Windows Embedded Industry, formerly Windows Embedded POSReady and Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS), is an

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...

subfamily developed by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

as part of its

Windows Embedded Windows IoT, formerly Windows Embedded, is a family of operating systems from Microsoft designed for use in embedded systems. Microsoft currently has three different subfamilies of operating systems for embedded devices targeting a wide market, ...

family of products. Based on

Windows NT Windows NT is a proprietary graphical operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems sc ...

, Windows Embedded Industry is designed for use in industrial devices such as

cash register A cash register, sometimes called a till or automated money handling system, is a mechanical or electronic device for registering and calculating transactions at a point of sale. It is usually attached to a drawer for storing cash and other v ...

automated teller machine An automated teller machine (ATM) or cash machine (in British English) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables customers of financial institutions to perform financial transactions, such as cash withdrawals, deposits, fun ...

s, and

self service checkout Self-checkouts (SCOs), also known as assisted checkouts (ACOs) or self-service checkouts, are machines that provide a mechanism for customers to complete their own transaction from a retailer without needing a traditional staffed checkout. When ...

s. Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry was the last release, with Windows IoT Enterprise superseding Windows Embedded Industry, Windows Embedded Standard, and Windows For Embedded Systems (FES).

Releases

Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS)

Windows Embedded for Point of Service was released on May 24, 2005, nearly a year after its

Windows XP SP2 Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was release to manufacturing, released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Wind ...

counterpart was launched by

in August 2004. WEPOS expanded

family of products. It was the first edition of Windows Embedded that could use the Windows Update Agent to update an installed and deployed image. Service Pack 3 (SP3) for WEPOS was released on October 8, 2008. Mainstream support ended on April 12, 2011 and extended support ended on April 12, 2016. When the new Microsoft Lifecycle Support policy for Internet Explorer went into effect on January 12, 2016, IE6 support was dropped from not only WEPOS, but all other supported platforms.

Windows Embedded POSReady 2009

Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 offers more features over Windows Embedded for Point of Service such as Full Localization,

Internet Explorer 7 Windows Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) (codenamed Rincon) is a web browser for Windows. It was released by Microsoft on October 18, 2006, as the seventh version of Internet Explorer and the successor to Internet Explorer 6. Internet Explorer 7 is par ...

and XPS support if

.NET Framework The .NET Framework (pronounced as "''dot net"'') is a proprietary software framework developed by Microsoft that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It was the predominant implementation of the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) until bein ...

3.5 or higher is installed. This edition was released on December 9, 2008, exactly seven months after its

Windows XP SP3 Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was release to manufacturing, released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Wind ...

counterpart was launched on May 6, 2008. Prior to XP's end of support, some

Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...

users have reported that the

Regedit The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores low-level settings for the Microsoft Windows operating system and for applications that opt to use the registry. The kernel, device drivers, services, Security Accounts Manager, and use ...

tool on their operating system can be used to 'trick'

Windows Update Windows Update is a Microsoft service for the Windows 9x and Windows NT families of operating system, which automates downloading and installing Microsoft Windows software updates over the Internet. The service delivers software updates for Wind ...

into accepting updates targeting POSReady 2009. POSReady 2009 is also notable as being the last XP derived

to receive official support from

. Starting in 2017, Microsoft announced end of support for POSReady 2009. Mainstream support for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009--the last supported edition of Windows based on Windows XP--ended on April 8, 2014 and extended support ended on April 9, 2019, marking the final end of the Windows XP codebase after 17 years, 7 months, and 16 days.

Windows Embedded POSReady 7

Windows Embedded POSReady 7, which is based on

Windows 7 Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009. It is the successor to Windows Vista, released nearly ...

with SP1, was released on July 1, 2011, nearly two years after

debuted. It is the last supported edition of Windows based on

to receive official support from

. Mainstream support for Windows Embedded POSReady 7 ended on and extended support ended on . That date marked the final end of extended support for the Windows 7 codebase after 12 years, 2 months and 20 days. Windows Embedded POSReady 7 is eligible for the paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program (free for Azure Virtual Desktop users). This service is available via

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

s, in yearly installments. Security updates are available for the operating system until at most October 8, 2024. This will mark the final end of Extended Security Updates support, including all security updates for the Windows 7 codebase after 15 years, 2 months, and 17 days. In addition, this will mark the final end of all support for the Windows Embedded Industry subfamily.

Windows Embedded 8 Industry

Based on

Windows 8 Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012; it was subsequently made available for downl ...

, Windows Embedded 8 Industry was released on April 2, 2013 and is available in Pro, Pro Retail, and Enterprise editions. The Pro and Pro Retail editions are only available pre-installed on

devices, while the Enterprise edition is available through the volume licensing channel only. The Pro Retail edition adds a few extra features for use in

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

environments, while the Enterprise edition provides embedded-specific features designed to integrate seamlessly with Windows 8 Enterprise.

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest airline in North America when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the numb ...

uses Windows Embedded 8 Industry in-flight entertainment devices. Unsupported as of January 12, 2016; users must install Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry in order to continue receiving updates and support.

Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry

Based on

Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 is a release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on August 27, 2013, and broadly released for retail sale on October 17, 2013, about a year after the retail release of its pre ...

, Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry was released on October 17, 2013 by

as a component of the operating system itself. As with 8 Industry, it is available in Pro, Pro Retail, and Enterprise editions. Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Update was released on April 16, 2014. Mainstream support for Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry ended on July 10, 2018 and extended support ends on July 11, 2023. This will mark the final end of "extended support" for the Windows Embedded Industry subfamily. However, unlike Windows Embedded POSReady 7, Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry (along with other editions of Windows 8.1) is not eligible for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, despite it's server counterpart is eligible for ESU.

Windows IoT Enterprise

Microsoft rebranded "Windows Embedded" to "Windows IoT" starting with the release of embedded editions of Windows 10. Windows IoT Enterprise acts as the successor to Windows Embedded Industry.

System requirements

References

External links

* (archived at

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

) * (archived at

) {{Microsoft Windows family Embedded operating systems Microsoft operating systems Embedded Industry