System and method for online data migration

1. A method of changing storage drive contents, comprising:

installing a redirection driver in a computer system, wherein the redirection driver redirects requests to a main storage of the computer system to one of the main storage and a temporary storage;

copying files from the main storage to the temporary storage;

replacing files in the main storage with files in a source storage; and

redirecting, to the temporary storage, requests directed to files of the main storage that have been copied to the temporary storage,

wherein the main storage and the temporary storage share partitions of the same physical storage drive,

wherein free blocks of the physical storage drive are used as blocks of the temporary storage, and

wherein blocks are assigned to the temporary storage on demand.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein copying the files from the main storage to the temporary storage is a background process.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein restoring the files from the source storage into files of the main storage is a background process.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising hiding the temporary storage from an operating system of the computer system.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temporary storage is implemented as any of a RAM, a DVD-RAM, and a hard disk drive.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising booting another operating system to replace an operating system of the computer system, after finishing substituting storage drive content.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing, in the source storage, an earlier state of the main storage.

8. A method of changing storage drive contents, comprising:

installing a redirection driver in a computer system, wherein the redirection driver redirects requests to a main storage of the computer system to one of the main storage and a temporary storage;

copying files from the main storage to the temporary storage;

replacing files in the main storage with files in a source storage;

redirecting, to the temporary storage, requests directed to files of the main storage that have been copied to the temporary storage; and

copying blocks of the temporary storage back to corresponding blocks of the main storage if there are no free blocks available in the main storage,

wherein the main storage and the temporary storage share partitions of the same physical storage drive, and

wherein free blocks of the physical storage drive are used as blocks of the temporary storage.

9. A method of changing storage drive contents, comprising:

installing a redirection driver in a computer system, wherein the redirection driver redirects requests to a main storage of the computer system to one of the main storage and a temporary storage;

copying files from the main storage to the temporary storage;

replacing files in the main storage with files in a source storage;

redirecting, to the temporary storage, requests directed to files of the main storage that have been copied to the temporary storage; and

using blocks of different drives as blocks of the temporary storage if the storage drive contains an insufficient number of free blocks,

wherein the main storage and the temporary storage share partitions of the same physical storage drive.

10. A method of changing storage drive contents, comprising:

installing a redirection driver in a computer system, wherein the redirection driver redirects requests to a main storage of the computer system to one of the main storage and a temporary storage;

copying files from the main storage to the temporary storage;

replacing files in the main storage with files in a source storage;

redirecting, to the temporary storage, requests directed to files of the main storage that have been copied to the temporary storage;

wherein the storage drive includes a virtual storage represents at least a partition of the disk drive, and

wherein blocks of the temporary storage are hidden on a top level of an operating system of the computer system.

11. A method of changing storage drive contents, comprising:

installing a redirection driver in a computer system, wherein the redirection driver redirects requests to a main storage of the computer system to one of the main storage and a temporary storage;

copying files from the main storage to the temporary storage;

replacing files in the main storage with files in a source storage;

redirecting, to the temporary storage, requests directed to files of the main storage that have been copied to the temporary storage; and

dividing a physical storage drive into the main storage, the temporary storage and a residual storage area;

wherein blocks of the residual storage area are available for the access requests.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for implementing the method of claim 1 .

13. A system for changing storage drive contents comprising:

a computer system having a main storage, a temporary storage, and a source storage;

a redirection driver installed into an operating system of a computer, wherein the redirection driver redirects requests to a main storage to one of the main storage and a temporary storage; and

a background process that copies files from the main storage to the temporary storage and that overwrites corresponding files in the main storage with files from a source storage,

wherein the requests to files of the main storage that have been copied to the temporary storage are redirected to the temporary storage,

wherein the storage drive includes a virtual storage represents at least a partition of the disk drive, and

wherein blocks of the temporary storage are hidden on a top level of an operating system of the computer system.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the main storage and the temporary storage share partitions of the same physical storage drive.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein free blocks of the physical storage drive are used as blocks of the temporary storage.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein blocks are assigned to the temporary storage in succession.