Patent ID: 6567911
Filing Date: 2003-05-20
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method of conserving memory resources available to a computer system during execution of system BIOS, wherein said computer system includes a processing component having an associated BIOS image that is characterized at least in part by a header, a runtime code and an initialization code, said computer system further including a system RAM having an option ROM memory space of a confined size for accommodating at least a portion of said BIOS image, said method adapted to reduce the amount of memory within said option ROM memory space that is occupied by said BIOS image during execution of a boot sequence thereby to allow for proper initialization of the processing component, said method comprising:(a) loading into the option ROM memory space the portion including at least the header and runtime code associated with said BIOS image; (b) allocating conventional memory of the system RAM, the allocated conventional memory being sized to accommodate at least a decompressed version of the initialization code associated with said BIOS image; (c) loading said decompressed version of the initialization code directly from said BIOS image into said allocated conventional memory; and (d) executing said decompressed version of the initialization code to initialize the processing component.