System and method for a software application to determine if the storage device and the operating system is an internal drive or an external drive
Software program or application can determine if the storage device it was launched from is connected to the host computer system on an internal bus or an external bus. The ability of a software application to determine from where it and the operating system was launched allows it to perform a plurality of actions based on the launch location such as limiting the functionality of an application depending on its launch location. If a software company does not want its software to be installed or executed from an external drive or executed on multiple computers then it can limit the users ability to moved the software from one computer to another on a portable drive connected through a USB or IEEE-1394 port.
1. A computer system comprising:
a processor running instructions for initially polling interfaces of the computer, to determine a list of storage devices on both an internal bus and an external bus, then operating to determine if an internal drive on the internal bus has a valid path to an operating system, and if so, to boot from the internal drive, and if no drive on the internal bus has the valid path to the operating system, then booting from an external drive connected to the external bus, and also transferring, based on user input, an image including an operating system from the external drive on to said internal drive connected to the internal bus without formatting the internal drive on the internal bus, where said transferring creates a bootable image on said internal drive.
2. The system as in claim 1 , where said image also includes a backup of software and files.
3. The system as in claim 1 , where when said processor boots from said internal drive, said processor creates and/or updates said image on said external drive, based on information on said internal drive.
4. The system as in claim 1 , where said processor determines a software fault provides an option to transfer the operating system from the external drive on to the internal drive connected to the internal bus without formatting the internal drive on the internal bus as said user input.
5. The computer system as in claim 1 , wherein said processor operates on determining that said operating system was booted from said external drive, to automatically examine said internal drive to determine a cause of said internal drive not being bootable, and to provide options to the user for said user input, based on said cause of said internal drive not being bootable.
6. A computer system as in claim 1 , wherein said instructions for polling operate to inventory each of a plurality of physical storage devices, by inventorying a storage device interface, then moving to next storage device for a current interface, until a last interface is inventoried.
7. A computer system comprising:
a processor running instructions for operating to determine if an internal drive on an internal bus is bootable, and if so, to boot from the internal drive, and if no drive on the internal drive is bootable, then determining if an external drive on an external bus is bootable, and if so, booting from the external drive connected to the external bus and also determining a reason why the internal drive was not bootable, and based on said reason, providing options to a user interface for correcting said reason, said options including a first option for a software error for transferring an image including an operating system from the external drive on to the internal drive connected to the internal bus without formatting the internal drive on the internal bus, where said transferring creates a bootable image on said internal drive, and a second option for replacing the internal drive.
8. The system as in claim 7 , where said image also includes a backup of software and files.
9. The system as in claim 7 , further comprising instructions for determining a list of storage devices on both an internal drive and an external drive of the computer system, wherein said instructions for polling operate to inventory each of a plurality of physical storage devices, by inventorying a storage device interface, then moving to next storage device for a current interface, until a last interface is inventoried.
10. A computer product comprising a series of non-transitory, executable instructions, that when executed, implement a program, said executable instructions comprising: instructions for operating to determine if an internal drive on an internal bus is bootable, and if so, to boot from the internal drive,
determining if no internal drive on the internal bus is bootable, and determining if an external drive on an external bus is bootable, and if so, booting from the external drive connected to the external bus and also determining a reason why the internal drive was not bootable, and based on said reason, providing options to a user interface for correcting said reason,
said options including a first option for a software error for transferring an image including an operating system from the external drive on to the internal drive connected to the internal bus without formatting the internal drive on the internal bus, where said transferring creates a bootable image on said internal drive, and a second option for replacing the internal drive.
11. The system as in claim 10 , where said image also includes a backup of software and files.
12. The system as in claim 10 , further comprising instructions for determining a list of storage devices on both an internal drive and an external drive of a computer system, wherein said instructions for polling operate to inventory each of a plurality of physical storage devices, by inventorying a storage device interface, then moving to next storage device for a current interface, until a last interface is inventoried.