Method for automatically configuring and formatting a computer system and installing software

• US 6,154,835 A
• Filed: 10/01/1997
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micro Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: daSilva, Luis, Chrabaszcz, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Palys, Joseph E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Rijue
• Application Number:
  US08/942,412
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 710/63, 710/10, 710/8, 712/220, 712/221, 712/222, 714/8, 714/48, 707/200, 709/301, 709/221, 709/222, 395/500, 711/127, 711/172
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system

Abstract

A method of automatically configuring and formatting a computer system for installation of a prespecified application program in the computer system, which includes the performing the following acts: automatically creating a primary active DOS partition on a primary hard disk drive of the computer system; automatically selecting a size value for a primary extended DOS partition; automatically creating the primary extended DOS partition on the primary hard disk drive, wherein the size of the primary extended DOS partition equals the selected size value; automatically formatting each partition so as to create a root directory and a file allocation table for each partition; and automatically executing a DOS batch file in order to install said prespecified application program.

Claims

1. A method of automatically configuring and formatting a computer system having a random access memory for installation of a prespecified application program in the computer system, comprising:

automatically creating a primary active DOS partition on a primary hard disk drive of the computer system;

automatically selecting, based upon the size of the random access memory, a size value for a primary extended DOS partition;

automatically creating the primary extended DOS partition on the primary hard disk drive, wherein the size of the primary extended DOS partition equals the selected size value; and

automatically formatting each partition so as to create a root directory and a file allocation table for each partition.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically rebooting the computer system, after the act of automatically creating the primary extended DOS partition.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing an operating system software program stored on a first memory device.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising executing a CONFIG.SYS startup file and an AUTOEXEC.BAT startup file stored on a first memory device, wherein the CONFIG.SYS and the AUTOEXEC.BAT startup files are customized for installing the prespecified software application program.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

automatically copying a specified driver to the primary active DOS partition;

automatically copying the customized CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT startup files to the primary active DOS partition; and

automatically rebooting the computer system.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising automatically executing a DOS batch file in order to install said prespecified application program.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising prompting a system operator to indicate whether the computer system is a single disk drive system or a dual disk drive system.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining whether a dual hard disk drive system has been indicated by the system operator;

if a dual hard disk drive system has been indicated, automatically partitioning a secondary hard disk drive so as to create a secondary active DOS partition which matches the primary active DOS partition of the primary hard disk drive; and

if a dual hard disk drive system has been indicated, automatically partitioning the secondary hard disk drive so as to create a secondary extended DOS partition which matches the primary extended DOS partition of the primary hard disk drive.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising, if a dual hard disk drive system has been selected, automatically formatting the secondary active DOS partition and the secondary extended DOS partition so as to create a root directory and a file allocation table for each secondary partition.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising if a dual hard disk drive system has been selected, automatically copying information from the primary active DOS partition to the secondary active DOS partition.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the act of automatically creating the primary active DOS partition on the primary hard disk drive comprises writing information from a Boot Record file contained on a diskette to appropriate sectors on the primary hard disk drive by making a first low level call to BIOS;

the act of automatically creating the primary extended DOS partition on the primary hard disk drive comprises writing information from an Extended Boot Record file contained on the diskette to appropriate sectors on the primary hard disk drive by making a second low level call to BIOS; and

the act of automatically creating the secondary active DOS partition on the secondary hard disk drive comprises writing information from the Boot Record file contained on the diskette to appropriate sectors on the secondary hard disk drive by making a third low level call to BIOS; and

the act of automatically creating the secondary extended DOS partition on the secondary hard disk drive comprises writing information from the Extended Boot Record file contained on the diskette to appropriate sectors on the secondary hard disk drive by making a fourth low level call to BIOS.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the act of automatically creating an active DOS partition on the primary hard disk drive comprises writing information from a Boot Record file contained on a diskette to appropriate sectors on the primary hard disk drive by making a first low level call to BIOS; and

the act of automatically creating an extended DOS partition on the primary hard disk drive comprises writing information from an Extended Boot Record file contained on the diskette to appropriate sectors on the primary hard disk drive by making a second low level call to BIOS.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of automatically selecting a size value for the primary extended DOS partition comprises:

determining a size of a random access memory of the computer system;

comparing the size to a reference value; and

setting the size value of the primary extended DOS partition, wherein if the size is greater than the reference value, the size value for the primary extended DOS partition is set to a first value, and if the size is less than the reference value, the size value is set to a second value.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first value is two gigabytes and the second value is one gigabyte.

15. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising repeating the step of automatically creating a primary active DOS partition upon determining that the primary disk drive is mirrored or duplexed.

21. The method of claim 15, additionally comprising repeating the step of automatically creating a primary active DOS partition upon determining that the primary disk drive is mirrored or duplexed.

16. A method of automatically configuring and formatting a computer system having a random access memory and installing a prespecified program, comprising:

inserting a first memory device into a first reading device of the computer system;

supplying power to the computer system;

executing an operating system program in the computer system, wherein the operating system program is stored on a first memory device;

automatically creating a primary active DOS partition on a primary hard disk drive of the computer system;

automatically selecting, based upon the size of the random access memory, a size value for a primary extended DOS partition;

automatically creating the primary extended DOS partition, wherein the size of the primary extended DOS partition equals the selected size value;

automatically rebooting the computer system for a first time by making a first low level call to BIOS;

automatically formatting the primary active and extended DOS partitions so as to create a root directory and a file allocation table for each partition;

automatically copying a specified driver to the primary active DOS partition;

automatically copying customized CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT startup files from a first memory device to the primary active DOS partition;

removing a first memory device from a first reading device;

automatically rebooting the computer system for a second time by making a second low level call to BIOS;

inserting a second memory device into a second reading device of the computer system, wherein the second memory device contains the prespecified program; and

automatically executing a DOS batch file in order to install said prespecified program.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

prompting a system operator as to whether the computer system is a single hard disk drive system or a dual hard disk drive system;

determining whether a dual hard disk drive system has been indicated by a system operator;

if a dual hard disk drive architecture has been selected, automatically partitioning a secondary hard disk drive so as to create a secondary active DOS partition which matches the primary active DOS partition created for the primary hard disk drive; and

if a dual hard disk drive system has been selected, automatically partitioning the secondary hard disk drive so as to create a secondary extended DOS partition which matches the primary extended DOS partition created for the primary hard disk drive.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising, if a dual hard disk drive system has been selected, automatically formatting the secondary active DOS partition and the secondary extended DOS partition so as to create a root directory and a file allocation table for each secondary partition.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising if a dual hard disk drive system has been selected, automatically copying information from the primary active DOS partition to the secondary active DOS partition.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the act of automatically creating the primary active DOS partition on the primary hard disk drive comprises writing information from a Boot Record file contained on a diskette to appropriate sectors on the primary hard disk drive by making a first low level call to BIOS;

the act of automatically creating the primary extended DOS partition on the primary hard disk drive comprises writing information from an Extended Boot Record file contained on the diskette to appropriate sectors on the primary hard disk drive by making a second low level call to BIOS; and

the act of automatically creating the secondary active DOS partition on the secondary hard disk drive comprises writing information from the Boot Record file contained on the diskette to appropriate sectors on the secondary hard disk drive by making a third low level call to BIOS; and

the act of automatically creating the secondary extended DOS partition on the secondary hard disk drive comprises writing information from the Extended Boot Record file contained on the diskette to appropriate sectors on the secondary hard disk drive by making a fourth low level call to BIOS.