System and method for installing software on a computing device

• US 20050289537A1
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Sam Jung-Won
• Application Number:
  US10/879,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20050289537A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method and system for installing software on a computing device includes determining during booting of the computing device whether a compressed file containing software to be installed has been stored on the computing device and, if so, calling a file installation tool that is configured to open the compressed file and install the contents of the file on the computing device.

Claims

1. A method for installing software on a computing device, the method comprising:

determining during booting of the computing device whether a compressed file containing software to be installed has been stored on the computing device; and

if so, calling a file installation tool that is configured to open the compressed file and install the contents of the file on the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a compressed file containing software to be installed has been stored comprises scanning a directory in the computing device file system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein scanning a directory comprises scanning the directory for a particular file type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein scanning the directory for a particular file type comprises scanning the directory for .CAB files.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calling a file installation tool comprises running an executable that is specifically configured to open the compressed file and install its contents.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein running an executable comprises running WCELOAD.EXE.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising copying the compressed file to a RAM file system of the computing device and deleting the compressed file from a persistent file system of the computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising deleting the file copy within the RAM file system after installation of the file contents.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a registry synchronization between a run-time registry and a persistent registry of the computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing a copy of a program stored in a persistent file system of the computing device in a RAM file system of the computing device if that program is configured for execution within the RAM file system.

11. A system for installing software on a computing device, the system comprising:

means for, during booting, identifying compressed files that contain software to be installed on the computing device; and

means for calling a file installation tool that is configured to open the compressed files and install their contents on the computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for identifying comprise means for scanning a directory in the computing device file system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for calling a file installation tool comprise means for running an executable that is specifically configured to open the compressed files and install their contents.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for copying the compressed files to a RAM file system, means for deleting the compressed files from a persistent file system, and means for deleting the files copied to the RAM file system.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for performing a registry synchronization between a run-time registry and a persistent registry of the computing device.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for placing a copy of a program installed in a persistent file system of the computing device in a RAM file system of the computing device.

17. A software installation manager stored on a computer-readable medium, the manager comprising:

logic configured to scan a predetermined computing device directory during booting to determine whether the directory includes a compressed file containing software to be installed; and

logic, responsive to scanning results, that is configured to run an executable program that is configured to open compressed files included in the directory and install the contents of the files within a persistent file system of the computing device.

18. The manager of claim 17, wherein the logic configured to scan is configured to scan the predetermined directory for .CAB files.

19. The manager of claim 17, wherein the logic configured to run an executable is configured to run WCELOAD.EXE.

20. The manager of claim 17, further comprising logic configured to copy the compressed files to a RAM file system of the computing device and logic configured to delete the compressed files from a persistent file system of the computing device.

21. The manager of claim 20, further comprising logic configured to delete the copies within the RAM file system after installation of contents of the copies are installed.

22. The manager of claim 17, further comprising logic configured to perform a registry synchronization between a run-time registry and a persistent registry of the computing device.

23. The manager of claim 17, further comprising logic configured to place a copy of a program stored in a persistent file system of the computing device in a RAM file system of the computing device.

24. A computing device, comprising:

a processor; and

memory including a persistent file system and a software installation manager, the installation manager being configured to scan a predetermined computing device directory during booting to determine whether the directory includes a compressed file containing software to be installed, and to run an executable program that is configured to open compressed files included in the directory and install the contents of the files within the persistent file system.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the software installation manager is configured to scan the predetermined directory for .CAB files.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the software installation manager is configured to run WCELOAD.EXE.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the software installation manager is further configured to copy compressed files to a RAM file system, to delete the compressed files from the persistent file system, and to delete file copies within the RAM file system after installation of contents of the file copies are installed.

28. The device of claim 24, wherein the software manager is further configured to perform a registry synchronization between a run-time registry and a persistent registry of the computing device.

29. The device of claim 24, wherein the software manager is further configured to place a copy of a program stored in a persistent file system of the computing device in a RAM file system of the computing device.

30. The device of claim 24, wherein the computing device is a terminal computer that does not comprise a mass-storage drive.