Installing, building and running WEC7 image on VirtualPC

Virtual PC, as the name indicates, is a virtual PC (OS) running on another PC (OS).

Here, I'm providing step-by-step description of "How to develop/run a WEC7 VirtualPC image?"

Install VirtualPC

1. Download "Microsoft VirtualPC Setup" from the link : http://www.microsoft.com/en-in/download/confirmation.aspx?id=4580  
2. Install the VirtualPC by opening the setup file. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.

Build a WEC7 image to run on VirtualPC

1. Make sure you have installed VirtualPC BSP (This comes as part of platform builder installation).
2. Create an OS design for virtual PC. (Select VirtualPC in a new OSDesign project).
(It will be good if you select "Small Footprint Image" and add required shell and display options).

Follow the below turtorial, if you don't know how to create a new OSDesign.










3. Build this OSDesign (Give Sysgen).


4. Once compilation is successful, you are ready with VirtualPC OS image!

Running the WEC7 image VirtualPC

1. Open the VirtualPC software.


2. VirtualPC console will be opened.


3. Click on "New" to create a new virtual machine.


4. Click "Next"


5. Select "Add an existing virtual machine" and click "Next>".

6. Click on "Browse". Select the path : Drive:/WINCE700/platform/VirtualPC/VM .

7. Select cevm.vmc file.
8. Click "Open".


9. Click "Next>".
  10. Click on "Finish". "settings" window will be opened.
11. Click on "Networking" and verify that the VirtualPC is sharing the correct network (This is important, because the virtual PC needs a DHCP server for downloading the OS image from the PB.
12. Click "OK". Now Virtual PC console will be seen as shown below:
13. Click "Start". VirtualPC will start booting.
  14. If you want to see/set boot menu, click space. otherwise leave it as it is, until it starts sending boot-me messages to PB.
15. Now, on your platform builder, check for ethernet download settings (in Target --> connectivity options). You'll see the IP and name of Virtual PC device, if everything goes fine.
  16. Now attach this device.
17. Once the image is downloaded, debug messages will start flowing on PB (by default, KITL will be enabled).
  18. And on virtual PC, you can see the desktop (if Standard shell is enabled).

Now, You can use this virtual PC now as you wish!

Me

Keshava G N  Member - Technical (Software)
iWave Systems Technologies Pvt Ltd, Bangalore  

This article is already published in Microsoft TechNetWiki.

Remote Display of WEC7 device using Ethernet - Windows Embedded Compact 7

Think of a situation where you need to access Remote Display of WEC7 device on a Windows host PC, and you can’t use USB function (USB sync- activesync). But you have Ethernet working.

The situation will be worst if you don’t have a physical display and input devices such as touch or mouse.

In this particular case, how to establish remote desktop connection?

Following is the step-by-step solution for this problem.

If there is no physical display/input devices

1. Add the sysgen variable SYSGEN_RDP.
2. Go to \WINCE700\public\COMMON\oak\target\armv7\retail and copy the file cerdisp.exe to location\WINCE700\platform\<your_platform>\files.
3. Now, get AutoLaunch.exe application using source code at AutoLaunch4CE   (Download from HERE  ).
4. Copy this AutoLaunch.exe to \WINCE700\platform\<your_platform>\files.
5. Open \WINCE700\platform\<your_platform>\files\platform.bib and add following lines:

AutoLaunch.exe                               $(_FLATRELEASEDIR)\AutoLaunch.exe                   NK

cerdisp.exe                                        $(_FLATRELEASEDIR)\cerdisp.exe                            NK

6. Open \WINCE700\platform\<your_platform>\files\platform.reg and add following lines:

;======================================

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\init]

                "Launch90" = "AutoLaunch.exe"

                "Depend90" = hex:0a,00,14,00,1e,00,32,00

;======================================

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Startup]

"Process1"="cerdisp -c"

"Process1Delay"=dword:00001388

;======================================

7. Compile and create the OS.
8. Make sure that Ethernet is connected properly to the device.
9. Boot the WEC7 on the device.
10. On host Windows PC, Open \WINCE700\public\COMMON\oak\bin\i386\cerhost.exe file.

                                               

11.  Click File-->Connect...
12.  Wait for the device to connect.
13. When the device is connected, the opened cerhost.exe application on host will indicate that the device is connected by displaying the name and IP address of the device as shown in screenshot below.
14. Click on the name of the device, and click on OK.
15. After few seconds, the WEC7 desktop will be displayed on the host PC as shown in image.

If there is a physical display and an input device

If you have a physical display and one or more input devices,
1. Add the sysgen variable SYSGEN_RDP.
2. Go to \WINCE700\public\COMMON\oak\target\armv7\retail and copy the file cerdisp.exe to location \WINCE700\platform\<your_platform>\files.3. Open \WINCE700\platform\<your_platform>\files\platform.bib and add following line:

cerdisp.exe                                        $(_FLATRELEASEDIR)\cerdisp.exe                            NK

4. Compile and create the OS.
8. Make sure that Ethernet is connected properly to the device.
9. Boot the WEC7 on the device.
10. On WEC7 device, open command prompt and type
cerdisp.exe -c
11. On host Windows PC, Open \WINCE700\public\COMMON\oak\bin\i386\cerhost.exe file.

                                               

12.  Click File-->Connect...

13.  Now, on Windows host PC, Wait for the device to connect.
14. When the device is connected, the opened cerhost.exe application on host will indicate that the device is connected by displaying the name and IP address of the device as shown in screenshot below.
15. Click on the name of the device, and click on OK.
16. After few seconds, the WEC7 desktop will be displayed on the host PC as shown in image.

Notes

1. The bpp for display must be set to 16bpp for this method of remote display to work.

I published the same post previously in MSDN TechNet Wiki.