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Build SilverMetal Enhanced - Windows ISO / build (pull_request) Successful in 4m47s
Found by reading the unencrypted VM disk after run #7: 1. Online branding never ran: Apply-Branding.ps1 had a UTF-8 em-dash in a Write-Warning STRING; Windows PowerShell 5.1 (SetupComplete) reads .ps1 as ANSI, mangled it, broke the string terminator -> whole script failed to parse -> lock/login/wallpaper branding never re-applied. Fix: ASCII-ify the em-dash AND save the branding scripts UTF-8-with-BOM so PS5.1 always decodes them correctly (verified parses under PS5.1 + PS7). 2. sm-bootstrap never removed: TearDownAsync used schtasks /tr with an inline -EncodedCommand, which silently fails past the ~261-char /tr limit, so the cleanup task was never created (confirmed NO_TASK on disk). Fix: Register-ScheduledTask (no length limit). 3. Done step: show a QR code of the BitLocker recovery key (QRCoder) for phone backup, and lay key+QR side-by-side so the Restart button no longer overflows below the fold. Verified: welcome solution builds, 29/29 tests; branding Pester 6/6 unit (offline-integration needs elevation, runs in CI). Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
SilverMetal Enhanced — Windows
Status: Phase 3W (planning, post-Linux v1)
🛡️ SilverMetal Enhanced product line — we harden Windows in place; we do not ship a custom Windows kernel (Microsoft does not permit that).
Tier C — config-layer hardening only. Honest positioning: we cannot modify the Windows kernel or boot chain; we turn every dial Microsoft exposes.
Scope (v1)
LTSC IoT-based installer that transforms a vanilla Windows install into a SilverMetal-hardened build:
- Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC base (no Cortana, no Store, no Edge baked in, ~10-year support)
- Group Policy hardening (telemetry at
Securityfloor, services disabled, sane defaults) - VBS + HVCI + Credential Guard + Kernel DMA Protection (Microsoft's hardware-backed isolation)
- Defender ASR rules at maximum
- WDAC (App Control for Business) allow-list — kernel-enforced, audit-first then enforce (AppLocker is the documented fallback, not the primary)
- BitLocker enforced — TPM + PIN (never TPM-only; PIN defeats the faulTPM-class offline attack on the AMD fTPM)
- Telemetry suppressed at GP + service + firewall layers (not hosts-file blocking of Microsoft domains — that breaks Windows Update); residual published, not claimed zero
- Edge / Chrome replaced with SilverBrowser default
- Full SilverLABS Stack preinstalled (native Windows builds)
- SilverVPN MAUI Windows client integrated from existing
SilverLABS/SilverVPN
Out of scope
- Anything requiring kernel modifications
- Anything requiring developer-controlled verified boot
- Bypassing Microsoft Update (we ship updates via the same channel; we cannot replace it)
Directory layout
To be populated in Phase 3W. Initial structure planned:
windows/
├── installer/ # PowerShell / WiX-based installer
├── policies/ # Group Policy templates, ADMX
├── wdac/ # WDAC (App Control) policies (AppLocker fallback rules if needed)
├── debloat/ # Removal scripts (Edge, Cortana residue, telemetry)
├── stack-installer/ # Native SilverLABS Stack package builders
└── tests/ # Telemetry-leak test, hardening-baseline test
Verification gates
- Telemetry-leak test on hardened install — minimum-feasible Microsoft contact, documented in full (we cannot reach zero on Windows; we publish what remains)
- BitLocker enabled with TPM + PIN binding verified (TPM-only is rejected)
- VBS / HVCI / Credential Guard verified running
- WDAC allow-list functional (enforced) and documented
- Stack apps install and function
Full hardening specification
The detailed control spec — eight control domains, verification commands, residual-risk statement, and productization notes — lives in hardening-spec.md. Reference device: GPD Pocket 4 (AMD Strix Point).
Upstream we depend on
- Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC — base OS (licensed)
- AtlasOS / ReviOS / privacy.sexy — reference for hardening configs
- Chris Titus Tech / O&O ShutUp10 — reference for telemetry blocking
SilverLABS/SilverVPN— MAUI Windows client (existing)