Method of booting a computer system with identifying a CD-ROM disk drive of the system and a method of loading a device driver

• US 5,951,684 A
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeon, Young-Il
• Primary Examiner(s): Palys, Joseph E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Rijue
• Application Number:
  US08/997,618
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 395/651, 395/652, 395/866, 395/700, 395/888, 395/681, 395/712, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 709/301, 710/46, 710/68
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A method of booting a computer system with identifying the type of a CD-ROM disk drive of the computer system, the method comprising the steps of: producing an ATAPI IDENTIFY DRIVE command and outputting the ATAPI IDENTIFY DRIVE command to an IDE controller; reading information memorized in a memory of the CD-ROM disk drive in response to the ATAPI IDENTIFY DRIVE command; comparing the information with a predetermined set of internal CD-ROM disk drive information, and determining the type of the CD-ROM disk drive; and selecting a device driver according to the type of the CD-ROM disk drive, and loading the device driver on a memory.

Claims

1. A method of booting a computer system with identifying the type of CD-ROM disk drive attached to the computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

producing an ATAPI IDENTIFY DRIVE command and outputting the ATAPI IDENTIFY DRIVE command to an IDE controller;

reading identification information memorized in a memory of the CD-ROM disk drive in response to the ATAPI IDENTIFY DRIVE command;

comparing the identification information with a predetermined set of CD-ROM disk drive information stored internally in said computer system, and determining the type of CD-ROM disk drive; and

selecting a device driver according to the type of CD-ROM disk drive, and loading the selected device driver on a memory, said steps of selecting and loading further comprising the steps of;

rearranging a position of a program loaded in said memory so as to produce an area for a new device driver to be loaded in the memory between an area of the program and an area of a last device driver which is already loaded in the memory;

reading the selected device driver from a memory device;

detecting an address of the last device driver which is already loaded in the memory;

preparing a command packet for controlling the selected device driver;

initializing the selected device driver by calling a strategy routine and an interrupt routine of the selected device driver;

exchanging the address of the last device driver with an address of the selected device driver; and

memorizing the selected device driver on the memory in said area produced by said rearranging step.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of detecting a port on which the CD-ROM disk drive is mounted with CMOS setup information.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a step of displaying information notifying a user of the type of the CD-ROM disk drive after determining the type of CD-ROM disk drive.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the step of selecting the device driver as set forth in the type of the CD-ROM disk drive is performed by the user.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a step of notifying a user of the type of CD-ROM disk drive after determining the type of CD-ROM disk drive.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the area for the selected device driver to be loaded in the memory has a size of 64 KB.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the memory is a random access memory.

8. A method of loading a device driver, the method comprising the steps of:

rearranging a position of a program loaded in a memory so as to produce an area for a new device driver to be loaded in the memory between an area of the program and an area of a last device driver which is already loaded in the memory;

reading the new device driver from a memory device;

detecting an address of the last device driver which is already loaded in the memory;

preparing a command packet for controlling the new device driver;

initializing the new device driver by calling a strategy routine and an interrupt routine of the new device driver;

changing the address of the last device driver with to an address of the new device driver;

memorizing the new device driver on the memory in said area produced by said rearranging step; and

designating said new device driver as the last device driver.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the area produced by said rearranging step has the size of 64 KB.

10. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the new device driver is a CD-ROM disk drive driver.

11. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the memory device is a device selected from the group of a hard disk driver and a floppy disk driver.

12. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the memory is a random access memory.

13. A method of booting a computer system with identifying the type of CD-ROM disk drive attached to the computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

producing an ATAPI IDENTIFY DRIVE command and outputting the ATAPI IDENTIFY DRIVE command to an IDE controller;

reading identification information memorized in a memory of the CD-ROM disk drive in response to the ATAPI IDENTIFY DRIVE command;

comparing the identification information with a predetermined set of CD-ROM disk drive information stored internally in said computer system, and determining the type of CD-ROM disk drive;

notifying a user of the type of CD-ROM disk drive after determining the type of CD-ROM disk drive by displaying the type of CD-ROM disk drive on a monitor;

selecting a device driver according to the type of CD-ROM disk drive; and

loading the selected device driver in a 64 KB area of a random access memory.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the step of selecting the device driver is performed by the user.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

rearranging a position of a program loaded in a memory so as to produce an area for a new device driver to be loaded in the memory between an area of the program and an area of a last device driver which is already loaded in the memory;

reading the new device driver from a memory device;

detecting an address of the last device driver which is already loaded in the memory;

preparing a command packet for controlling the new device driver;

initializing the new device driver by calling a strategy routine and an interrupt routine of the new device driver;

changing the address of the last device driver with to an address of the new device driver;

memorizing the new device driver on the memory in said area produced by said rearranging step; and

designating said new device driver as the last device driver.