EP0794484A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Partitioned hard disk drives and partitioning scheme for hard disk drives
Assignee: NEC Corp
•
Filing: 1997-03-03
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2017-03-03
Abstract
Abstract A partitioning scheme for disk drives, and the partitioned disk drive itself, in which one or more operating systems may be installed in phantom partitions. The first time a computer housing the disk drive is booted up, the user is given a choice among those operating systems. The particular operating system that the user selects is installed into a data partition, and the phantom partitions are removed, thus preventing use of the unselected operating systems. The method is applicable to out of box audits during manufacture, and also may be used by retailers to facilitate reinstallation of software on demo computers that prospective customers have altered.
Inventors
- 👤 designation of the inventor has not yet been filed The
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 04:37
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/44; G06F9/4401; G06F9/4406; G06F9/441; G11; G11B; G11B7/00; G11B7/007; G11B7/013
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
74 words
A method of partitioning a hard disk drive in a computer, said method comprising: providing at least a first, phantom partition and a second, user partition on a surface of at least one disk in said hard disk drive; storing a computer operating system in said phantom partition; and responsive to a user request during initial bootup of said computer, installing said computer operating system in said user partition and removing said phantom partition.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
63 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said providing step further comprises providing a plurality of phantom partitions on said surface, said method further comprising providing a user, during said initial bootup, with a menu listing a plurality of computer operating systems from which the user can select, said installing step comprising installing the user-selected computer operating system and removing said phantom partitions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising: providing a further phantom partition on said surface, and storing at least one user software program in said further phantom partition; responsive to a user request, installing said user software program in said user partition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of retaining said further phantom partition with said at least one user software program stored therein, for subsequent reinstallation of said at least one user software program in said user partition.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein said installing step comprises installing a plurality of user software programs in said further phantom partition.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of retaining said further phantom partition with said plurality of user software programs stored therein, for subsequent reinstallation of said programs in said user partition.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
68 words
A method of partitioning a hard disk drive in a computer, said method comprising: providing at least a first, phantom partition and a second, user partition on a surface of at least one disk in said hard disk drive; storing at least one user software program in said phantom partition; and responsive to a user request, installing said at least one user software program in said user partition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said storing step comprises storing a plurality of user software programs in said phantom partition, said method further comprising providing a user with a menu containing a list of said user software programs, and offering the user an option to install one of said user software programs, said installing step occurring in response to said offering step.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said offering step comprises the step of offering the user an option to install more than one of said user software programs.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
67 words
A method of partitioning a hard disk drive in a computer, said method comprising: providing at least a first, phantom partition and a second, user partition on a surface of at least one disk in said hard disk drive; storing a computer operating system in said phantom partition; and responsive to a request during manufacture of said computer, installing said computer operating system in said user partition.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the step of retaining said phantom partition with said computer operating system stored therein, for subsequent reinstallation of said computer operating system in said user partition.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
76 words
A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said providing step comprises the step of providing a plurality of phantom partitions and a user partition on at least one surface of at least one disk in said hard disk drive, and storing a different respective computer operating system in each of said phantom partitions, said installing step comprising, in response to said request, installing a selected one of said computer operating systems in said user partition.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
77 words
A partitioned hard disk drive, comprising: at least one disk divided into at least two partitions, one of said at least two partitions being a phantom partition into which a computer operating system is installed, a second of said at least two partitions being a user partition for storing data, said phantom partition being configured such that, once said computer operating system is installed from said phantom partition to said user partition, said phantom partition is removed.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
82 words
A disk drive as claimed in claim 13, wherein said at least one disk is divided into a plurality of partitions, at least one of said partitions being a user partition for storing data, and the remaining partitions being phantom partitions, each having a different respective computer operating system installed therein; said phantom partitions being configured such that, in response to a user selection, one of said computer operating systems is installed in said user partition, and said phantom partitions are removed.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
67 words
A disk drive as claimed in claim 13, wherein said at least one disk further includes a further phantom partition having at least one user software program stored therein, said further phantom partition being configured such that, in response to a user selection, said user software program is installed in said user partition, said further phantom partition being retained for subsequent reinstallation of said user software program.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
40 words
A disk drive as claimed in claim 15, wherein said further phantom partition has a plurality of user software programs stored therein, one of said user software programs being installed in said user partition in response to said user selection.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.