Brand a Device (Industry 8)
7/8/2014
Review the branding elements and features for Windows Embedded 8 Industry (Industry 8).
Device branding enables you to add your own corporate identity, from initial startup to device shutdown, to a device built by using Windows Embedded 8 Industry (Industry 8). By default, devices that run the Industry 8 OS display identifiable Windows 8 UI elements. This includes elements such as startup and shutdown screens, the Windows 8 Welcome screen, the Explorer shell, dialog boxes, and so on.
There are many scenarios where you might want to hide or replace the Industry 8 brand elements. You may want your device to be treated like an appliance instead of a computer. In this case, you want to replace or suppress as many Windows brand elements as possible. For example, a bank may not want their ATMs to give any hint of the underlying operating system in order to reduce attempts to breach the security or disable the machine. An airline company may want their check-in terminals to only display the name of their company, so that their customers know they are using the correct terminals.
In Industry 8, you can suppress almost all Windows brand elements, and replace many elements with your own corporate brand elements. For more information, see Branding Features for Industry 8.
Important
You can’t suppress or replace the Windows branding that appears when you service or update your device operating system image.
Windows Branding
The following table describes how to suppress the Windows branding elements.
UI element |
To suppress |
|---|---|
Firmware boot screen |
This screen is customizable by the firmware manufacturer. You cannot customize this screen by using Industry 8, as the OS is not loaded yet at this point. |
Operating system selection screen |
Set the default OS and set the startup timeout value to 0 (zero) to hide this screen. Change these values by using the |
Operating system startup UI |
To suppress all Industry 8 startup UI elements (logo, status indicator, and status message) during startup, use |
BitLocker screen |
Configure BitLocker to hide this screen. |
Windows Welcome screen |
Use Custom Logon to suppress all elements of the UI. You can provide a custom credential provider to modify the sign-in UI. |
Active shell session |
Use Shell Launcher to launch a custom shell instead of the Windows 8 Explorer shell. You can configure Shell Launcher to launch different shells for specific users or groups of users. |
Windows Security screen |
Use Keyboard Filter to block the Ctr+Alt+Delete key combination that brings up the Windows Security screen. |
Lock screen |
Use Keyboard Filter to block the Windows log key+L key combination that brings up the lock screen. |
Blocked Shutdown Resolver Screen (BSDR) |
Use Custom Logon to suppress the BSDR screen and automatically end applications while the OS waits for applications to close before a shutdown. |
Windows dialog boxes |
Use Dialog Filter to prevent undesirable dialog boxes and pop-up windows from displaying on the screen. |
Branding Features for Industry 8
Industry 8 includes several features to help add your own corporate branding to your device and remove recognizable Windows 8 brand elements. The features are collectively referred to as branding features, and include the following features:
- **Custom Logon **
You can use Custom Logon to suppress Windows 8 UI elements during the sign-in and shutdown sequences of your device.
- **Shell Launcher **
You can use Shell Launcher to launch any application as a shell instead of the standard Windows Explorer shell. You can configure Shell Launcher to launch different applications for different users or user groups.
- **Windows 8 Application Launcher **
You can use Windows 8 Application Launcher to start a Windows 8 app immediately after a user signs in to a Industry 8, and to restart the app when the app exits.
If the Windows 8 app is written specifically to work with Windows 8 Application Launcher, you can configure Windows 8 Application Launcher to perform a specified action, such as shutting down the device or restarting the app, based on an exit value returned by the app.
See Also
Concepts
Custom Logon
Shell Launcher
Application Launcher