Windows Embedded Standard 2011 CTP2 New Features and Changes

To help customers to experiment new features and changes in CTP2 release of Windows Embedded Standard 2011, we have compiled the following list. It’s definitely not an exhaustive list covering all the new “stuff” in CTP2,  because a lot of work was done in bug fixing (thanks to your feedback from CTP1!). However, the list should give you a good start. Please try them out and let us know your feedback by logging issues on Connect: https://connect.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/feedback!

Tools:

These new features are added:

- Static Dependency Analyzer (under Tools menu in ICE)

The new option provides assistance in analyzing static dependencies from applications to Standard 2011 feature packages required to support the application on an embedded image.  The results of the analysis can be incorporated into ICE to bring in the statically identified features as part of an answer file.  This feature reduces the amount of time a developer spends to determine dependencies within an application thereby reducing the time to build an image.

- Application Templates (under Community menu in ICE)

To enhance the ability to create images and reduce development time, templates have been created for common applications used in embedded devices.  The templates for an application provide the dependent features in WES 2011 needed for the particular application to run.  Through a merge feature added to ICE, these templates can be added to an answer file bringing in needed dependencies from WES 2011 thereby reducing the need to analyze dependencies needed to support common applications on the embedded image. The templates are available for downloading at https://www.windowsembedded.com/StandardApplicationTemplates.  Additional applications will be added over time.  An example template for Silverlight is provided on the media with ICE.

-Import/Export Templates (under File menu in ICE)

Componentization:

- Footprint reduction on key scenarios

- More intuitive package naming & categories naming (as shown in ICE)

- Less feature categories

- New Packages added (Tip: you can use the Search tool in ICE to find them):

• Antimalware
• DVD Maker
• Parental Control
• Backup/Restore
• Fax and Scan

- Refactored Packages to reduce required dependencies and reduce footprint

(For additional details of the refactoring work, see the bottom of this blog)

• Application User Experience
• COM OLE Application Support
• Internet Explorer 8 Foundation
• Shell Foundation
• Security Base
• Bluetooth
• Networking Foundation
• Internet Authentication Service
• Networking Base
• Graphics Platform
• Device User Experience
• Search Indexing
• Natural Language 6
• IRDA and UNIMODEM (Networking Device)

Custom Shell:

These new features are added:

- Dialog Filter Editor

- Dialog Filter SDK (and sample)

- Hide Boot Screens package

- Credential provider samples

- Automatic install for Dialog Filter and Custom Logon Desktop backgrounds (pulls in the user files when a clean install is done using a config set).

Servicing

- Windows Update is now available under Packages->FeaturePack->Management

VHD Boot

- In order to use native VHD Boot support, you must include the Advanced File System package located under Packages->FeaturePack->SystemServices.

Documentation

- Lots of documentation for new features added

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More details on refactoring:

For the CTP2 release we repackaged features to create a finer grained packaging.  In this effort components with related functionality were packaged to take advantage of the relationship to reduce package dependencies, increase ease of selecting functionality when building an image and providing better functionality within the image.  Listed in the first table are the new packages and from where the components were removed to create the new package.  In the second table are the packages which were removed and where the components were moved to provide improved packaging and functionality.

Hope you will find this info useful!

Weijuan