| Installing XP Embedded optional updates without rebuilding images |
Dec. 28, 2007
In October, Microsoft released the first in a series of optional updates for Windows XP Embedded, planned to be released on every even-numbered month. Implementing these normally requires rebuilding XP Embedded images, but a new posting on the Embedded Windows Team's blog discusses ways to get around that.
In her posting, Microsoft Embedded Program Manager Lynda Allen notes that, "Rebuilding the image is the most reliable way to get the fix(es), but some customers do not want that hassle for hundreds of deployed devices if they can just push down some files and .REG keys to the runtime using the mechanism they already have for servicing the device."
October's optional updates were made available for Windows XP Embedded Service Pack 2, Feature Pack 2007, and Update Rollup 1.0. The first, KB 942527, for Group Policy Core Support Files, is said to add a component dependency to the Group Policy Core Support Files component, in order to automatically bring the Group Policy Core component and its resources into a runtime. The second, KB 942525, for Windows Media Player 10, adds a registration resource to the Media Player component in order to facilitate the playing of MPEG-4 content.
According to Allen, KB 942527 was designed to ensure that all the registry keys and dependencies required in order to fully support Group Policy functionality are satisfied. A workaround, for those who do not want to rebuild images, is to add Group Policy Core and its dependencies to the runtime.
But, she writes, "The challenge is satisfying the dependency chain. If you already have all the dependencies in your runtime then you are good to go and can use your usual servicing mechanism to apply the .REG keys for Group Policy Core." However, if some dependencies are missing, they will have to be evaluated to see how easy it would be to add them and their dependencies to the runtime. "Some components may need custom actions like registering DLLs or services to be started, so it may be easier to just apply the componentized hotfix in the long run," adds Allen.
As for KB 942525, this addressed the fact that some MP4 content could not be played in Windows Media Player 10 without prompting the user. The optional update adds a resource to the Windows Media Player component in order to register mp4sdmod.dll.
The workaround here for those who choose not to use the componentized fix is to use regsvr32 on runtime to register mp4sdmod.dll, according to Allen. It naturally requires that the regsvr32 component is already on the runtime or can be copied to it.
Further information
You can read Allen's posting detailing the above workarounds further here, and an earlier posting announcing the October updates here. To obtain the October 2007 optional supplement update, access the ECE site, here (ECE user name and password required).
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