I wrote a Compact Framework 2.0 C# application for a Symbol MC3xxx series barcode scanner mobile computer appliance thingy a handful of years ago. At the time, the device was running CE 5.0. Then the new one came and it ran CE 6.0, and things were still OK. I was using and debugging with Visual Studio 2005 with no problems.
But now...After Motorola and then Zebra took over, I got a new device that we will be using called the MC32N0, but it runs Windows Embedded Compact 7. Without going into the history of Microsoft's embedded device blunders through the years, I found that when we attempt to install our application, that we get an error message on the device that says "Unsupported System Version", that the application is too old for the OS on the device.
(side note, it is interesting that the "new" MC32N0 is running an OS that is already old, but there you go.)
How to get rid of the error message?
MC32N0 requires the most recent version of the EMDK (2.9), MS upgrades to allow VS to run with Win CE 7.0, AND the platform file 32N0c70BenPS020000.exe from Zebra. You will correctly get an error message if you install your package without installing the latest symbol.all.arm.cab file because it is at a different hardware driver release level. You also will not be able to debug managed/native code using VS (2008 is what I used) if you don't install the platform file and compile your code directly for "Symbol MC3200c70" as the target device.