Windows IoT on I-Pi SMARC IMX8M Plus(2G/4G)

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for flashing Windows IoT on ADLINK’s LEC-iMX8M-PLUS platform.
Follow these steps carefully to ensure a successful installation.

Prerequisites

  • LEC-iMX8M-PLUS development board

  • Windows PC with a USB port

  • MicroSD card (minimum 8GB recommended)

  • MicroSD card reader

  • Stable internet connection

  • Software (Versions used in this documentation are listed below)

    • Windows 10 IoT Image - LEC-IMX8MP-2G-IPi-SMARC-PLUS_Win10IoT-V1_R3_2023_11_06

    • Visual Studio Community 2022 - 17.8.0

      • Windows Software Development Kit - 10.1.22621.2428

      • Windows Driver Kit - 10.1.22621.2428

      • Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit-Windows 10 - 10.1.19041.1

      • Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit Windows PE Add-on - 10.1.19041.1

Flashing Procedure

Download Required Software

Windows Driver Kit (WDK)

  1. Download and install the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) by following the instructions provided in the article Download the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) - Windows drivers | Microsoft Learn.

  2. Ensure that Visual Studio Community, Windows Software Development Kit (SDK), and Windows Driver Kit (WDK) are downloaded and installed, as per the article’s guidelines.

Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) and Windows PE Add-on

  1. Download the setup files for your preferred versions of the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) and the Windows PE add-on from Download and install the Windows ADK | Microsoft Learn.

  2. Once both setup files are downloaded, proceed with the installation as shown below.

Windows ADK Installation

Refer to the screenshots below for Windows ADK installation procedure.

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Windows PE Add-on for the Windows ADK Installation

Screenshots below show the Windows PE add-on for the Windows ADK installation process.

Download Windows IoT Image for LEC-iMX8M-PLUS

  1. Download the Windows IoT Image zip file for LEC-iMX8M-PLUS from here. Ensure you select the version compatible with the Windows OS Type.
  2. Extract the contents of the downloaded “LEC-IMX8MP-4G/2G-IPi-SMARC-PLUS_Win10IoT-.zip” file into your preferred directory. This package contains pre-built binaries and image files.

Flashing Windows IoT Installer to the SD Card

The subsequent steps guide you through the process of creating an SD card with WinPE and a Windows IoT image, including the necessary BSP drivers. The boot firmware performs a check on the SD card and initiates WinPE, which then installs the Windows IoT image onto the eMMC.

  1. Insert the MicroSD card into your computer using the card reader.

  2. Run the command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the “IoTEntOnImx” folder directory within the previously extracted files.

  3. Execute the following commands to create a copy of the selected install.wim image with injected i.MX drivers.

make-winpe-enterprise.cmd /disable_updates /disable_transparency /patch_sdport /test_signing
  1. The next command facilitates the deployment of the WinPE image to the SD card.
    CAUTION: Ensure the accurate selection of the disk number, as this step involves formatting the chosen disk.
make-winpe-enterprise.cmd /apply <disk_number>

Where <disk_number> represents the physical number assigned to the SD card disk on your PC. You can obtain this information using the Disk Management tool (right-click the start menu icon and select Disk Management).

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The WinPE-based Windows installer is now successfully deployed on the SD card.

Flashing Firmware to the SD Card

To deploy boot firmware to the SD card from Windows, follow these steps:

  1. Run the command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the “Firmware” folder directory.

  2. Insert the SD card into the host PC, and execute the board-specific command provided below:

flash_bootloader.cmd /device LEC-iMX8MP /target_drive <SD card driver letter, for example, I:>

Installing Windows IoT on Board eMMC and Booting Windows IoT

  1. Safely power down the board by turning it off.

  2. Insert the SD card into the board.

  3. Modify the boot device configuration to prioritize the SD card, as shown below.

Boot Settings for SD Card

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Boot Configuration in the Board

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  1. Turn on the board and allow the Windows installer to install Windows IoT Enterprise to the eMMC. Following that, the system will reboot into the installed Windows. Please note that the installation process from the SD card may take approximately 30 minutes.

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Note: The WinPE installer automatically renames the EFI folder at the root of the SD card to _efi. This renaming prevents UEFI from accessing the SD card during boot, allowing you to keep the SD card inserted across reboots without triggering a reinstall of Windows IoT each time.

If you intend to boot into the WinPE installer again, simply revert the folder name from _efi back to EFI.s