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64

answers:

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I've always wanted a minimal windows NT build . Sounds like one's already there : MinWin. Can anyone tell me the exact design or architecture of MinWin and is it used in Windows 7 ? Windows Server 2008 already has a minimal Core build available for deployment . Why not Windows 7?

A: 

Windows Server 2008 R2 also has the same core build available for it.

Windows 7 is a client OS and it's highly unlikely that anyone would ever want to use a "core system" version of it. For instance the core server SKU doesn't have the ability to use any video cards beyond the basic VGA driver or have a shell - the only UI is cmd.exe. There's no .Net framework, no multimedia, etc. As I understand it from what I've seen on the web, Minwin has even less functionality than core server does - from what I've seen, it doesn't even support graphics.

Larry Osterman
I'm not sure if Windows Server 2008 R2 also has the same core build. Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich(sysinternals) is the authority here. Charles Torres writes this : "Most people confuse MinWin with Windows Server 2008's ServerCore technology - the confusion stems from the incorrect assumption that ServerCore is a byproduct of the MinWin work"
iceman
I got the answer to my second question as to why not one for Windows 7..."Windows 7 is a client OS and it's highly unlikely that anyone would ever want to use a "core system" version of it. ".... having something like Windows CE where you can build your OS would be interesting...atleast for some users..
iceman
I never said that ServerCore was MinWin. You did. I was just pointing out that there's a ServerCore version of Windows Server 2008 R2.And Microsoft has something like Windows CE where you can build your own OS. It's called Windows Embedded (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded). But it's not MinWin.
Larry Osterman
iceman
Are there any differences in the Windows 7 scheduler and Windows Embedded scheduler ? I last used Windows CE 5.0 (and XP Embedded) and it appears that since then MS has changed the embedded product lineup.
iceman
WinCE is not Windows Embedded. But I don't know the details of the differences between the two, for that you'd have to ask someone like Mark Russinovich or David Soloman.
Larry Osterman