How do I run the Target Analyzer (for Windows XP Embedded) on the TPC-2006 touch panel computer running Windows CE

[William_Griffin]

Here’s the situation. I have a touch panel computer (TPC-2006) that I like, but it uses Windows CE. The full version of Windows XP would be a bit excessive, so I would like to install Windows XP Embedded.

As a guide, I have been using the article Running LabVIEW on Windows XP Embedded. The first step after installing Windows XP Embedded Studio is to gather data on the touch panel’s hardware. Fortunately the XP Embedded development suite comes with a program called "Target Analyzer" to make this easy this for you. You may run either version (tap.exe or ta.exe) on your target device and it will create an XML file called "devices.pmq" that you can then use in the XP Embedded development studio. The preferred program is tap.exe, but that requires the target system to be running Windows XP or Windows 2000.

Thus I need to find a way to make ta.exe work on the touch panel. The previously mentioned article suggests "running it from a DOS or Windows 95 boot floppy." I am hoping to boot the touch panel from a USB Flash drive (or a floppy drive attached via USB), but I don’t know how to make that happen. I’ve tried to do a little research on this, but I am not real comfortable with the topic. I thought maybe someone out there might have a better idea of how to go about this.

[Jeremy_B]

Hi William,

You could possibly just transfer the ta.exe program to the touch panel, and run it from within Windows CE.  May I ask why you want to change the operating system on the touch panel?

[MCJ]

The TPC-2006 uses an ARM processor. According to Microsoft (https://www.microsoft.com/windows/embedded/products/whichproduct/default.mspx), XP Embedded is only supported on x86 processors. The TPC-2012, however, uses an x86 processor and is capable of running XPe.

-Mike

[Jeremy_B]

MCJ brings up a good point.  I'll also point out that theTPC-2512 is a 12 inch which already has XP Embedded installed on it.

[William_Griffin]

You could possibly just transfer the ta.exe program to the touch panel, and run it from within Windows CE. 

 I have tried copying the program over and running it in Windows CE without luck. A dialog box pops-up saying, "'ta.exe' is not a valid Windows CE application."

May I ask why you want to change the operating system on the touch panel?

I tried working with the touch panel module for LabVIEW, but was unsatisfied with the results. By using XP Embedded, I can write my code using the standard LabVIEW functions, test it on my computer, and easily copy the application/installer over to the touch panel.

The TPC-2006 uses an ARM processor. According to Microsoft (https://www.microsoft.com/windows/embedded/products/whichproduct/default.mspx), XP Embedded is only supported on x86 processors. The TPC-2012, however, uses an x86 processor and is capable of running XPe.

Thank you for pointing that out. It is a very good point that I had not considered. I may still look into using the 2012. In that case, I would run into the same problem, so I would still be open to suggestions.

MCJ brings up a good point.  I'll also point out that theTPC-2512 is a 12 inch which already has XP Embedded installed on it.

The space requirements of the product prohibit a 12 inch screen.

A little more history here. I actually bought this touch panel (TPC-2006) a while back, but was frustrated by the limitations of the touch panel module. I then bought another 6" touch panel (not from NI) with XP (full) installed. This was much easier to work with, but now I am stuck with an unused TPC-2006. Rather than use it as an expensive paper weight, I thought I would look into getting XP Embedded installed on it. I guess that won't work out because of the processor limitations. Still, if I can figure out how to get XP Embedded working on a similar one like the 2012, maybe I could switch back to a cheaper, NI supported solution for future versions of the product.

[EdDickens]

One of the big limitations we had with the TPC-2006 and WinCE is that our application uses FTP quite a bit. WinCE does not support the LabVIEW FTP VIs.

The display graphics were another problem. The CE UI is limited.

We are putting this display in a product we are developing so the look of the UI is important. The look of the CE front panel just wasn't what we wanted.

It looks like the small panels you sell are XScale based, so XPe won't be an option for those either.

I guess we'll have to stick with the Geode based display since it supports Xp, XPe and CE.