METHOD OF TURNING ON A COMPUTER

• US 20050050313A1
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canadian 21 Stook Ltd., Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Canadian 21 Stook Ltd.
• Inventors: Chen, Yi-Chang, Wu, Chih-Hsuan
• Application Number:
  US10/605,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050313A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system

Abstract

A method of turning on a computer includes providing the computer with a hard disk drive and a switch, and storing a first master boot record (MBR) in a first region of the hard disk drive, the first MBR corresponding to a set of operation systems comprising at least an operation system. The method also includes storing a second MBR in a second region of the hard disk drive, the second MBR corresponding to a set of program codes comprising at least a program code, and powering on the computer. A status of the switch is then detected, and a program code of the set of program codes is executed if the switch is on a predetermined status, or an operation system of the set of operation systems is executed if the switch is not on the predetermined status.

Claims

1. A method of turning on a computer, the method comprising:

providing the computer with a hard disk drive and a switch;

storing a first master boot record (MBR) in a first region of the hard disk drive, the first MBR corresponding to a set of operation systems comprising at least an operation system;

storing a second MBR in a second region of the hard disk drive, the second MBR corresponding to a set of program codes comprising at least a program code;

powering on the computer; and

detecting a status of the switch and executing a program code of the set of program codes if the switch is on a predetermined status, or executing an operation system of the set of operation systems if the switch is not on the predetermined status.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the program code comprises an operation system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the program code comprises a drive program.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first region occupies first 512 bytes of the hard disk drive.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second region is located after the first region.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the computer with a housing.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

installing the switch on a surface of the housing.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

installing the switch on a region inside the housing.

9. A computer comprising:

a switch;

a first memory stored with a basic input/output system (BIOS);

a second memory comprising a first region stored with a first MBR corresponding to a set of operation systems comprising at least an operation system, and a second region stored with a second MBR corresponding to a set of program codes comprising at least a program code; and

a processor for executing the BIOS and selectively executing an operation system of the set of operation systems if the switch is on a predetermined status or a program code of the set of program codes if the switch is not on the predetermined status.

10. The computer of claim 9 wherein the first memory is a read only memory (ROM).

11. The computer of claim 9 wherein the second memory is a hard disk drive.

12. The computer of claim 11 wherein the first region occupies first 512 bytes of the hard disk drive.

13. The computer of claim 9 wherein the second region is located after the first region.

14. The computer of claim 9 wherein the program code comprises an operation system.

15. The computer of claim 9 wherein the program code comprises a drive program.

16. The computer of claim 9 further comprising a housing for the switch to be installed inside.

17. The computer of claim 9 furthering comprising a housing having a surface for the switch to be installed on.