center. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
16. ^'Internet Explorer Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ'. Microsoft Lifecycle Support Website. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
17. ^'POSReady 2009 vs WEPOS 1.1 SP3'(PDF). Microsoft Download Website. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
18. ^'Simple Hack Gives Windows XP Users 5 More Years Support'. Forbes. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
19. ^'Windows XP rises from the grave: Simple hack gives you five more years of updates'. extreme tech. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
20. ^'How to continue getting free security updates for Windows XP -- until 2019'. betanews. 26 May 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
21. ^'Windows Embedded POSReady 7'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
22. ^'Search Product and Services Lifecycle Information - Microsoft Lifecycle'.
23. ^ ^ab'Windows Embedded 8 Industry'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
24. ^Volpe, Joseph. 'Windows Embedded 8 Industry scheduled for release first week of April'. Engadget. AOL Inc. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
25. ^'Windows Products Support Lifecycle FAQ'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
26. ^Al-Riyami, Fahad (26 March 2015). 'Microsoft details Alaska Airlines new Windows-powered in-flight entertainment tablets'. WinBeta.
27. ^Tung, Liam. 'Microsoft makes final push to rid world of Internet Explorer 10'. ZDNet. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
28. ^'Lifecycle FAQ'. support.microsoft.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
29. ^'Windows 8.1 Update: WSUS Availability, Extended Deployment Timing'. Microsoft. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
30. ^'Hardware Requirements for Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS)'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
31. ^'Before You Install POSReady'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
32. ^'Requirements for a POSReady 7 Device (POSReady 7)'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
33. ^'Requirements (Industry 8)'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
34. ^'Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry (Industry 8.1)'. MSDN. Retrieved January 31, 2015.

Further reading

• Mackie, Kurt (14 January 2011). 'Microsoft Rolls Out Windows Embedded Handheld and POSReady 7'. Redmond magazine. 1105 Media Inc. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
• Oiaga, Marius (11 January 2011). 'Download New Windows 7-Based OS: Windows Embedded POSReady 7 CTP'. Softpedia. SoftNews Net SRL. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
• 'Installing Windows Embedded POSReady 7 CTP'. Embedded Techblog. 11 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
• 'Windows Embedded POSReady 7 CTP is available!'. Embedded Techblog. 11 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
• Kanthak, Stefan (21 August 2013). 'Windows Embedded POSReady 2009: cruft, not craft'. Full disclosure (mailing list). Retrieved 19 September 2013.

External links

This guide walks you through the process of creating and capturing a basic Windows Embedded Standard 8 image. The intent is to familiarize you with the tools and processes required so that you can move on to more advanced scenarios. Please consult TechNet for the latest information on recommended practices for Windows Embedded Standard 8, I don’t offer any guarantee for the accuracy or reliability of this content, use at your own risk

Like it’s predecessor, Windows 8 Embedded Standard includes an Image Build Wizard (IBW) that provides a simple mechanism to install the OS on a source computer for an image. Afterward, command-line tools are used to generalize and capture the image to a .WIM file that can be used with deployment solutions like Configuration Manager 2012.

You will need a source computer (I used a Hyper-V VM with 1gb RAM and 127GB hard disk). You will also need the source files for Windows 8 Embedded Standard. The source file I downloaded was “en_windows_embedded_8_standard_image_builder_winzard_x86_dvd_1791542”. Insert the media or ISO into your DVD drive and boot to start the installation wizard.

Part I- Install Windows Embedded 8 Standard on a target computer:

1- The first screen is similar to that in Windows 7 Embedded Standard except that you have an “Install Now” button where there used to be a “Build an Image” button. Click “Install now”:

2- At the product key screen, enter your product key and click Next. We no longer have the option to leave the product key blank for an eval version as the ‘Next’ button is subdued until you enter a key:

3- Click “I accept the license terms” on the license terms screen and click Next

4- At the “Choose how to create your image” screen, I selected the “Thin client” template. You can create a new image without a template if desired. Click Next.

5- At the “Choose a language and other preferences” screen select your language and regional settings and click Next

6- At the Summary screen you have the option to install additional drivers and/or features (you may need to resolve dependencies if you modify drivers/features). Click Next

7- Select the drive where you would like to install Windows and click Next

At this point you see the familiar “Installing Windows” screen. Files are expanded and installed.

8- When complete you may see a warning that you are installing an evaluation copy (if you don’t have a full version key like me). Notice that there is no supported upgrade path, you must reinstall with a full product key if you wish to upgrade. Click Next:

9- The next screen prompts you to choose a color scheme and computer name. Click Next when complete.

10- At the setting screen, select whether to use express settings or customize. Express settings turn-on Windows Update, the Customer Experience Improvement Program, and turn on location-based settings among other configuration settings.

11- If you select Customize in the previous step you will see a series of screens walking you through the different user configuration settings. For this demo I will use Express settings. Either way, you will wind up at this screen prompting you for an email address to sign into the device. Enter a valid email address and click Next.

12- If no internet connection is available in the previous step you see this screen prompting to create a local user account. Click Finish when complete:

13- Settings are finalized and Windows 8 Embedded Standard launches. We are left at the familiar Start screen:

Windows Embedded 8 Standard Activation

Here are a few interesting facts about the build:

• The user account that you created is a member of the local Administrators group
• The Administrator account and Guest accounts are disabled by default
• Windows Firewall is enabled by default
• Write filter command line tools (fbwfmgr.exe and ewf.exe) are GONE by default! Windows Embedded 8 includes a new write filter type, Unified Write Filter. It combines the functionality of Enhanced and File-based write filters. Enhanced and File-based write filters are included in Windows 8 for backward compatibility (mainly). Be aware that the old and new technology are mutually exclusive. If you have EWF or FBWF in your image, you cannot have Unified Write Filter. The reverse is also true…

If you built a test machine using this guide you will find that there is a new command-line tool available for the Unified write filter, UWFMGR.EXE. To check the write filter status with UWFMGR, type UWFMGR GET-CONFIG:

Part II Generalize your image to prepare it for capture

Sysprep is used to remove device and user-specific information from Windows before an image is captured. This is required for images that will be deployed to other devices.

1. Open an administrative command prompt and switch to the C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32SYSPREP folder. To generalize the image, run the command below (this will shut your device off so make sure you have already made any changes you wish to make):

Sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown

2. Restart the device in Windows PE. You may boot from the Windows Embedded media (the en_windows_embedded_8_standard_image_builder_winzard_x86_dvd_1791542.iso file that we booted from to kick-off our Embedded build). Make sure you do not let it boot back into Windows Embedded or it will run through the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) and you will need to run the Sysprep command line again.

3- If you booted from the Embedded media you will be back at our initial screen. Click “launch Winpe command prompt” in the lower-Left corner of the screen. You should map a drive letter to a network location that is suitable for holding the Windows Embedded 8 image (I will map drive Z: for this demo).

4- At the command prompt type the following:
Reg load hklmtemp D:WINDOWSSYSTEM32CONFIGSYSTEM
(If the generalized Windows image is installed on a drive other than D:, replace D: with your Windows drive letter)
Next, type:
Reg delete hklmtempmounteddevices
Type Y when prompted to delete
Next, type:
Reg unload hklmtemp

5- Verify that bootmgr and bootbcd files are present on the generalized OS drive. If they are not (they weren’t in my case) change to the WinPE drive at the command prompt and switch to the directory that contains BCDBOOT.EXE. Type the following:

Hazeover 1.8.5. Bcdboot d:windows /s d:

(again, if the generalized Windows image is installed on a drive other than D:, replace D: with your Windows drive letter)
Part III- Capture the Windows Embedded Standard 8 OS image

Windows Embedded 8 Standard Vs Industry

At this point you have a device with a generalized image that is ready to capture and apply to other devices. In Windows 7 we would use the ImageX tool to capture our image. You may notice that ImageX is no longer included in the Image Build Wizard Windows PE boot .iso as it was in Windows 7 Embedded. That’s because in Windows 8 we use the DISM tool, which is in the SOURCES folder on our IBW bootable WinPE disk. Use DISM to capture your image by following these steps (assuming you are already booted into Windows PE with a disk that includes the DISM tool):

***NOTE- At the time this document was written, the DISM version that is included in the IBW disk is outdated and does not support the image capture switch. You will need to have access to the DISM version that is included with the Windows ADK.

At the command prompt, type diskpart
The command prompt changes to a diskpart command prompt. Type list volume. Diskpart lists available disk partitions and their sizes:

Note the disk letters and names:

• E: is the DVD ROM drive and doesn’t need to be captured
• C: is a 350mb drive
• D: is a 126GB NTFS partition. This would be our Windows drive that we want to capture

Windows Embedded 8 Standard

Type exit to leave diskpart

If you’re like me and like to measure twice and cut once, at the command prompt you can change to the D: drive and type DIR . If the drive is our Windows image, it should contain a WINDOWS folder whose create date is current (todays date).

So… Now we know we have a generalized Windows 8 Embedded image on the D: drive. We also have a mapped drive letter (I mapped Z: ) to hold our captured .WIM image. We are ready to run the following command line to capture the image:

Dism /capture-image /capturedir:d: /imagefile: z:WES8STD.WIM /name:”Windows 8 Embedded Standard”

This process will take a long time to complete. In my test it took much longer than what I was used to with ImageX.exe… Several times it stopped at a certain percentage where I thought it had stopped responding but it recovered. Be patient . When it finishes you will have a new Windows Embedded Standard 8 .WIM image that is suitable for deployment to other devices.