Method, programmed medium and system for customizing pre-loaded software

• US 6,327,707 B1
• Filed: 06/01/1999
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Egan, John, Heupel, Eric, McKeeth, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAS, CHAMELI
• Application Number:
  US09/323,040
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 717/11, 717/1, 717/4, 709/223, 709/228, 709/249, 705/59
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, programmed medium and system for customizing pre-loaded software. A user is prompted to supply user-specific registration information which automatically replaces pre-existing registration information that was provided by a computer manufacturer upon loading of the pre-loaded software.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method by which a user customizes registration information predefined by a third party and associated with pre-loaded software, the method comprising the acts of:

prompting a user to supply new user registration information;

searching at least one stored file containing the third-party predefined registration information; and

replacing the third party registration information with the new user supplied user registration information in said file and storing said file containing said new user supplied user registration information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the act of saving the file containing the third party-predefined user registration information to a backup file.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the act of saving includes the act of prompting the user for a storage location and storing the third party-predefined user registration information at a location provided by the user as said backup file.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the act of providing the user with instructions for restoring the backup file.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising the act of informing the user that the backup file has not been saved when the user fails to provide a storage location.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the new user registration information includes at least the name of the user, which name differs from any name in the third party-predefined registration information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the new user registration information includes at least a company name.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the act of prompting the user to confirm user supplied new user registration information.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of searching at least one file includes the act of conducting a recursive search for files containing the third party-predefined registration information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the act of searching at least one file includes the act of saving the third party-predefined registration information to a backup file.

11. The method of claim 1 further including the acts of displaying an introduction and prompting the user to agree or disagree with the contents thereof.

12. The method of claim 11 further including the act of terminating the method in the event that the user disagrees with the content.

13. The method of claim 11 further including the acts of presenting a user input screen for receiving the new user registration information and prompting the user to indicate a desire to make indicated changes.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of searching at least one file includes forming a list of locations where the third party-predefined registration information occurs and using said list to replace the third party-predefined registration information with the new user registration information at each occurrence in the list.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the act of determining whether any changes were made in the act of replacing said information and, if no changes were made, advising the user that no changes were made.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein, if such changes were made, the method further comprises prompting the user for a storage location and storing the third party-predefined registration information at a location provided by the user as a backup file.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the method is automatically initiated the first time the user uses the computer.

30. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the storage medium is accessed automatically to initiate the method the first time the user uses the computer.

18. A computer readable storage medium containing a computer readable code for operating a computer to perform a method of changing a computer registry file, the computer registry file including registration information predefined by a third party, the method comprising the acts of:

prompting a user to supply new user registration information;

receiving new user registration information from the user;

searching for a registry file which contains the predefined registration information; and

replacing the predefined registration information in said registry file with said new user supplied user registration information.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises the act of saving the third party-predefined registration information to a registry backup file.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the act of saving includes the act of prompting the user for a storage location and storing the new user registration information at a location provided by the user.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the act of saving includes the act of providing the user with instructions for restoring the backup file.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the act of saving includes the act of informing the user that the backup file has not been saved in the event that the user fails to provide a storage location.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the act of receiving new user registration information includes the act of prompting the user to verify the received new user registration information.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the act of searching the registry file includes the act of conducting a recursive search of the registry file containing the third party-predefined registration information.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 24 wherein the act of searching the registry file includes the act of saving the third party-predefined registration information to a backup file.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the method further includes the act of terminating the method in the event that the user disagrees.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the method further includes the acts of presenting a user input screen for receiving the new user registration information and prompting the user to indicate a desire to make indicated changes or to cancel the making of changes.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the method further includes the acts of displaying an introduction and prompting the user to agree or disagree.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the act of searching at least one file includes forming a list of locations where the third party-predefined registration information occurs and using said list to replace the third party-predefined registration information with the new user registration information at each occurrence in the list.

31. A system for automatically replacing pre-existing registration information predefined by a third party with user supplied registration information in a registry file of a computer operating system, the system comprising:

a memory circuit;

a computer readable storage medium containing program instructions for execution by a processor which causes the processor to replace the pre-existing registration information with the new user supplied registration information in a stored registry file; and

a processor connected to the memory circuit and the computer readable storage medium, the processor executing the program instructions stored on the computer readable medium to;

prompt a user for new user registration information;

search for a registry file which contains existing registration information; and

replace the pre-existing registration information in said registry file with the new user registration information.

32. A system for automatically replacing registration information predefined by a third party with user supplied registration information in a registry file of a computer operating system, the system comprising:

a memory circuit;

a computer readable storage medium containing the third party-predefined registration information and program instructions for execution by a processor which causes the processor to replace the third party-predefined registration information with the new user supplied registration information in a stored registry file; and

a processor connected to the memory circuit and the computer readable storage medium, the processor automatically executing the program instructions stored on the computer readable medium the first time the user uses the computer operating system to;

prompt a user for new user registration information;

search for a registry file which contains the third party-predefined registration information; and

replace the third party-predefined registration information in said registry file with the new user registration information.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the act of searching for a registry file includes forming a list of locations where the third party-predefined registration information occurs and using said list to replace the third party-predefined registration information with the new user registration information at each occurrence in the list.