Patent ID: 8452951

Claim:
A method for providing customized software for a computing device, the method comprising: receiving a customer order for the computing device; parsing the customer order to determine configuration data for the computing device; building an image using the configuration data; writing the image to a storage device, the storage device being distributable to a customer; and loading instructions onto the storage device, the instructions executable by a processor, the instructions comprising code for: determining whether the computing device is to boot from the storage device or from the computing device, comprising: comparing an image on the storage device with an installed image in a memory of the computing device; parsing the image on the storage device for a boot flag, wherein the boot flag indicates at least one condition for booting the image on the storage device; and evaluating the at least one condition; allowing execution, if the computing device is to boot from the storage device, of boot code on the computing device to acquire the image from the storage device, and allowing booting of the computing device using the acquired image.