Method for protecting data in a hard disk

• US 20080209553A1
• Filed: 02/22/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Inventors: Lu, Ying-Chih, Yu, Ling-Hung
• Granted Patent: US 7,743,424 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1433 for a module or a part of a module

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for protecting data in a hard disk, such that when a computer executes a power-on self test (POST) of a basic input/output system (BIOS), completes initialization of memories and calls an interrupt routine of the BIOS to read a hard disk area after initialization program codes of interface devices of all hard disk are executed, the computer will determine whether or not the hard disk has added a protection description data with a portion that matches with a computer identification code of the computer before accessing data in the hard disk.

Claims

1. A method for protecting data in a hard disk, which is applied to a computer after said computer executes a power-on self test (POST) of a basic input/output system (BIOS), completes the initialization of memories and executes initialization program codes for interface devices of all hard disks installed in said computer, said method comprises:

calling an interrupt routine of said basic input/output system (BIOS), for reading said hard disks;

determining whether or not there is an unconfirmed hard disk;

when there is an unconfirmed hard disk, reading said unconfirmed hard disk and determining whether or not said unconfirmed hard disk has a protection description data;

determining whether or not said protection description data has a portion same as a computer ID code of said computer when said unconfirmed hard disk is determined to have said protection description data;

creating a disk partition table in a partition table area in said unconfirmed hard disk when said protection description data is determined to have a portion same as said computer ID code of said computer; and

repeating said step of determining whether or not there is other unconfirmed hard disk, and continuing the processing of said power-on self test (POST) after all of said hard disks are confirmed, and then ending the procedure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when said protection description data is determined to not have said portion same as said computer ID code of said computer, further comprising:

not creating said disk partition table in said partition table area, and

determining whether or not there is other unconfirmed hard disk.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein when said unconfirmed hard disk is determined to not have said protection description data, further comprising:

determining whether or not there is other unconfirmed hard disk.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said protection description data comprises:

an ID label area, for storing an ID information indicating that said hard disk has said protection description data;

a hard disk ID code storage area, for storing a hard disk ID code same as said computer ID code of said computer who sets said hard disk to be protected;

a backup disk partition table storage area, for storing a backup disk partition table, wherein the content of said backup disk partition table is the same as the content of said disk partition table stored in said partition table area of a master boot record (MBR) in said hard disk that requires a protection; and

a check sum code storage area, for storing a numeric value of said protection description data that is computed by a checking program.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of creating said disk partition table in said partition table area comprises;

determining whether or not said partition table area in said master boot record is in a cleared status; and

copying said backup disk partition table in said backup disk partition table storage area to said partition table area in said master boot record as said disk partition table, when said partition table area in said master boot record is determined to be in a cleared status.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein when said partition table area in said master boot record is determined to be not in a cleared status, said disk partition table is existed in said partition table area of said master boot record for being read by said computer, further comprising:

copying said disk partition table of said partition table area to said backup disk partition table storage area to back up updated disk partition table, and calculating a new numeric value according to said checking program, and storing said new numeric value into said check sum code storage area.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein when no disk partition table is existed in said partition table area in said hard disk, further comprising:

determining whether or not said partition table area in said master boot record is in a cleared status;

copying said disk partition table in said partition table area of said master boot record to said backup disk partition table storage area and using said disk partition table as said backup disk partition table, when said partition table area in said master boot record is determined to be not in a cleared status; and

clearing said disk partition table in said partition table area of said master boot record.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said hard disk cannot be accessed, when said partition table area in said master boot record is determined to be in a cleared status and said disk partition table in said partition table area of said master boot record has been cleared.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein said step for said computer to write said protection description data into said hard disk for setting or cancelling said hard disk to be protected comprises:

outputting a hard disk menu for user to select one of said hard disks, and said hard disk menu includes said hard disks installed in said computer;

outputting a hard disk protection menu after the user selects one of said hard disks, wherein said hard disk protection menu includes an enable protection hard disk option and a disable protection hard disk option;

determining whether said enable protection hard disk option or said disable protection hard disk option is selected;

determining whether or not said hard disk already has said protection description data, when said enable protection hard disk option is selected;

determining whether or not said hard disk ID code is the same as said computer ID code, when said hard disk is determined to have said protection description data;

copying said disk partition table in said partition table area of said master boot record to said backup disk partition table storage area as said backup disk partition table, when said hard disk ID code is determined to be the same as said computer ID code;

clearing said disk partition table in said partition table area of said master boot record; and

calculating to obtain a new numeric value by said checking program, and storing said new numeric value into said check sum code storage area of said hard disk as said check sum code.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

exiting the process of starting to protect said hard disk, when said hard disk ID code is determined to be not the same as said computer ID code.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said step for said hard disk to create said protection description data and copy said disk partition table in said partition table area of said master boot record to said backup disk partition table storage area as said backup disk partition table is preceded, when said hard disk is determined to not have said protection description data.

12. The method of claim 9, after said disable protection hard disk option is selected, further comprising

determining whether or not said hard disk already has said protection description data;

determining whether or not said hard disk ID code is the same as said computer ID code of said computer that currently executes a boot code, when said hard disk is determined to have said protection description data;

copying said backup disk partition table to said partition table area, when said hard disk ID code is determined to be the same as said computer ID code of said computer that currently executes said boot code; and

deleting said protection description data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

exiting the process of cancelling the protection of said hard disk, when said hard disk is determined to have said protection description data and said hard disk ID code is determined to be not the same as said computer ID code of a computer that currently executes said boot code.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

exiting the process of cancelling the protection of said hard disk, when said hard disk is determined to not have said protection description data.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein said protection description data is stored in an unused space between a MBR boot code area of said master boot record and said disk partition table.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said computer searches for an ID information existed in said unused space between a jump area of said master boot record and said partition table area to determine whether or not said hard disk already has said protection description data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said hard disk ID code storage area, backup disk partition table storage area and check sum code storage area come with a fixed storage capacity, such that after said computer reads said ID information, said ID information is used for calculating the start addresses of said hard disk ID code storage area, said backup disk partition table storage area and said check sum code storage area in said master boot record, such that said computer can read the numeric value of said hard disk ID code, said backup disk partition table and said check sum code according to the start addresses of said hard disk ID code storage area, said backup disk partition table storage area and said check sum code storage area in said master boot record.

18. The method of claim 4, wherein said computer writes said protection description data in one of the available sectors in said partition table area of said hard disk and labeling one of idle disk partition tables in said partition table area as a special type, and writes a start position of said available sector in said idle disk partition table.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said computer searches for said idle disk partition table labeled as said special type according to said partition table area of said hard disk to determine whether or not said hard disk has said protection description data, and obtains a start position of said available sector in said protection description data form said idle disk partition table to read said ID information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said ID information is used for calculating the start addresses of said hard disk ID code storage area, said backup disk partition table storage area and said check sum code storage area in said master boot record after said computer reads said ID information, such that said computer reads the numeric values of said hard disk ID code, said backup disk partition table and said check sum code according to the start addresses of said hard disk ID code storage area, said backup disk partition table storage area and said check sum code storage area in said available sector.