Self-contained application disk for automatically launching application software or starting devices and peripherals

• US 20040172427A1
• Filed: 03/02/2004
• Published: 09/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: McBride, Stephen Larry, Davidson, Troy Taylor, Thomas, Trent M., Low, Christopher R.
• Application Number:
  US10/792,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20040172427A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44584 Portable applications, i.e. making applications self-contained, e.g. U3 standard

Abstract

A system and method for executing a participating application from media coupled to a computing device. The participating application may be executed automatically or manually. When the application is executed, a task disk control file is read from the removable media. The task disk control file contains all of the configuration information necessary to run the participating application from the coupled media. The participating application is then launched for use by a user. After the user is finished using the participating application, all data files are saved, temporary files deleted and configuration information removed prior to the termination of the application to return the computing device to an original state.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium containing instructions to be executed by a computing device when the computing device is coupled to a media drive that communicates with said computer-readable medium, said instructions comprising:

configuring said computing device in accordance with an instruction file contained on said computer-readable media;

launching a participating application in accordance with information in said instruction file;

monitoring events in said media drive and said participating application until execution of said participating software application is detected to be completed or terminated; and

thereafter

saving certain data files to a predetermined location specified in said instruction file;

deleting temporary files; and

unconfiguring said computing device.

2. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein said configuring said computing device in accordance with said instruction file further comprises:

determining a unique identifier of said computer-readable medium;

accessing said task disk control file in accordance with said unique identifier; and

configuring said computing device by providing as least one of the following executable files;

linked library files, device drivers, path information, environmental information, and registry entries to said computing device.

3. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein said monitoring events comprises monitoring for an application save/close completion event or monitoring for a request to disconnect said computer-readable medium.

4. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein said participating application is adapted to be stored on removable or on non-removable storage media.

5. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein said launching said participating application in accordance with information in said instruction file comprises launching said participating application from said computer readable medium.

6. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein said launching said participating application in accordance with information in said instruction file comprises launching said participating application from said computing devices.

9. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein said unconfiguring said computing device in accordance with said instruction file comprises:

removing from said computing device at least one of the following executable files provided during the configuration stage;

linked library files, device drivers, path information, environmental information, and registry entries to said computing device.

10. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein said instructions are automatically executed upon initial communication of the computer-readable medium with the computing device.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the initial communication is commenced by inserting a removable computer-readable medium into the media drive.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the initial communication is commenced by coupling the media drive containing the computer-readable medium to the computing device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the coupling comprises connecting the media drive to the computing device through a USB port.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the coupling comprises connecting the media drive to the computing device through a Firewire port.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises a flash memory drive.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises a CompactFlash drive.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises an optical drive.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises a removable magnetic media drive.

7. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon an instruction file comprising:

a monitoring section to detect an activation event for a predetermined participating application, such that when the activation event occurs the following special instruction sections are automatically executed;

a pre-run section containing instructions to be executed by a computer-implemented device prior to launching said predetermined participating application;

an application run section containing instructions to launch said participating application and further instructions to copy or maintain certain data files at specific storage locations to be available for use during running of said participating application; and

a clean-up section containing instructions to be executed upon closing said participating application including additional instructions to remove or save certain data files at specific storage locations prior to said closing, and

wherein said monitoring section is capable to detect a termination event for said participating application such that when the termination event occurs the cleanup section is automatically executed.

8. The task list control file of claim 7, wherein said pre-run section comprises instructions to configure registry information such that the operating system is aware of at least one of the following:

a path, environmental variables, and commands to launch said participating application.

19. A method of managing a plurality of software programs for use with a computer device in accordance with special instructions contained on storage media external to or removable from the computer device, said method comprising:

activating the storage media to establish communication with the computer device;

providing a list of the plurality of software programs located on the storage media;

selecting one of the plurality of software programs for execution;

providing special instructions in a control file located on the storage media for each of the selected software programs, the special instructions including configuration information, software launching information; and

data file storage information;

transferring files and configuring the computer device from a first state in accordance with the configuration information, wherein upon configuration the computer device is in a second state;

launching the selected software in accordance with the software launching information;

monitoring events to determine various stages in the operation of the selected software; and

unconfiguring the computer device upon termination of the software program by removing files transferred to the computing device to essentially return the computer device to the first state.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising associating each of the plurality of software programs with a corresponding control file.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the list of software programs only includes the programs having a corresponding control file.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising copying one or more files to said computer device to create said second state, wherein the files include one or more of the following:

linked library files, device drivers, path information, environmental information, and registry entries.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said unconfiguring step comprises removing all files copied to create said second state.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

selecting a plurality of software programs for execution;

configuring the computer device for each of the plurality of software programs selected by copying one or more files to said computer device, wherein the files include one or more of the following;

linked library files, device drivers, path information, environmental information, and registry entries.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising unconfiguring the computer device upon termination of each of the executed software programs by removing any files copied during configuration and any new files created during execution of each terminated software program.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the storage media comprises a flash memory drive.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the storage media comprises a CompactFlash drive.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the storage media comprises an optical drive.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the storage media comprises a removable magnetic media drive.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the storage media comprises an external hard disk drive.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises a flash memory drive.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises a CompactFlash drive.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises an optical drive.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises a removable magnetic media drive.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises an external hard disk drive.

31. A computer-readable medium containing instructions to be executed by a computing device, said instructions comprising:

configuring said computing device from a first state to a second state in accordance with an instruction file contained on said computer-readable media;

launching one or more participating applications in accordance with information in said instruction file;

monitoring events in said computing device and said participating application until execution of said participating software application is detected to be completed or terminated; and

thereafter

unconfiguring said computing device to return the computing device to the first state.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the instructions are automatically executed upon coupling the computing device with a media drive containing the computer-readable medium.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the instructions are automatically executed upon insertion of a removable computer-readable medium into a media drive coupled to the computing device.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the configuring of the computing device for the participating applications copies one or more files to said computing device, wherein the files include one or more of the following:

linked library files, device drivers, path information, environmental information, and registry entries.