(Click here for larger image of HMPro screenshot)HORMAccording to Microsoft, HORM works together with EWF to protect against unwanted write access and provide quicker boot times. HORM and EWF have apparently been puzzling developers ever since SP2
was released in late 2004. Last year, the XP Embedded team published an
in-depth article on MSDN, in an effort to clear up some of the confusion.
HORM Manager ProHORM Manager Pro (HMPro) is a Windows XPe component that sits on top of the EWF, XPe power management, and Win32 APIs. It uses these to control HORM, EWF, and application/service behavior, according to Wechsler, and it executes command files previously created either on an XPe or XP Pro desktop system. HMPro's rule engine warns or disallows impossible or senseless configurations, and gives advice on how to handle special situations.
Wechsler lists the following features for HMPro:
- Enable or disable either HORM or EWF automatically.
- Start and stop any application or service
- Protect EWF unprotected volumes from possible damage when enabling HORM.
- Automatically reconnect network drives on wakeup from hibernation
- Create and update hibernation files
- Schedule maintenance of field devices with HMPro and Windows Task Scheduler
- Extensive logging options to trace system errors
- Use HMPro with custom shells (no dependency on explorer shell)
- Quick commands enable fast control of HORM and EWF in the field
HMPro is priced at around $20. A trial version is available for download,
here.
Earlier this year, Alexander Wechsler, a Microsoft Embedded MVP, released a free version of the product, called
HORM Manager Lite.
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