Preparing a PC/Panel PC/Tablet for Industrial Use

[Archie]

In this thread I will go through a series of steps describing how to set up a device to prepare it for use as an industrial HMI. These will do things such as improve security and tolerate abrupt power outages.

[Archie]

It is normal for industrial HMIs to be powered off without the normal Windows Shutdown. Normally this can cause bootup problems. I will describe a method to make your PC tolerate this.

- Click the Start Button and type CMD
- You get an option of cmd.exe or Command Prompt
- Right click either option and select Run As Administrator
- Once your command prompt window open, type the following:
bcdedit /set {current} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures

- Make sure it says the command executed successfully

[Archie]

Once you deploy your AdvancedHMI application, you will not want the users to access the desktop and change settings. To setup AdvancedHMI for this, follow these steps:

- Open your MainForm in design view
- Click anywhere in a blank area on the form
- In the properties window, set FormBorderStyle to None
- Set the WindowState to maximized

You may want to add a secret way to exit the application for updating. This is a technique I use:

- Leave the AdvancedHMI picture box on the form
- Select the PictureBox
- In the Properties Window, click on the lightening bolt to get to the events
- In the space after DoubleClick, double click
- You should now be back to the code view, enter the following code:

Code: [Select]

Close()

Once your application is running, you can now double click the logo to close the application.