Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro

Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro delivers all the power, familiarity, and reliability of the Windows® 8.1 operating system  for developers to create advanced commercial and consumer devices running thousands of existing Windows applications and drivers.

Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro has the exact same installation media as the Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro Retail version. The difference can be found only in the licenses terms of the products (Retail to use only in POS/Kiosk environment).

Unleash the power of Windows® 8.1 technologies in Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro using a solid platform that fits into existing customer infrastructure.

The Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro is based on the exact same binaries as Windows® 8.1 professional but includes in addition special Embedded features.

This are the key features from Microsoft Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro:

  • Same codebase as Windows® 8.1 Professional
  • Full installation
  • Not componentized
  • Additional Embedded features like: Write Filters, Custom Shell, USB Filter, Keyboard Filter

 

New in Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro

What’s New in Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro

New Components and Tools

  • Windows® Multi Touch
  • Windows® RT Framework
  • Modern Style User Interface (optional)
  • EFI / UEFI support (Secure Boot, UEFI Write Filters)
  • AppLocker
  • VHD Boot
  • Sensor and Location Platform
  • Faster Boot Time
  • Improved Power Management (i.e. Core Parking)
  • VDI Remote Desktop
  • Bitlocker To Go

Development Process

Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro allows for application compatibility by containing the following utilities that simplify and streamline the entire development process.

The whole process is installation .wim file based. The developer can run through the installation wizard or generate an unattend.xml file for a keyless installation. There is no Target Designer or First Boot Agent (FBA) like in Windows® Embedded Standard 2009 / XP Embedded any more.

In fact, it's the standard Windows® 8.1 Professional installation DVD and you can install after the installation the embedded features over the control panel.

More details can be found here

Image Based Wizard (IBW)

A wizard based tool that allows for rapid prototyping of images and provides the quickest way to install a customized image on a device. this is the same wizard as known from Windows® 8.1 Professional or Enterprise. The Embedded features can be installed afterwards over the system control panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows features on or off.

Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro Key Features

Key Facts

Description

Processor Architectures

Because Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro is based on the same binary than Windows® 8.1 Pro, the processor support is the same. All x86 32-bit and 64-bit processors starting with 1GHz are supported.

Modular

Not modular: Full installation

Footprint

A 32-bit image is around 6,5 GB and a 64-bit around 8 GB. The application is not included.

Reliability

Special functionalities for embedded devices are included. You can make your system read-only with the File Based Write Filter (FBWF). You can switch off the device safely without shutting down Windows.
Also booting from read-only medias is supported as well as from flash and from USB devices.

Time-To-Market

Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro provides embedded developers with a unified set of tools to build and deploy customized Windows® 8.1 devices.

Industrial Standard

Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro interoperates with industry standards and existing Microsoft desktop and server technologies to help you create differentiated devices for a broad range of device categories, from commercial devices to consumer electronics products. Microsoft committed to a ten-year extended support for Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro.

Latest Technology

Internet Explorer 11, Windows® Media Player 12, Remote Desktop Protocol, .net Framework 4.5 are included.

Application Development

All applications and drivers from Windows® 8.1 will work on Windows® Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro. No rewriting or porting is necessary.