If you run TAP.exe on your target hardware you will get every device listed in the registry. Some of these devices are not real devices at all, but are software-enumerated devices and are very rarely (if ever) needed on a runtime image. Disabling or deleting these software-enumerated devices will save on footprint because their dependencies unnecessary files will not be added to your image, and neither...

Hurry up and go to the Windows Embedded Standard Connect website and download the CTP Refresh in order to be automatically entered for a chance to win a Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000!  The contest runs through tomorrow, and we will be randomly selecting 10 winners to receive this cool new piece of hardware from Microsoft.  For more complete details on the contest read my previous blog...

On August 12th, 2008 the Embedded Windows team released a Community Technology Preview (CTP) Refresh of Windows® Embedded Standard as well as a CTP of Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Windows® XP Embedded! These can be  downloaded from https://connect.microsoft.com/windowsembedded . Please join the live chat with the Embedded Windows product team on August 28th at 10am (Pacific Time)- a ll the...

Occasionally, you may want to rename the page file from Pagefile.sys to Newfilename .sys, where Newfilename is the name you want to give to the renamed file. Or, you may want to move the page file to another partition that is not protected by EWF. To rename or move the page file, make the appropriate changes to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control...

To get the most from using static analysis tool PREfast , you should add annotations to your source code. While this might sound like a difficult thing to do, it’s really not. The Visual Studio 2008 SAL documentation on MSDN has been rewritten to present the annotations as a series of choices or, in other words, a “cheat sheet.” This updated documentation doesn’t, however, give any significant examples;...

This tip is applicable to Enhanced Write Filter (EWF-RAM) users. To move Event Viewer logs to a volume unprotected by EWF, modify the following three registry keys as shown in the following example. The example uses drive D as the unprotected volume. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Application File=D:\\AppEvent.evt HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet...

These days there are some great tools available for improving the quality of your code. Two such tools available from Microsoft are PREfast and FxCop. These tools are static analysis tools which look for provably wrong coding patterns. PREfast analyzes C/C++ source code and FxCop analyzes managed code binaries. Both tools are shipped with the Visual Studio Team Systems products. And PREfast is also...

The August 2008 Windows XP Embedded Security Updates are now available on the Mobile & Embedded Communications Extranet (ECE) for Microsoft® Windows® XP Embedded Service Pack 2, Feature Pack 2007, and/or Update Rollup 1.0. The downloads are cumulative and include updates for the Desktop QFE Installer (DQI) Tool and the Component Database. The following updates are included in this release...

Here’s my favorite tip – get your hands on a copy of Glenford Myers’ The Art of Software Testing and read it. You say that you’re not a tester, but a software engineer? All the more reason to read the book! Not only will it help you write better code it will help you understand how to better verify your code before you, um, turn it over for testing. A few additional points about Glenford’s book...

On August 12th, 2008 the Embedded Windows team released a Community Technology Preview (CTP) Refresh of Windows® Embedded Standard as well as a CTP of Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Windows® XP Embedded! These can be  downloaded from https://connect.microsoft.com/windowsembedded . Please join the live chat with the Embedded Windows product team on August 28th at 10am (PST). All the team experts...

Today we announced a new contest on the Windows Embedded Standard Connect Website .  If you download the Windows Embedded Standard CTP Refresh between 8/18/08 and 8/29/08, you can be entered for a chance to win a Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 as pictured below.  We will be giving away ten (10) of these prizes.  You can read the full sweepstakes rules here .  This comfortable...

For evaluation runtimes, the countdown to expiration begins when the runtime goes through the First Boot Agent phase. For the evaluation testing, it's important that the machine being used has its CMOS clock set to the correct date. If the runtime 'sees' the clock move forward several months suddenly, you may find your runtime expiring much sooner than expected. This sudden change in date may occur...