Windows Embedded 8 Industry Release Preview Now Available!

[viper]

New Download Available for Windows Embedded 8 Industry Preview!

On January 14ththe Windows Embedded 8 Industry Release Preview was made available for general public release. We encourage you to download and evaluate today, and send us your feedback!

Overview

Windows Embedded 8 Industry (Industry 8) combines the power, innovation and familiarity of Windows 8 with specific features for devices targeted toward point of service (POS), digital signage, and manufacturing needs. Industry 8 is a significant update to Windows Embedded POSReady 7 that incorporates a new product name, new technologies, and improvements to core technology. Industry 8 also features a new UI-based setup experience to help accelerate rapid prototyping of industry focused solutions.

Windows Embedded 8 Industry provides support for industry device requirements around:

Compliance, Security & Lockdown
Unified POS Peripherals Support
Custom Branding
Activation, Management, & Servicing of the OS & Apps (WinRT & Win 32)
>snip<

Join the program:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedde ... ustry.aspx

Or Log-in @ Connect & go to the "Directory" button > Windows Embedded > Windows Embedded 8 Industry Release Preview > Join

Documentation, x86 & x64 ISOs & a video are available + Feedback accepted.

[ultrawindows]

Buildinformation:
2.0.0446.0 (win8_rtm_emb_dev.130108-2350)
6.2.9200.16384 (win8_rtm_emb_dev.130108-2350)

The skuConfig has an older buildnumber from November '12:
2.0.0432.0 (win8_rtm_emb_dev_isku.121112-1714)

[john11]

Happened almost a week ago (I got an email0, but its pretty cool. Haven't tried it myself (but might in a few weeks).

[Rob Jansen]

The UI is the same as in Windows 8, trial limit, it will expire in September.
It is also mostly the same as the Windows 8 Embedded Standard released back in October, it is just a different SKU

It includes the Start Screen (starts by default), but only has Internet Explorer in Modern Version and links to the Desktop and Explorer.

[viper]

Here are a few screenshots from the video, hyping this product.











*Now to try & test it in Hyper-V, searching (google) doesn't have much info on VM installs.

[Rob Jansen]

To add.

This build when booted opens up a Modern Style Setup (but only the first 2 pages, since after inserting the Product Key it then shows the regular installation screens).

[viper]

I decided to install the x86 flavor on a WD "my passport" external USB 3.0 hdd.
I used a Win8 Enterprise x64 (host) & Hyper-V as the VM, the install went fast & easy.
The rig I am running this setup on does have SLAT enabled.

As Rob mentioned the first 2 setup screens are (totally) different. The rest of the install looks like a Win8 install. My previous embedded installs had a (slightly) different background w/ a group of circles forming a bar across the back, that’s gone w/ this one.

Here are the first 2 setup screens.

[compgeke]

Continuing from viper's screen shots, here's the rest of the install process.

First thing is the "Setup is starting screen"


Then it goes right into an installation progress window


After that it restarts and goes into the "Getting Devices Ready" then "Getting Ready"


After that you get the standard "Personalize" screen


It also supports logging in with your email.


You can choose express or custom settings just like Windows 8, although I didn't bother with a screen shot as I did custom settings.

Logging in with a Microsoft account:


The (almost) default start screen, I did change the theme during the personalization, so the background is different.


And the default desktop.


And finally, a winver screen shot. I do find it odd that winver has no logo for the task bar, and that it licensed to my email rather than my name, which is (obviously) on my email as it's shown in the login.


Just a side note, if installing in Virtual Box select "Enable 3D Acceleration" or your interface is going to be insanely laggy and it'll seem like it's running insanely slow.

Next thing to do is download the Toolkit so I can see what all that has to offer, using the plain install disk feels like a Server 2012 install without the server programs.

[WinPC]

And finally, a winver screen shot. I do find it odd that winver has no logo for the task bar, and that it licensed to my email rather than my name, which is (obviously) on my email as it's shown in the login.

That's just the way WINVER works for all Windows installations since around Windows Vista if I remember correctly. I tried the same thing on my own Windows 8 installation and it didn't display a Windows logo within the taskbar either.

Just a side note, if installing in Virtual Box select "Enable 3D Acceleration" or your interface is going to be insanely laggy and it'll seem like it's running insanely slow.

I thought that VirtualBox didn't support Windows 8 without hardware virtualization. That's why I haven't been able to install any build of Windows 8 within a virtual machine on my rather low end system.

[compgeke]

My desktop there has VT-X (Core 2 Quad Q6600), however I will say that it did seem a bit slow even then, which is probably because I set a 50% execution cap (half of one core), but it also might just be Virtual Box as I noticed Windows 2000 setup felt quite slow also without an execution cap. If anything I should re-install Windows on my desktop anyways, everything feels a tad slower.

[viper]

>snit<
Next thing to do is download the Toolkit so I can see what all that has to offer, using the plain install disk feels like a Server 2012 install without the server programs.

Got it from Connect:
Select: Windows_Embedded_8_Standard_Release_Preview_Toolkit
Actual file name: Embedded_8_Toolkit_release_preview.iso (4,635.31 MB)

[viper]

I finally got this one installed & running on my Windows To Go > Hyper-V setup.
The hardest part for me was getting the Internet working in this Hyper-V>Embedded 8 IRP setup, once done running the Toolkit was a breeze.

Hyper-V desktop w/ Windows Embedded 8 Industry PRO Release Preview shortcuts, I ran the Developer Update first - arrow (no updates)


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