How to Configure the Registry to Run an Application at Startup (Windows Embedded CE 6.0)

1/6/2010

You can add an application to your OS design and then configure the registry to run the application when your run-time image boots.

By doing so, you can decrease the amount of time involved in debugging an application. Otherwise, after your run-time image boots, you must manually load and run the application on your target device.

Hardware and Software Assumptions

• You have already created a Windows Embedded CE 6.0-based application that you can download to a target device. For information, see Creating a New Subproject.

Steps

Step	Topic
1. Open an existing OS design, or create a new one, and then build and download the run-time image to a target device.	How to Use the IDE to Create, Customize, and Build a Run-Time Image
2. Use the Remote Registry Editor to discover the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Init launch numbers for each .exe file that runs on the target device at startup. To run your application at startup, assign launch numbers to your application's .exe files in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Init section of the registry of the target device. Connect to your target device using the Remote Registry Editor. If the connection fails, see Configuring the Connection to a Target Device Using Platform Manager. In the Windows Embedded CE Remote Registry Editor window, expand the Default Device node, then the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE node, and then the Init node. In the right pane, in the Name column, note the launch number for each application. These numbers use the launchnn format, where nn is the launch number.	Opening Remote Registry Editor Connecting to a Target Device with a Remote Tool
3. Add the application to your OS design as a subproject. If you have not created a subproject, for information, see Creating a New Subproject.	Adding an Existing Subproject to an OS Design
4. Create a registry entry in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Init section of the Project.reg file for your application.	Configuring a Registry File to Run an Application at Startup
5. Build the subprojects in your OS design.	Building a Selected Subproject
6. Build the OS design into a run-time image.	Building a Run-Time Image
7. Configure a connection between your development workstation and your target device. If you already configured a connection in step 1, you can select the descriptive name in the Target Device box for the connection to the device that you configured. Note: Debugging is not necessary at this point.	Configuring a Connection for Downloading and Debugging
8. Download the run-time image to the target device through the configured connection. If your target device is a CEPC, download your run-time image to the CEPC. 9. If your target device is the Device Emulator, download your run-time image to the Device Emulator.	Downloading a Run-Time Image Downloading a Run-Time Image to a CEPC Downloading a Run-Time Image to the Device Emulator
10. When the download process is complete, verify that the application launched properly on your target device. The time required to display the OS depends on the size of the downloaded run-time image.	Not applicable

See Also

Concepts

Modifying an OS Design

Other Resources

Registry Editor
Registry