Can the common Windows application development workflow apply to WCE7?

Question

Specifically speaking for Windows Embedded Compact 7 (with a x86 PC).

In a perfect scenario, I would hope to use the common desktop application development workflow. For example, "install" the provided WCE7 OS from CD, boot-up the OS, copy over a console application to the hard drive and execute the console application (to run some simple tests) - such as I would do on my Windows 7 desktop.

However, in research, I found the common workflow for developing an application on an embedded system with WCE7, includes but is not limited to, creating the OS image with platform builder, installing a boot loader on the device, connect to the device, load the custom built image and run the image from flash etc. (reference: Compact 7 Getting Started by Samuel Phung)

Can the former common application workflow apply to WCE7? If yes, how? If not, why?

I did see Add CAB file to the OS design and How to install an application into the Windows CE 7 image? and How to install .exe file on windows embedded compact 7? but not sure if their scope helps to fully answers this more general design type question.

(In spirit of the former, I did try to executed the installer provided on the WCE7 ISO - but this just appears to load files onto the hard drive, on a partition I made, and was unable to boot into the OS. Since it did not do what I was expecting, what is the purpose of the WCE7 installer? If we build the image from Visual Studio to begin with, how does this installer tie into the second methodology?)

Any point in the right direction is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Windows Embedded Compact is "installed" by device vendors not end users - there is no generic installation because unlike PC hardware there is no generic standard target platform. The "installation" you used was presumably for the software development kit and tools.

Some development platform vendors may provide a pre-configured WinCE image for their particular platform.

It is possible to create an OS image for your particular hardware that includes a shell through which you can load and execute the tests you describe.