Patent ID: 6016400
Filing Date: 2000-01-18
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for preloading software onto a computer system as part of the system assembly process, the computer system when assembled including a bootable optical disk drive, a mass storage medium for storing operating system and application software, and a diskette drive, the method comprising:loading a removable optical storage medium into the optical disk drive, the optical storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of items of computer software;loading a removable manufacturing diskette into the diskette drive, the manufacturing diskette having stored thereon customized installation files defining which of the items of computer software stored on the optical storage medium are to be installed on the mass storage medium of the computer system, the manufacturing diskette further including additional data employed during other steps of the manufacture of the computer system; andbooting the computer system from the loaded optical storage medium and loading, from the optical storage medium, the items of software defined by the installation files on the manufacturing diskette.