System and method for providing access to computer files across computer operating systems
First Claim
1. In a first computer system, a method of providing access to a file stored in a partition of a mass storage device of the first computer system, the method comprising the steps of:
- running a first computer operating system on the first computer system;
employing a first file system having a file system table to manage the partition, wherein a second computer operating system cannot read the file system table of the first file system;
receiving file system information for the file, wherein the file system information for the file comprises a physical address associated with a block;
determining from the file system information whether to include at least a portion of the file system information in a file resource table, the file resource table associating a file marker for the file with a physical address of the file within the partition, and the file resource table is employed by a file system other than the first file system; and
making the file resource table accessible to the second computer system running a second computer operating system, wherein the step of making the file resource table accessible comprises providing a pointer to the file resource table, and the file resource table is configured to be read by a file resource table reader being run on top of the second computer operating system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An across-file-system file access system and method for accessing files across different computer operating systems and file systems is disclosed. The across-file-system file access system includes a file resource table generator and a file resource table reader. The file resource table generator creates and up-dates a file resource table, which associates file markers for files stored in a given partition with the physical addresses of the files within the given partition. The file resource table generator is run on top of a first operating system, and the given partition is managed by a file system that uses a file system table. The file resource table reader run on top of a second computer operating system, which cannot access the file system table of the file system. The file resource table reader reads the file resource table to provide access to the files listed in the file resource table.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. In a first computer system, a method of providing access to a file stored in a partition of a mass storage device of the first computer system, the method comprising the steps of:
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running a first computer operating system on the first computer system; employing a first file system having a file system table to manage the partition, wherein a second computer operating system cannot read the file system table of the first file system; receiving file system information for the file, wherein the file system information for the file comprises a physical address associated with a block; determining from the file system information whether to include at least a portion of the file system information in a file resource table, the file resource table associating a file marker for the file with a physical address of the file within the partition, and the file resource table is employed by a file system other than the first file system; and making the file resource table accessible to the second computer system running a second computer operating system, wherein the step of making the file resource table accessible comprises providing a pointer to the file resource table, and the file resource table is configured to be read by a file resource table reader being run on top of the second computer operating system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. In a first computer system having a first partition that employs a first file system using a first file system table, a method of accessing a file stored in a second partition of a mass storage device of a second computer system, wherein the second partition of the mass storage device is managed by a second file system having a second file system table, the method comprising the steps of:
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running a first computer operating system on the first computer system, wherein the first computer system is configured as a dual boot computer system adapted to boot either the first computer operating system or a second computer operating system, wherein the first computer operating system cannot read the second file system table of the second file system of the second computer system; reading a file resource table, the file resource table associating a file marker for the file with an address, the address being the physical address of the file within the second partition of the second computer system, the file marker denoting a path in the second file system to the file stored in the second partition of the second computer system and wherein the file resource table is employed by a file system other than the first file system; using the file resource table to access the file stored in the second partition of the second computer system; and running a file resource table reader on top of the first computer operating system in the background, wherein the file resource table reader reads the file resource table. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A program embodied in a computer readable storage medium, the program comprising:
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logic configured to receive file system information for a file stored in a partition managed by a first file system having first file system table, wherein the first file system is compatible with a first computer operating system; logic configured to determine from the file system information whether to include at least a portion of the file system information in a file resource table;
wherein the file resource table associating a file marker for the file with a physical address of the file within the partition, and the file resource table is employed by a file system other than the first file systemlogic configured to make the file resource table accessible to a second computer system running a second computer operating system including logic configured to provide a pointer to the file resource table; logic configured to run a file resource table generator on top of the first computer operating system, wherein the file resource table generator receives the file system information and generates the file resource table, and logic configured to run a file resource table reader on top of the second computer operating system, wherein the file resource table reader is configured to read the file resource table. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A program embodied in a computer readable medium, the program comprising:
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logic configured to read a file resource table, wherein the file resource table is employed by a file system other than the first file system, the file resource table associating a file marker for a file with an address, the address being the physical address of the file within a partition managed by a file system having a file system table, the file marker denoting a path in the second file system to the file; logic configured to use the file resource table to access the file; logic configured to determine a location of the file resource table including logic configured to access a second partition, the second partition being managed by a third file system having a second file system table, wherein the second partition is accessible to both the first computer and the second computer; logic configured to read the second file system table, wherein the second file system table associates the physical address of the file resource table with the file resource table; logic configured to find a pointer to the file resource table, wherein the file resource table is stored within the partition, and the pointer is stored in a location that is outside of the partition; and logic configured to run a file resource table reader on top of a first computer operating system in the background, wherein the file resource table reader reads the file resource table. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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Specification