Virtual Floppy Driver Storage on Utility Partition
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of storage device drivers during the setup of Microsoft Windows operating systems is complicated and time-consuming, especially when drivers are not included on the installation media, requiring users to manually find and load OEM drivers using removable storage media like floppy disks, which have limited capacity and are not always available.
Innovation Solution
Storing storage device drivers on a Utility Partition of a hard disk drive and presenting them as a virtual floppy disk drive using INT13h BIOS interrupt calls, allowing for automated or manual installation during the operating system installation process, eliminating the need for external storage media.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If floppy disk media is used to store storage device drivers, then the drivers can be provided during operating system installation, but the storage capacity is limited and cannot store more than one storage device driver at a time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the floppy disk interface through software emulation. Instead of using physical floppy disks with limited capacity, the system creates a virtual floppy disk image stored on the hard disk that replicates the floppy disk interface. This virtual image can store multiple driver packages simultaneously, eliminating the physical media limitations while maintaining compatibility with the installation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional physical floppy disk media to a virtual storage space on the hard disk. By storing the floppy disk image as a file on the hard disk rather than on actual floppy media, the system gains access to the hard disk's much larger storage capacity while presenting the same interface to the installation process.
2Productivity
If manual driver installation using removable storage media is required, then OEM drivers can be installed, but the process is complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring the virtual floppy disk image and pre-loading the driver files onto the hard disk before the installation process begins. The virtual floppy interface is set up in advance, and when the installation process needs drivers, they are already available in the predetermined location, eliminating the need for manual media handling during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system makes the driver installation process self-service by automatically presenting the virtual floppy disk to the installation process without requiring user intervention. The BIOS or boot loader automatically detects and mounts the virtual floppy image, and the installation process automatically accesses the drivers from this virtual media, eliminating manual steps.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a physical floppy disk drive is used, then drivers can be loaded during installation, but the hardware is not always available and requires physical media handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical floppy disk drive system with a software-based virtual drive. Instead of requiring physical floppy disks and a mechanical drive, the system uses a virtual file system that emulates the floppy disk interface through software. This substitution eliminates mechanical components while maintaining the same functional interface for driver installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual floppy implementation provides universal access to driver installation functionality. It can store multiple types of driver packages, support different installation scenarios, and work with various operating system installers. The single virtual floppy image can serve multiple purposes: storing drivers, providing installation media emulation, and supporting different hardware configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
Installable device drivers may be stored on a partition, e.g., Utility Partition (UP) or other OEM partition, of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) storage device, e.g., hard disk drive, by associating an INT13h Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) interrupt call, e.g., reading from floppy disk drive a: or drive b: a desired storage device driver during the normal course of installing an operating system (OS), e.g., Microsoft Windows, Linux, BSD, Unix, etc., on the information handling system, e.g., personal computer, server, blade server, storage array, workstation, etc. The run-time loading of a raw floppy image having OS installable drivers residing in the Utility Partition or other hidden partition on the hard disk may be presented as a virtual floppy disk drive to the OS installer, e.g., person (manual) or scripted (automated) process.