Device Branding (Standard 8)
7/8/2014
Review the Windows branding elements able to be suppressed in Windows Embedded 8 Standard (Standard 8).
Device branding enables you to add your own corporate identity, from initial startup to device shutdown, to a device built by using Windows Embedded 8 Standard (Standard 8). By default, devices that run the Standard 8 OS display identifiable Windows 8 UI elements. This includes elements such as startup and shutdown screens, the Windows 8 logon screen, the Explorer shell, dialog boxes, etc.
There are many scenarios where you might want to hide or replace the Windows Embedded brand elements. You may want your device to be treated like an appliance instead of a computer. In this case, you want to replace or suppress as many Windows brand elements as possible. For example, a bank may not want their ATM machines to give any hint of the underlying operating system in order to reduce attempts to breach the security or disable the machine. An airline company may want their check-in terminals to only display the name of their company, so that their customers know they are using the correct terminals.
In Standard 8, you can suppress almost all Windows brand elements, and replace many elements with your own corporate brand elements. For more information, see Branding Features for Standard 8.
Important
You can’t suppress or replace the Windows branding that appears when you service or update your device operating system image.
Windows Branding
The following table describes how to suppress the Windows branding elements.
UI element |
To suppress |
|---|---|
Firmware Boot Screen |
This screen is customizable by the firmware manufacturer. You cannot customize this screen by using Standard 8, as the OS is not loaded yet at this point. |
Operating System Selection Screen |
Set the default OS and set the boot timeout value to 0 (zero) to hide this screen. Change these values by using the |
BitLocker Screen |
Configure BitLocker to hide this screen. |
Advanced Boot Options Screen |
Use Unbranded Boot to disable the keys that bring up this screen. |
Boot Screen |
Use Unbranded Boot to disable the various elements on this screen or suppress the screen completely. |
Windows Logon Screen |
Use Custom Logon to suppress all elements of the UI. You can provide a custom credential provider to modify the logon UI. |
Active Shell Session |
Use Shell Launcher to launch a custom shell instead of the Windows 8 Explorer shell. You can configure Shell Launcher to launch different shells for specific users or groups of users. |
Secure Authentication Screen (SAS) |
UseKeyboard Filter to block the Ctr+Alt+Del key combination that brings up the SAS screen. |
Lock Screen |
Use Keyboard Filter to block the Win+L key combination that brings up the lock screen. |
Crash Screen |
Use Unbranded Boot to display a black screen and reboot when the OS encounters an error that it cannot recover from. |
Blocked Shutdown Resolver Screen (BSDR) |
Use Custom Logon to suppress the BSDR screen and automatically end applications while the OS waits for applications to close before a shutdown. |
Windows Dialog Boxes |
Use Dialog Filter to prevent undesirable dialog boxes and pop-up windows from displaying on the screen. |
Windows Embedded Edition Strings |
Add the Unbranded Screens module to replace Windows Embedded text strings with blank strings. |
You can download a large-scale technical poster that describes how to add and configure lockdown and branding features to your Standard 8 operating system.