Create Your First OS (Compact 2013)

  • Article

9/29/2014

This section shows you how to use Platform Builder in Visual Studio to design and build a working Windows Embedded Compact 2013 OS, which is comprised of two tasks:

  1. Using the OS design wizard in Platform Builder to create an OS design.
  2. Using Visual Studio to build your OS design and create a run-time image.

Note

Before you complete the tasks in this section, make sure that you have installed the Compact 2013 developers' tools. For more information, see Install Windows Embedded Compact 2013.

Create an OS design

Platform Builder includes the OS Design Wizard, which collects the core files necessary to create a functioning OS. Before you start the wizard, you need to answer the following questions:

  • What board support package (BSP) should you use? A BSP provides the necessary functionality to run Compact 2013 on a specific device or hardware platform. For the purposes of this guide, you are using a virtual machine for your device, so you would select the Generic CECP: x86 BSP.
  • What is the best design template for this OS? A design template provides a pre-selected set of features and catalog items that you can use as a starting point for your OS design. You should choose the template with the feature set that most closely matches the features of your device. In a later exercise, you will create an application for the device, so choose the Win32 and WinForms UI Device template.
  • What additional options does this OS need? After you choose the design template, Platform Builder displays a list of the most commonly-used options for that type of device. You can add or remove design template features before you build the OS design. In a later exercise, you will use the debugging tools to run your application on the device, so you need to add Application Debugging Support to your OS design.

To use the OS Design Wizard to create a new OS design

  1. Open Visual Studio.

  2. Click File>New>Project.

    Create an OS Design in Visual Studio 2012

  3. In the New Project dialog box, expand Templates, and then select Platform Builder>OS Design.

  4. Enter a Name for your OS project, and then select a Location for the project files.

  5. Click OK, and then Visual Studio creates your project files and launches the OS Design Wizard.

  6. In the OS Design Wizard, click Next.

  7. On the Board Support Packages page, click Generic CEPC: x86, and then click Next.

  8. On the Design Templates page, select Win32 and WinForms UI Device, and then click Next.

  9. On the Win32 and WinForms UI Device page, select Application Debugging Support, and then click Next.

  10. On the completion page, clear the check box next to Build the following configuration after I click Finish, and then click Finish.

Completing the New OS Wizard in Visual Studio 2012

Build the OS run-time image

You build an OS run-time image as you would build any other Visual Studio project. The build time varies depending on your computer speed, BSP selection, and OS design.

To build your project

  1. Go to Build>Configuration Manager.

  2. Under Active solution configuration, select Generic CEPC x86 Release. The Configuration column next to your project name should change to match your selection.

    Build configuration options in Visual Studio 2012

  3. Select the box under Build, then close Configuration Manager.

  4. Go to Build>Build Solution. Platform Builder starts building the OS image.

    Build a project in Visual Studio 2012

Learn more about

  • Board support packages (BSPs)
    A BSP is a set of software components that allows a Windows Embedded Compact OS to run on a specific hardware platform. A BSP typically consists of a boot loader, an OEM adaptation layer (OAL), device drivers, configuration files, and the kernel independent transport layer (KITL). For more information about the BSPs available for Compact 2013, see Board Support Package (BSP).
  • Design templates and their options
    Design templates preselect OS features for specific device categories and include the basic building blocks of the OS architecture for each category. To find out more about how design templates can reduce your overall OS development time, see Select an OS Design Template.
  • Build options in Platform Builder
    Platform Builder provides several options for customizing the build process with time-saving functionality such as targeted building, release directory modules, alternate release directories, batch building, and scripting. For more information about how to customize your build, see Customize Your Build. For a detailed explanation of the Windows Embedded Compact build process, see How the Build System Works.

In this Section

  • Download the OS to the Device
    Shows you how to use Platform Builder in Visual Studio to connect to your virtual test device and download the Windows Embedded Compact 2013 OS to the device.

See Also

Concepts

Getting Started