Method, system, and computer-readable medium for enabling multi-segmented recovery of basic input output system program code in a computer system
View Patent ↗A method, system, and computer-readable medium for enabling the segmented recovery of Basic Input Output System (“BIOS”) program code in a computer system is provided. A system is provided that includes a recovery program for recovering BIOS code in the computer system. The recovery program retrieves split program files, each containing a portion of BIOS code, from storage media, such as floppy diskettes, and combines the program files into a single BIOS image file utilized by the computer system to recover the BIOS.
1. A method for enabling multi-segmented recovery of Basic Input Output System (BIOS) program code in a computer system, the method comprising:
(a) retrieving a program file comprising BIOS code for the computer system as a current program file;
(b) comparing the size of the current program file to the size of a current BIOS image in the computer system;
(c) if the size of the current program file is smaller than the size of the current BIOS image, then retrieving a next program file;
(d) increasing the size of the current program file to include the size of the next program file;
(e) repeating the operations (b)–(d) until the size of the current program file is equivalent to the size of the current BIOS image in the computer system; and
(f) initiating recovery of the BIOS code from the current program file.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein retrieving a program file comprising BIOS code for the computer system as a current program file comprises:
searching for the program file on a storage medium; and
if the program file is found on the storage medium, then:
determining a starting memory location; and
copying the program file from the storage medium to the starting memory location.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein if the program file is not found on the storage medium, then:
modifying the name of the program file and searching for a new program file bearing the modified name on the storage medium.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein retrieving a next program file comprises:
searching for the next program file on the storage medium;
if the next program file is found on the storage medium, then:
determining a starting memory location; and
copying the next program file from the storage medium to a memory location ahead of the starting memory location.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein if the next program file is not found on the storage medium, then requesting the next program file from a user.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein increasing the size of the current program file to include the size of the next program file comprises combining the BIOS code in the current program file with the BIOS code in the next program file.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the program file and the next program file are split program files, wherein each split program file comprises a portion of the BIOS code for the computer system.
8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the storage medium comprises a floppy disk readable by a floppy disk drive.
9. A computer system for enabling multi-segmented recovery of Basic Input Output System (BIOS) program code in a computer system, comprising:
a memory for storing executable program code for recovering BIOS program code in the computer system;
storage media for storing program files comprising the BIOS code; and
a processor, in communication with the memory and the storage media, the processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program code and operative to:
retrieve a first program file comprising BIOS code for the computer system from the storage medium as a current program file;
(a) compare the size of the current program file to the size of a current BIOS image in the computer system;
(b) if the size of the current program file is not equivalent to the current BIOS image, then retrieve a next program file from the storage media;
(c) increase the size of the current program file to include the size of the next program file;
repeat the operations (a)–(c) until the size of the current program file is equivalent to the current BIOS image in the computer system; and
initiate recovery of the BIOS code from the current program file.
10. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein in retrieving a program file comprising BIOS code for the computer system as a current program file the processor is further operative to:
search for the program file on the storage media; and
if the program file is found on the storage media, then:
determine a starting location in the memory; and
copy the program file from the storage media to the starting memory location.
11. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein if the program file is not found on the storage media, the processor is operative to:
modify the name of the program file and search for a new program file bearing the modified name on the storage media.
12. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the processor in retrieving a next program file is further operative to:
search for the next program file on the storage media; and
if the next program file is found on the storage media, then:
determine a starting memory location; and
copy the program file from the storage media to a memory location ahead of the starting memory location.
13. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein if the next program file is not found on the storage media, then the processor is further operative to request the next program file from a user.
14. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the processor in increasing the size of the current program file to include the size of the next program file is further operative to combine the BIOS code in the current program file with the BIOS code in the next program file.
15. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the program file and the next program file are split program files, wherein each split program file comprises a portion of the BIOS code.
16. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the storage media comprises a floppy disk readable by a floppy disk drive.
17. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions which when executed on a computer perform a method for enabling multi-segmented recovery of Basic Input Output System (BIOS) program code, the method comprising:
retrieving a program file comprising BIOS code as a current program file;
(a) comparing the size of the current program file to the size of a current BIOS image;
(b) if the size of the current program file is smaller than the size of the BIOS image, then retrieving a next program file;
(c) increasing the size of the current program file to include the size of the next program file;
repeating the operations (a)–(c) until the size of the current program file is equivalent to the size of the BIOS image; and
initiating recovery of the BIOS code from the current program file.
18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein retrieving a program file comprising BIOS code as a current program file comprises:
searching for the program file on a storage medium; and
if the program file is found on the storage medium, then:
determining a starting memory location; and
copying the program file from the storage medium to the starting memory location.
19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein retrieving a next program file comprises:
searching for the next program file on the storage medium;
if the next program file is found on the storage medium, then:
determining a starting memory location; and
copying the program file from the storage medium to a memory location ahead of the starting memory location.
20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein increasing the size of the current program file to include the size of the next program file comprises adding the program code in the current program file to the program code in the next program file.