Configuration Files (Standard 8)
7/8/2014
Review configuration files, components, and modules in Windows Embedded 8 Standard (Standard 8).
A configuration file is an XML-based file that contains definitions and values to be used by Image Builder. In a configuration file, you specify various setup options. These setup options include how to partition disks, the location of the Windows Embedded 8 Standard (Standard 8) image to install, and the product key to apply. You can also specify values that apply to the Standard 8 installation such as the names of user accounts, display settings and Internet Explorer favorites. The configuration file for Image Builder is typically called Unattend.xml.
The configuration file you create in Image Configuration Editor (ICE) are associated with a particular Standard 8 image. This association lets you validate the settings in the configuration file to the settings available in the Standard 8 image. However, you can use any configuration file to install any Standard 8 image. If a configuration file contains settings for components that do not exist in the Standard 8 image, those settings are ignored.
Settings in a configuration file are organized into two sections, Components and Modules.
Components
The Components section of a configuration file contains all the component settings that are applied by Image Builder. Components are organized into different configuration passes: windowsPE, offlineServicing, generalize, specialize, auditSystem, auditUser and oobeSystem. Each configuration pass represents a different phase of Image Builder.
For more information about the different Standard 8 components and settings that you can configure in a configuration file, see Modules Technical Reference
Modules
Modules are used by Microsoft to distribute software updates, service packs, and language packs. Modules can also include Standard 8 features and in Standard 8, users can create their own custom modules.
You can configure modules to be added to a Standard 8 image, removed from a Standard 8 image, or change the settings for features in a module.
The Embedded Core, included in all Standard 8 images, includes Standard 8 features. For example, Media Player, Games and Backup are all Standard 8 features is Embedded Core.
Features are either enabled or disabled in Standard 8. If you enable a Standard 8 feature, the resources, executable files and settings for that feature are available to users on the system. If you disable a Standard 8 feature, the package resources are not available. However, the resources are not removed from the system.
Some Standard 8 features may require other features to be installed before the already installed version of Standard 8 can be enabled. This is because some features depend on other features. You must validate the configuration file and add any required packages to fulfill these dependencies.
Modules in a configuration file are applied to the Standard 8 image during the offlineServicing configuration pass.