Patent ID: 6470446
Filing Date: 2002-10-22
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method of preparing a hard disk of a computer during installation of a network operating system thereon, the method comprising:prompting a user to specify disk preparation data for said hard disk including a primary partition size, utility partition size and volume label; storing said disk preparation data in a self-loading binary image (â€œSLBIâ€ ) which includes a bootstrap loader; writing the SLBI to a first track of the hard disk immediately following a master boot record (MBR) of the hard disk; placing a sector address of the SLBI bootstrap loader into a partition descriptor of a master partition table (MPT); rebooting said computer system from said SLBI; partitioning the hard disk to include the utility partition size and the primary partition size, the primary partition receiving the volume label; formatting the utility and primary partitions appropriately; removing the SLBI from the hard disk and updating the MPT of said hard disk by removing its partition descriptor and adding a newly created partition descriptor for each of at least one partition created during said formatting and partitioning, wherein one such partition descriptor is marked as active; and rebooting said computer system.