How to Use the IDE to Create, Customize, and Build a Run-Time Image (Windows Embedded CE 6.0)

1/6/2010

You can use the Platform Builder for Windows Embedded CE 6.0 integrated development environment (IDE) to create, customize, and build a run-time image that you can download to a target device.

The target device can be a standard development board that is designed to support Windows Embedded CE. The target device can also be the Device Emulator, or a Windows Embedded CE PC-based hardware platform (CEPC), which is an x86-based desktop computer that runs Windows Embedded CE–based applications and device drivers. This particular topic describes how to download the run-time image to the Device Emulator or a CEPC.

If your target device is the Device Emulator, the Device Emulator does not require additional hardware because it runs on the development workstation on which Platform Builder is installed.

Hardware and Software Assumptions

• Your CEPC has a mouse or other input device.
• Your CEPC has an NE2000-compatible Ethernet card. For information on using a CEPC with a DMA-compatible Ethernet controller, see article Q317432 at this Microsoft Web site.
• Your CEPC has 32 MB RAM for a typical run-time image built from a Release configuration of your OS design.
• Your CEPC has 64 MB RAM for a typical run-time image built from a Debug configuration of your OS design.
  Run-time images built from Debug configurations can be larger than those built from Release configurations, and might require more memory in to run.

For more information about how to set up CEPC hardware, see How to Set Up a CEPC.

Steps

Step	Topic
1. Use the Windows Embedded CE OS Design Wizard to select a design and the initial components for the OS design.	Creating an OS Design with the Windows Embedded CE OS Design Wizard
2. (Optional) Customize the settings for your OS design by using the OS Design Property Pages dialog box and by setting environment variables. For example, you might want to enable KITL support in your OS design for debugging purposes. You can do this by clearing the environment variable IMGNOKITL, which is set by default. Or you might want to configure the locales included in your run-time image by modifying your OS design settings.	Modifying OS Design Settings OS Design Settings Setting or Clearing an Environment Variable (Visual Studio) Environment Variables
3. Choose a Debug or Release configuration to target when Platform Builder builds the OS design into a run-time image. To use the kernel debugger, make sure that support for the kernel debugger is enabled.	Levels of Debugging Support Building a Run-Time Image From a Debug Configuration Building a Run-Time Image From a Release Configuration
4. If you expect the size of either the debug or the release run-time image to exceed 32 MB, enable support for a large run-time image in the settings for the OS design. Note: Debug run-time images are typically larger than release run-time images. If you choose a debug configuration and the OS design contains many features, it is likely that the size of the run-time image will exceed 32 MB.	Enabling a Run-Time Image Size Larger Than 32 MB
5. (Optional) Customize your OS design by adding content. For example, you might want to add another feature or device driver from the Catalog to your OS design. Or, you might want to add a new application to your OS design by creating a new subproject.	Adding to an OS Design Windows Embedded CE Features Creating a New Subproject Adding an Existing Subproject to an OS Design Adding a File to a Run-time Image
6. (Optional) Localize your OS design.	OS Localization
7. Build the subprojects that you added to your OS design. After you re-build subproject code, the next time that you build the run-time image, changes that you made since the last build will be added to your run-time image.	Running a Targeted Build Building a Selected Subproject Building a Subproject
8. Build the OS design into a run-time image.	Building a Run-Time Image
9. In the Output window, on the Output tab, verify that the build contains no errors.	Build Error Debugging Process
10. Choose a download service appropriate for the connection hardware. The download service will download a run-time image to the target device.	Download Service Selection
11. Set up and configure the connection hardware required for the download service. That hardware connects the target device to the development workstation, on which Platform Builder is installed. Examples of connection hardware include cables, a hub, or Ethernet network adapters.	Hardware Configuration
12. If you selected Serial Download Service in step 5, configure the HyperTerminal terminal emulation application to display the serial debug output from the serial port on the target device. This configuration requires a null-modem cable connected to a serial port, such as COM1.	Configuring HyperTerminal for BSPs
13. Turn on the target device so that it becomes active on the Ethernet network or over the serial connection, and Platform Builder can discover it.	Not applicable
14. Configure the connection to the target device. Choose the appropriate topic based on whether the development workstation and the target device are connected by an Ethernet network or a serial port connection.	Configuring an Ethernet Remote Connection Configuring a Serial Remote Connection
15. Download the run-time image to the target device through the configured connection.	Downloading a Run-Time Image Downloading a Run-Time Image to a CEPC Downloading a Run-Time Image to the Device Emulator
16. Verify that you have downloaded your run-time image to your target device. If you have successfully downloaded the run-time image, the run-time image boots.	Not applicable

See Also

Concepts

Developing an OS Design
Creating a Subproject
Modifying an OS Design

Other Resources

How to Connect to a Target Device for Debugging
Build Phases