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The Internet of Things is a collection of interconnected smart devices. When a device is connected to the internet to enhance its abilities, it is called a smart device. Smart devices come in various sizes – as small as a small drone to as big as driverless trucks to Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Since size is a factor, the motherboard needs to be as small as possible. And that is why people prefer Raspberry PI as it packs more power into smaller board. This article tells you how to install Windows 10 IoT Core on Raspberry Pi.
If you download the iso (Windows 10 IoT Core, Version 1607 (Updated Aug 2016) (x86, x64, ARM) - DVD (English)) from msdn from step 2 you should find 3 msi files (Windows 10 IoT Core OS Packages) that you need to install as requested in point 2. Mar 01, 2019 Hi All, I need to download latest version of Windows 10 IOT Enterprise, So is it free downloaded? Can someone give me some information? Thank & Regards, I am not sure about a free download, but if you have a Visual Studio subscription, you can download it from there. Otherwise, contact your local Microsoft distributor to get a copy.
There are two IoT versions of Windows 10 for the Internet of Things from Microsoft. To know about them, read about Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Core vs Windows 10 IoT Enterprise. IoT Core is good for the single board, single app machines. If you have to install Windows 10 on Raspberry Pi, it would be IoT Core as it takes less space without compromising on quality. Let us see what you need to install Windows 10 IoT Core to Raspberry Pi 3.
Getting ready to install Windows 10 IoT Core to Raspberry Pi
You already have the motherboard/computer-board in the form of the Raspberry Pi. You will need:
- An input device to select language during installation
- A display to view the proceedings;
- An HDMI cable to connect Raspberry Pi to Display (either computer or TV)
- SD Card to be able to install the OS onto Raspberry Pi
- A shared WiFi connection
That’s the hardware part.
You will need a copy of Windows 10 IoT Core Dashboard. You can download it from the Microsoft website. You will get Setup.exe that you have to run to download the remaining components from the Internet. It takes a minute or two, depending on your computer and internet speed.
Towards the end of setup, you will get the Windows 10 IoT Core Dashboard. The first screen is the Set up a New Device screen, as shown below.
- Select the device type which would be “Raspberry Pi 3” or “Raspberry Pi 2 & 3”
- Make sure the OS Build is showing Windows IoT Core
- Insert a removable device (preferably an SD Card) on which the installer will be copied
- Enter your Administrator password and confirm it
- Select the correct Internet/WiFi connection and click Install
How to install Windows 10 IoT Core on Raspberry Pi
- Do not yet power up your Raspberry PI
- Insert the SD card into the Raspberry Pi 3 card slot
- Use the HDMI cable to connect the motherboard to TV/monitor
- Connect Internet – either Ethernet cable or USB WiFi
- Connect the Input device to be able to select the language during install
- Now power up the Raspberry Pi
As soon as you power up the Raspberry board, it boots and installs Windows IoT Core on itself. Now it is time to install your app to the Raspberry board. You can use your app or use one from the samples available in the Dashboard. Each sample is interconnected to an online help page telling you how to use it.
That’s it. That’s how you install Windows 10 IoT Core to Raspberry Pi 3. If you still have questions, please comment below.
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It's not Windows 10 as we know it from PCs, tablets, or phones, but Windows 10 internet of things (IoT) Core is another branch of Microsoft's ubiquitous OS designed to be run on low-power devices. Here's how to install Windows 10 IoT Core on the Raspberry Pi 3.
Products used in this guide
- Amazon: Raspberry Pi 3 ($37)
- Amazon: 5V 2A micro USB power supply ($10)
- Amazon: Sandisk 16GB micro SD card ($7)
- Amazon: HDMI cable ($6)
What is Windows 10 IoT Core?
Microsoft's official description:
Windows 10 IoT Core is a version of Windows 10 that is optimized for smaller devices with or without a display, and that runs on the Raspberry Pi 2 and 3, Arrow DragonBoard 410c & MinnowBoard MAX. Windows 10 IoT Core utilizes the rich, extensible Universal Windows Platform (UWP) API for building great solutions.
Essentially it lets you use Windows technologies to build connected devices based on low-cost computing solutions such as the Raspberry Pi.
Microsoft has showcased some examples of projects constructed using Windows 10 IoT Core.
How to install Windows 10 IoT on the Raspberry Pi 3
For the first part, you don't need the Raspberry Pi at all, just the microSD card in its adapter and your PC. A prerequisite is that you're running Windows 10 version 10.0.10240 or higher.
- Go to the Windows 10 developer center.
- Click Get Windows 10 IoT Core Dashboard to download the necessary application.
- Install the application and open it.
- Select set up a new device from the sidebar.
- Select the options as shown in the image below. Make sure you select the correct drive for your microSD card and give your device a name and admin password.
- Select the Wi-Fi network connection you want your Raspberry Pi to connect to, if required. Only networks your PC connects to will be shown.
- Click download and install.
The application will now download the necessary files from Microsoft and flash them to your microSD card. It'll take a little while, but the dashboard will show you the progress.
Once the image has been installed on the microSD card, it's time to eject it from your PC and go over to the Raspberry Pi.
- First, connect up the micro USB cable and power supply.
- Attach the HDMI cable to the Raspberry Pi and your display.
- Insert the micro SD card from above into the slot on your Raspberry Pi.
- Power up!
The setup process
Unlike 'proper' Windows 10, there's not much of a setup process here. You'll be asked to choose a language and enter your Wi-Fi password to connect to the web. That's about it. It'll take a couple of minutes, but when booted up you'll see the Windows 10 IoT Core splash screen.
It's deliberately light and you don't have access to much. The Windows 10 part is designed to disappear, since once you deploy an app to your Raspberry Pi, it becomes that app. There's no flipping in and out of Windows and launching apps like you would on a PC.
When booted, you can go back to the dashboard application on your PC, and you'll see your Raspberry Pi listed as one of your devices.
To get a feel for how things operate you can deploy a selection of sample applications to your Raspberry Pi to see how Windows disappears, and all you're left with is the application designed to run on the IoT Core. These include the classic Hello World, an Internet Radio app, and something that network connects to a 3D printer.
Developing is much more complex, but at least if you're interested in this new branch of Windows 10, it's easy and cheap to get up and running. To go further you'll need to download Visual Studio and start building code. Microsoft has a whole bundle of resources at your disposal, however, to help you get the most from your Windows 10 IoT Core experience.
Our top equipment picks
Sweet IoT
Raspberry Pi 3
This circuit board can do magical things
The Raspberry Pi 3 looks like a circuit board, but it's actually an incredibly flexible computer that can be used to power the project of your imagination.
Usually using Linux, the Raspberry Pi 3 is also one of the officially supported Windows 10 IoT core devices, and since it's affordable, easily available and has a massive community and range of accessories, it's an absolute winner.
Additional Equipment
You may already have the extra bits you need to make the Raspberry Pi 3 work with Windows 10 IoT Core, but if not, here's what you'll need to grab.
5V 2A micro USB power supply($10 at Amazon)
You don't need a lot of power for the Raspberry Pi and this all-in-one power adapter is perfect.
16GB SanDisk micro SD card($7 at Amazon)
The micro SD card doesn't need to be huge, but it's essential to use the Raspberry Pi 3.
AmazonBasics HDMI cable($6 at Amazon)
You only need an HDMI cable really during the initial setup, so this affordable option is perfect.
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Richard Devine
Richard Devine is an Editor at Windows Central. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently you'll find him covering all manner of PC hardware and gaming, and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.