Windows Thin PC (Win TPC) – Thin Client for Less Powerful Hardware

Windows Thin PC (Win TPC) is the successor to Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (WinFLP). It is a version of Windows 7 that allows customers to repurpose existing PCs as thin clients by providing a smaller footprint, locked down version of Windows 7. It is a thin client operating system from Microsoft based on Windows 7 optimized for older, less powerful hardware.

The WinTPC solution is available to customers with the Software Assurance licensing option in place. Software Assurance is an added licensing cost that provides educational resources and no-cost software upgrades within the specific contract interval. However, even though users must have Software Assurance to use WinTPC, the community technology preview (CTP), announced today, will be open to all to try.

Win TPC doesn’t require the VDA (Virtual Desktop Access) license to access VDI desktops. The product is built on top of Windows Embedded Standard 7 Service Pack 1, and supports RemoteFX and enterprise management via System Center Configuration Manager.

This provides organizations with significant benefits:

[advt]Reduced End Point costs for VDI: WinTPC empowers enterprises to leverage their end point hardware investments to access virtual desktops that are delivered using VDI or sessions. WinTPC is available as a benefit of SA, and hence does not represent any additional cost for SA customers. Windows Thin PC also provides IT with the flexibility to revert back to PCs if necessary, in case the thin client computing model does not provide the benefits they were after.

Excellent Thin Client experience: Windows Thin PC offers many of the benefits of a thin client. Organizations can improve security and compliance on their repurposed PCs, by using write filters to prevent data from being written to disk. Additionally, WinTPC ensures a rich remote desktop experience through RemoteFX, enabling delivery of high fidelity multimedia content from centralized desktops.

Enterprise Ready platform: WinTPC is built on the proven Windows 7 platform. Organizations can leverage existing management strategy and tools such as System Center to centrally manage WinTPC, including accelerated role based deployment of applications, security patches, updates, and data. Enterprise features such as Bitlocker and Applocker further help IT secure their devices, while DirectAccess helps customers securely access their corporate data on repurposed laptops.

Microsoft recommends that customers who are currently evaluating thin client computing begin their journey by first repurposing existing PCs as thin clients with WinTPC and evaluate the benefits they would get with this architecture. Once WinTPC device hardware get decommissioned, customers can then purchase new Windows Embedded Thin Clients from our OEM partners without having to make changes to their existing management and security policies.

Windows Thin PC has been released to manufacturing (RTM), and will be available for our SA customers to download starting July 1, 2011.

To access the Release Candidate (RC) build of Windows Thin PC, please go to the Microsoft connect site and join the Windows Thin PC RC program. You must be a registered user of Connect to access the program.