CN1333337C - Methods of installing and pre-starting software - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for installing and pre-starting software can reduce the production cost of the computer and make the installation and pre-starting of the software more flexible by partitioning the storage device (hard disk) of the computer.

Description

Methods of installing and pre-starting software

technical field

The invention relates to a method for installing and pre-starting software.

Background technique

In the conventional technology, before the computer is shipped, the computer manufacturer installs an operating system in the storage device of the computer, wherein the operating system includes the operating system driver and the operating system application program (eg, a time rewinder). During the production process, the computer manufacturer will install the operating system image file (image file) in the hard disk of the computer. When the user turns on the computer, the computer will explode the operating system image file in the hard disk to pre-set up the operating system.

During the production process, the computer manufacturer will also install the patch file on the hard disk of the computer. Fix files are used to update operating system drivers or operating system applications in the operating system. Usually, the patch files are placed under a patch directory. After the user pre-boots the operating system, the computer will copy the revised file to the location of the old file to replace the old file.

Usually, a computer is shipped with a recovery CD and a system CD. The recovery disc contains boot files and operating system image files. When a problem occurs in the computer, the user can use the recovery CD to restore the computer. The system disc contains at least one revision file. When the operating system driver or operating system application program in the operating system is updated, the computer manufacturer will place the revised file (updated file) on the system CD, so users can use the system CD to update the operating system driver. or operating system applications for updates.

If the computer is shipped to a country with multiple languages, such as Switzerland, since Switzerland has three official languages, namely German, French, and Italian, the computer manufacturer must install three operating system image files in the computer hard disk, which are German version OS image file, French version OS image file, Italian version OS image file. In the production process, in order to put multiple operating system image files into the hard disk at the same time, computer manufacturers must use Microsoft Multiple Operatingsystem Preinstallation Toolkit (MPK) to format the hard disk into a special Microsoft format. However, if the operating system driver or the operating system application program is updated, the updated file cannot directly replace the old file, that is to say, the MPK format cannot be modified immediately, thus causing considerable inconvenience.

Since the computer has three versions of the operating system, when the user turns on the computer, a selection screen will appear on the computer, allowing the user to select the desired language version.

In addition, when the computer is shipped to a multilingual country, taking Switzerland as an example, the computer manufacturer must attach three recovery CDs with the computer to store the image file of the German version of the operating system, the image file of the French version of the operating system, and the Italian version of the operating system. The image file of the Chinese version of the operating system. However, only one of the three recovery discs can contain the boot files to comply with Microsoft's regulations. In this way, when a problem occurs in the computer, the user must first insert the recovery CD with the boot file to start the computer, and then insert the recovery CD with the operating system image file of the required language version to restore the computer, resulting in User Inconvenience.

Furthermore, in addition to the three recovery CDs, the computer manufacturer also needs to attach a system CD. That is to say, four optical discs must be attached to a computer, thus causing a considerable production burden and cost to the manufacturer.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for installing and pre-starting software, which reduces the production cost of the computer by dividing the storage device (hard disk) of the computer, and makes the software installation and pre-starting more flexible.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for installing and pre-starting software, including:

During installation:

At least one computer downloads a split image file from a server to a storage device of the computer via a network, so that the storage device is divided into a first partition, a second partition, and a third partition, and the At least one boot file is stored in the third partition, so that the third partition is set as a boot partition;

the computer downloads at least one operating system image file from the server to the second partition of the storage device of the computer via the network;

During pre-boot:

When a user turns on the computer for the first time,

The computer executes the boot file in the third partition to perform a boot action;

The computer interprets the file name of the operating system image file to generate a selection screen, wherein the selection screen includes at least one option, and each option corresponds to an operating system;

After the user selects the desired operating system,

the computer merges the first and second partitions to form a merged partition, wherein the second partition still exists in the computer and the computer can still access the second partition;

unpacking, by the computer, an operating system image file corresponding to the operating system selected by the user from the second partition to the merged partition;

The computer executes the boot file in the third partition to restart the computer for the first time;

the computer hides the third partition; and

The computer executes the operating system in the merged partition for the second reboot.

The method for installing and pre-activating software is characterized in that: the storage device is a hard disk.

The method for installing and pre-starting software is characterized in that: the first partition, the second partition, the third partition, and the merged partition are all primary partitions.

The method for installing and pre-starting software is characterized in that: the capacity of the first partition is 1/2 of the capacity of the storage device, the capacity of the third partition is 50M, and the second partition The capacity of is the remaining capacity of the capacity of the storage device after deducting the capacities of the first and third partitions.

The method for installing and pre-activating software is characterized in that: when the server contains at least one revision file, the computer will download the revision file from the server to the storage device after downloading the operating system image file. the third partition, and after the computer is restarted for the first time, the computer will copy the revision files in the third partition to the combined partition to revise the operating system.

The method for installing and pre-activating software is characterized in that: when the server includes at least one application program, the computer will download the application program from the server to the storage device after downloading the operating system image file the third partition, and after the computer restarts for the first time, the computer will install the applications in the third partition to the merged partition.

Compared with the conventional technology, using the method and system for installing and pre-starting the software of the present invention, in the production process, the computer manufacturer can divide the computer hard disk into three partitions, so that multiple operating system image files can be placed in the same time. In the hard disk, there will be no problems that cannot directly correct the operating system drivers and operating system applications. Furthermore, even if the computer is shipped to a country with multiple languages, the computer manufacturer still only needs to attach a recovery CD and a system CD with the shipment of the computer. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the computer manufacturer can reduce the cost by using the method of the present invention. production cost.

In addition, by using the method and system for installing and pre-activating software of the present invention, computer manufacturers can have more flexibility in installing software, so as to provide users with more diverse choices. Computer manufacturers can install different operating systems and application programs in computers according to user needs. Therefore, the user can select the desired operating system, and can also use the returned CD to re-select the operating system. In addition, in the process of pre-starting the software, the computer will automatically complete the installation of the application program, so that the user does not need to perform an additional process of installing the application program. Even if users can choose more operating systems and application programs, computer manufacturers still only need to include a recovery CD and a system CD with the shipment of the computer, so computer manufacturers can, without increasing the production burden and cost, Meet the diverse needs of users.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for installing software according to the present invention.

2A and 2B are schematic diagrams of the division state of the storage device of the computer during the software installation process.

3A and 3B are schematic diagrams of the division state of the storage device of the computer during the software pre-starting process.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the method for installing and pre-starting software in the present invention.

Detailed ways

Please refer to Figure 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 10 for installing software according to the present invention. The system 10 includes a server 12 and a plurality of computers 14 . The computer 14 is connected to the server 12 via the network 16 . The server includes a split image file 18 , a plurality of operating system image files 20 , a plurality of revision files 19 , and a plurality of application programs 21 . Each computer 14 includes a storage device 22 . Wherein, the storage device 22 is a hard disk.

Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the partition state of the storage device 22 of the computer 14 during the software installation process. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method 40 for installing and pre-activating software according to the present invention. During the production process, each computer 14 downloads the segmented image file 18 from the server 12 to the storage device 22 of the computer 14 via the network 16 (step 401 shown in FIG. 4 ). After unpacking the split image file 18, the storage device 22 will be divided into a first partition 24, a second partition 26, and a third partition 28, and the boot file (not shown) will be stored in the first partition. The third partition 28 is used to set the third partition 28 as an active partition. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2 a , the third segmented area 28 is a C-slot, the first segmented area 24 is a D-slot, and the second segmented area 26 is an E-slot.

Wherein, the capacity of the first partition 24 (D slot) is 1/2 of the capacity of the storage device 22 (hard disk), the capacity of the third partition 28 (C slot) is 50M, and the third partition 26 (E The capacity of the slot) is the remaining capacity of the capacity of the storage device 22 after deducting the capacities of the first and third partitions 24 and 28 .

Next, the computer 14 downloads a plurality of operating system image files 20 from the server 12 to the second partition 26 of the storage device 22 of the computer 14 via the network 16 (step 402 shown in FIG. 4 ). As shown in FIG. 2 b , the third partition 26 includes three operating system image files, which are a German version operating system image file, a French version operating system image file, and an Italian version operating system image file.

Afterwards, the computer 14 will download a plurality of revision files (patch files) 19 and a plurality of application programs 21 to the third partition 28 of the storage device 22 of the computer 14 via the network 16 from the server 12 (step 403 shown in FIG. 4 ) . The application program 21 can be a Microsoft document application program (Microsoft Word), a Microsoft spreadsheet application program (Microsoft Excel) or the like.

Please refer to Figure 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the partition state of the storage device 22 of the computer 14 during the software pre-starting process. Step 404 shown in FIG. 4, when the user turns on (power on) the computer 14 for the first time, the computer 14 will execute the boot file in the third partition 28 to perform a boot action (boot up). Next, in step 405 shown in FIG. 4 , the computer 14 interprets (polling) the filenames of all operating system image files to generate a selection screen. The selection screen includes several options, and each option corresponds to an operating system. In this example, since the second partition 26 contains three operating system image files, three options such as the German version of the operating system, the French version of the operating system, and the Italian version of the operating system will appear on the selection screen for the user to choose the operating system. desired language version.

After the user selects the desired operating system, for example, after the user selects the German version of the operating system, step 406 shown in Figure 4, the computer 14 will merge the first and second partitions 24, 26 to form a Merge partition 30. As shown in FIG. 3A , the third partition 28 is a C slot, and the combined partition 30 is a D slot. Before the computer 14 is rebooted, the second partition 26 still exists in the computer 14 , and the computer 14 can still access the second partition 26 .

Then, the computer 14 will use ghost (Ghost) software to untie the operating system image file (in this example, the German version operating system image file) corresponding to the operating system selected by the user from the second partition 26. (expllde) to merge partition 30 (step 407 as shown in FIG. 4 ). As shown in FIG. 3B , the operating system (German version operating system) selected by the user has been placed in the merged partition 30 . Next, in step 408 shown in FIG. 4 , the computer 14 will execute the boot file in the original third partition 28 again to perform the first reboot (reboot up).

After the computer 14 is restarted for the first time, the computer 14 will copy the revision file located in the original third partition 28 to the merged partition 30, so as to perform the driver program or application program contained in the operating system in the merged partition 30. Updates and fixes. In addition, the computer 14 also installs the application program 21 in the third partition 28 to the combined partition 30 (step 409 shown in FIG. 4 ). After finishing copying the modified files and application programs, the computer 14 hides the third partition 28 (step 410 shown in FIG. 4 ). Next, in step 411 shown in FIG. 4 , the computer 14 executes the operating system located in the merged partition 30 for the second restart. From the user turning on (power on) the computer 14 for the first time to restarting the computer 14 for the second time, the whole process is the process of starting the software in advance.

Wherein, the first partition 24, the second partition 26, the third partition 28, and the combined partition 30 are all primary partitions.

In addition, during the production process, the computer manufacturer can not only install different operating systems according to the needs of users, but also install different application programs 21 in the third partition according to the needs of users. The capacity of the third partition is variable when different application programs 21 are installed, which is based on the principle that the application programs 21 can be placed in the third partition. Before shipping, computer manufacturers can first investigate customer needs. Therefore, in addition to installing operating system image files of different language versions to meet the multilingual requirements of customers, computer manufacturers can also install different operating system image files according to the needs of users, such as Windows operating system 98 (Microsoft Windows 98), Image files of different operating systems such as Windows Operating System 2000 (Microsoft Windows 2000), Windows Millennium Operating System (Windows Me) and so on. When the user turns on the computer for the first time, he can choose the operating system to use.

In terms of application programs, computer manufacturers can also first investigate users' needs for application programs. Customers can select the required application programs, and the computer manufacturer will first install the application programs required by the customers in the third partition. In the process of pre-starting the software, when the computer is restarted for the first time, the computer will automatically install (Silent install) the application program 21 residing in the third partition to the combined partition 30. Therefore, the user does not need to go through an additional process of installing application programs.

Even if the computer is shipped to a multilingual country, the computer manufacturer using the software installation method of the present invention still only needs to attach a recovery CD (recovery CD and system CD) with the shipment of the computer. The recovery CD contains the split image files And multiple operating system image files (for example, if the computer is shipped to Switzerland, the recovery CD will contain three language versions of the operating system image files in German, French, and Italian). When the computer has a problem , the user can use the recovery disc to restore the computer. If the user wants to reinstall a different operating system, the user can also use the recovery disc to re-select the operating system. For example, the user originally used the traditional Chinese version of the Windows operating system 98, If you want to change the operating system to the Simplified Chinese version of the Windows operating system 98, the user can use the recovery CD to reinstall the required operating system.

The system CD contains fix files and applications. When the operating system driver or operating system application program in the operating system is updated, the computer manufacturer will place the revision file in the system CD, so users can use the system CD to update the operating system driver or operating system application program. renew. In addition, computer manufacturers can place the application programs required by users on the system CD. Therefore, after the user utilizes the recovery disc to reinstall the new operating system, the user can use the system disc to update and correct the operating system driver or the operating system application program, and utilize the system disc to install the user's desired application program Reinstall it on your computer.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made according to the protection scope of the present invention shall fall within the coverage of the patent of the present invention.

Claims (6)

1. A method for installing and pre-starting software, comprising: During installation: at least one computer downloads a split image file from a server to a storage device of the computer via a network, so that the storage device is divided into a first partition, a second partition, and a third partition, and at least one boot file is stored in the third partition, so that the third partition is set as a boot partition; the computer downloads at least one operating system image file from the server to the second partition of the storage device of the computer via the network; During pre-boot: When a user turns on the computer for the first time, The computer executes the boot file in the third partition to perform a boot action; The computer interprets the file name of the operating system image file to generate a selection screen, wherein the selection screen includes at least one option, and each option corresponds to an operating system; After the user selects the desired operating system, the computer merges the first and second partitions to form a merged partition, wherein the second partition still exists in the computer and the computer can still access the second partition; unpacking, by the computer, an operating system image file corresponding to the operating system selected by the user from the second partition to the merged partition; The computer executes the boot file in the third partition to restart the computer for the first time; the computer hides the third partition; and The computer executes the operating system in the merged partition for the second reboot. 2. The method for installing and pre-activating software according to claim 1, wherein the storage device is a hard disk. 3. The method for installing and pre-activating software as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first partition, the second partition, the third partition, and the combined partition are all primary partitions. 4. The method for installing and pre-activating software as claimed in claim 1, wherein the capacity of the first partition is 1/2 of the capacity of the storage device, the capacity of the third partition is 50M, The capacity of the second partition is the remaining capacity of the storage device after deducting the capacities of the first and third partitions. 5. The method for installing and pre-activating software as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the server contains at least one revision file, the computer downloads the revision from the server after downloading the operating system image file. files to the third partition of the storage device, and after the computer is restarted for the first time, the computer will copy the revision file in the third partition to the combined partition to modify the operating system. 6. The method for installing and pre-activating software as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the server includes at least one application program, the computer downloads the application from the server after downloading the operating system image file program to the third partition of the storage device, and after the computer is restarted for the first time, the computer will install the application program in the third partition to the merged partition.

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