Building a Windows Embedded Standard 7 Image

  • Article

8/29/2011

Windows Embedded Standard 7 provides a tool called Image Configuration Editor (ICE) to configure and build Windows Embedded Standard 7 images. The configuration is stored in an XML file, which is called an answer file. To support Configuration Manager 2007 Advanced Client installation at run time on Windows Embedded Standard 7, you need to make sure that the prerequisites are added to the image configuration before you create the image. Use the following procedure to build a Windows Embedded Standard 7 Image.

To create a configuration file and build image using Image Configuration Editor

  1. Install Windows Embedded Standard 7 tools on a computer that is running a supported operating system (for example, Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2).
  2. Create a device hardware configuration file for the target device by running TAP.exe, which is installed with Windows Embedded Standard 7 tools. TAP.exe generates a .PMQ file that contains hardware information for the target device.
  3. On the Start Menu, click All Programs, click Windows Embedded Standard 7, and then click Image Configuration Editor.
  4. In the Distribution Share pane, right-click the background and click Open Distribution Share to select a distribution share.
  5. In the Open dialog box, browse to and select a distribution share. By default, this share is installed at the following location: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Embedded Standard 7\DS.
    Image Configuration Editor opens a distribution share.
  6. On the File menu, click New Answer File to create the XML configuration file.
  7. On the File menu, click Import, and then click Import PMQ. Select the device.pmq file, which was created in Step 2. Importing this file adds the required drivers to the Answer File pane.
  8. Create a run-time configuration image. In the Distribution Share pane, click Packages, and then click FeaturePack and add the packages listed below to the answer file. To add packages to the answer file, right-click the package and click Add to Answer File. There is no limit to the number of packages that you can add to the answer file; however, the size of the image grows as you add more packages. The following packages are required to install Configuration Manager 2007 Advanced Client at run time on a Windows Embedded Standard 7 image:
    • .NET Framework -> .Net Framework 2.0
    • Application Support -> COM OLE Application Support
    • Application Support -> COM+ Application Support
    • Application Support -> Win32 Application Runtimes and Libraries
    • Boot Environment -> Windows Boot Environment
    • Management -> System Management -> Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
    • Management -> Windows Update -> Windows Update Standalone Installer
    • Management -> Windows Application Compatibility
    • Networking -> Base ->Internet Authentication Service
    • Networking -> Base -> Networking Base
    • Networking -> BITS
    • Networking -> Remote Access Service (RAS)
    • Networking -> Small Networking Services
    • Networking -> Windows Firewall
    • Remote Connection -> Remote Desktop Connection
    • System Services -> Windows Installer
    • User Interface -> Windows Shell- >System Control Panel
    • User Interface -> Windows Shell -> Windows Explorer Shell
    • User Interface -> Command Prompt Shell with Custom Shell Support (Note: you must select either this option or the Windows Explorer Shell option)
  9. On the Validate menu, click Validate Only to get the dependencies for the selected components. You can also add dependencies by clicking Validate (Add Required Packages) on the Validate menu. This validates the packages and components in the answer file against their dependencies. In the Messages pane, you might see a few errors.
  10. To resolve dependencies, double-click each error shown in the Messages pane and use the options provided to resolve the error. After the dependencies for the selected packages and components are resolved, click OK. After you resolve all dependency errors shown in the Messages pane, click Validate again. Continue the validation and error-correction process until no errors are reported (except for optional messages that can be ignored).
  11. On the File menu, click Save to save the answer file.
  12. On the Tools menu, click Create Media, and then click Create IBW Image from Answer File to create operating-system image media.
  13. In the Create IBW Disk dialog box, browse to the path where you want the media to be generated in the Select the target folder for the image box.

To install an image using the Image Builder Wizard

  1. Create bootable media using a DVD, USB flash device, or virtual hard drive.
  2. Place the image in bootable media.
    1. If you want to install from a DVD, create a bootable disk with the image, and then insert the disk in the drive. Configure the BIOS options to boot from the CD or DVD, and then restart the device.
    2. If you want to install from a USB flash device, create a bootable partition in the USB flash device with the operating system image, and insert the flash device into the USB port on the target device. Configure the BIOS options to boot from USB, and then restart the device.
    3. After you restart the device, it starts the Image Builder Wizard (IBW) to install the Windows Embedded Standard 7 image.
  3. On the first screen of IBW, click Build an Image.
  4. Review and accept the license agreement.
  5. On the Choose how to create your image screen, select Do not use a template, and then click Next.
    Note: If an existing template meets your requirements, you can select Use a Template.
  6. On the Choose a language and other preferences screen, select an option from the language to install and time and currency format lists. Click Next.
  7. On the Find and select device drivers screen, select Automatically detect devices, and then click Next.
  8. On the rest of the screens in the Image Builder Wizard, use the default selections.
    Image Builder Wizard installs Windows Embedded Standard 7. During the installation, it restarts several times.
  9. Copy the Configuration Manager 2007 Advanced Client installer onto the client computer, and then run this installer.
  10. On the system that is running Windows Embedded Standard 7, open the Control Panel and configure the site server settings to connect to your Configuration Manager 2007 site server.

Your Windows Embedded Standard 7 device starts reporting to the Configuration Manager 2007 site server.

See Also

Concepts

Create Custom Operating System Images
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