Process for configuring software in a build-to-order computer system

Abstract

A process for manufacturing a computer system, including a selected hardware configuration and a selected software configuration, utilizes a CD-ROM writer connected to a manufacturing system network to select and write a custom software configuration to a CD-ROM. The CD-ROM is used to install the selected software configuration onto a custom hardware configuration and to subsequently serve as a permanent backup copy of the software configuration. The CD-ROM is written with an identifier of the specific computer hardware assembled in the manufacturing process and the identification written to the CD-ROM is checked when the software is loaded from the CD-ROM onto the computer so that the software is only accessible to the specified computer hardware.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to the field of computer system manufacturing processes. More specifically, this invention relates to a process for configuring and restricting a computer system software to a specific computer hardware.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In the past, personal computer systems have generally been sold with no software, or only a limited amount of software, installed. Thus, a customer of the system had generally been required to install and configure the software of a system. Similarly, computer customers often were required to combine and configure the hardware in a computer system. However, computer systems are no longer sold as hardware boxes having software to be added by the customer or simply shipped with software, making software installation a responsibility of the user. More recently, computer systems have become available in a large number of configurations. Furthermore, it has become possible to custom-order a computer system hav...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]The disclosed process has several advantages over conventional computer system manufacturing processes. For example, the disclosed process allows a combination of software components to be tailored to a customer's requirements from a catalog of software utilities and applications which are known to be compatible with the computer system hardware requested by the customer. Furthermore, the software assembly sub-process is completely isolated from the hardware assembly sub-process so that the two sub-processes proceed in parallel, thereby reducing the time elapsed from customer order to customer shipping.

[0014]It is advantageous that the CD-ROM that is used to load software onto the assembled hardware components is also shipped to the customer. The customer thus receives a permanent backup copy of software that was originally loaded onto the system and appropriately licensed to the customer.

[0015]It is advantageous that usage of the CD-ROM discourages unauthorized copying of software which occurs in conventional systems when a customer orders software for a single computer hardware system and installs the software on multiple systems. In the disclosed manufacturing process, CD-ROMs are designated to be unique to a specific hardware system by writing an identification number of the hardware system to the CD-ROM. Some or all of the software files stored on the CD-ROM are encrypted so that the encrypted files can only be installed on the hardware system that the CD-ROM accompanies.

[0016]It is advantageous that the disclosed method reduces technical support and warranty costs of the manufacturer. The software configuration written to CD-ROM is a verified combination of software components that is known to be compatible with the assembled hardware components. If a problem arises in subsequent operation of the computer system, the original software configuration can be restored simply and efficiently from the CD-ROM.

Problems solved by technology

However, computer systems are no longer sold as hardware boxes having software to be added by the customer or simply shipped with software, making software installation a responsibility of the user.

However, a wide variety of software operating systems, drivers, application programs and the like are available so that a computer customer often must invest a substantial amount of time to configure the software in a computer system in a desired manner.

An increasingly complex combination of internally-manufactured computer hardware and manufacturer-loaded software, which is furnished by external software venders, is creating substantial difficulty for computer manufacturers in the areas of customer support and warranty support.

In some cases, manufacturers incur the additional expense of shipping backup floppy disks for these operating systems, in combination with other software packages, to the customer.

Customers find this task quite burdensome due to the very long time required to transfer backup copies to the floppy disks.

If a customer fails to generate the backup floppy disks and the software on the hard drive is corrupted, a manufacturer must provide costly technical support services.

Costs incurred in furnishing these services often cannot be recovered by the manufacturer.

In addition, a customer who must rely on these technical services is commonly unable to use the computer for some amount of time so that anger and dissatisfaction of the customer result.

This method is time consuming and, therefore, costly.

Furthermore, disconnection and connection of the programmed hard drive often corrupts the software programmed onto the drive.

This method results in high traffic on the network.

In a large-volume manufacturing environment, this high traffic greatly reduces the throughput of the network.

Furthermore, a network failure interrupts the entire manufacturing line.

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