How to Configure Hard Disk Drives on a CEPC (Windows Embedded CE 6.0)

  • Article

1/5/2010

When you design your Windows Embedded CE–based platform, determine whether you need to add a hard disk drive to your CEPC. Hard disk drives, which contain hard disks, are a form of removable persistent storage media. With persistent storage media, you can access data after you restart your CEPC.

Hardware and Software Assumptions

  • You are familiar with how to add a hard disk drive to a desktop computer.
  • You have selected one supported Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) hard disk drive, with power supply and ribbon cable.
  • You are configuring your single hard disk drive as the primary master device on the CEPC.
  • You have a built a run-time image and have downloaded it to your CEPC.

Steps

Step Topic

1. Add your Integrated Device Electronics (IDE) hard disk drive to the CEPC by connecting a power supply and a ribbon cable to the hard disk drive, and configure the jumper settings.

  • Consult the hard disk drive manufacturer's Web site or documentation for information on configuring jumper settings. If required, enable hard disk drive detection in the BIOS.

Choosing Miscellaneous CEPC Hardware

2. After your CEPC starts, view the BIOS routines.

  • Verify that the hard disk drive appears as the primary master device. If the hard disk drive does not appear as the primary master device, check the power supply and ribbon cable connections, and verify the jumper settings of the hard disk drive with the manufacturer's Web site or documentation.

Not applicable

3. In Platform Builder, open the solution that contains the OS design. Then, add a driver for the hard disk drive.

  • Expand the Catalog node, navigate to Device Drivers\Storage Devices\ATAPI PCI Support\Basic ATAPI PCI CD/DVD-ROM Support, and then select ATAPI PCI/IDE Storage Block Driver.
    - or -
    Set SYSGEN_ATAPI.

Adding an Item from the Catalog

4. Add the Storage Manager Control Panel Applet.

  • Expand the Catalog node, navigate to Core OS\CEBASE\File Systems and Data Store\Storage Manager, and then select Storage Manager Control Panel Applet.
    - or -
    Set SYSGEN_STOREMGR_CPL.

Adding an Item from the Catalog

5. For verification purposes, add an application that can create a text file.

  • Expand the Catalog node, navigate to Core OS\CEBASE\Applications – End User, and then select WordPad.
    - or -
    Set SYSGEN_PWORD.

Adding an Item from the Catalog

6. Rebuild the run-time image.

You must rebuild the run-time image because you have added a driver, file system, and application.

Building a Run-Time Image

7. In the Output window, on the Output tab, verify that the build contains no errors.

Build Error Debugging Process

8. Choose a download service appropriate for the connection hardware. The download service will download a run-time image to the CEPC.

Download Service Selection

9. Set up and configure the connection hardware required for the download service. That hardware connects the CEPC to the development workstation, on which Platform Builder is installed. Examples of connection hardware include cables, a hub, or Ethernet network adapters.

Hardware Configuration

CEPC-based SDB Motherboard and Card Configuration

10. If you selected Serial Download Service in step 8, configure the HyperTerminal terminal emulation application to display the serial debug output from the serial port on the CEPC.

This requires a null-modem cable connected to the serial port, such as COM1.

Configuring HyperTerminal for BSPs

11. Turn on the CEPC so that it becomes active on the Ethernet network or over the serial connection, and Platform Builder can discover it.

Not applicable

12. Configure the connection to the CEPC.

Choose the appropriate topic based on whether the development workstation and the CEPC are connected by an Ethernet network or a serial port connection.

Configuring an Ethernet Remote Connection

Configuring a Serial Remote Connection

13. Download the run-time image to the CEPC through the configured connection.

Downloading a Run-Time Image to a CEPC

14. On the CEPC, dismount the hard disk, format the hard disk, and set up a partition.

Setting Up a Partition on a CEPC

15. Set up a test file and save it to the hard disk.

Setting Up a File to Test Data Persistence on a CEPC

16. Reboot the CEPC, download your run-time image again, and then verify that the test file exists on the hard disk.

After downloading the run-time image, on the CEPC, navigate to the Hard Disk directory, and verify that your test file is in the directory.

Downloading a Run-Time Image to a CEPC

See Also

Concepts

CEPC-based SDBs

Other Resources

Block Driver Development Concepts
ATAPI Slave Devices
Partition Driver
Partition Manager
Storage Management