Patent ID: 6880110

Claim:
A method for automated self-repair of a computer from a software corruption, a virus infection, and a malicious software attack at anytime during operation of the computer including at startup and anytime after startup during use of the computer, the computer being of the type having a first storage that stores executable computer program instructions and a processor coupleable to the first storage, to a first random access memory, and to a first BIOS memory storing a basic input-output system (BIOS), the method comprising: in a second storage disposed within the housing of the computer: (i) storing a master template and (ii) a repair procedure that are completely isolated and protected from alteration by viral infection and malicious code from untrusted sources, and (iii) allocating storage for storing a user modified data or program, the user data allocated space, the master template, and the repair procedure being stored on logically different and separately addressable and isolated storage from each other and from the first storage, the second storage not capable of being exposed to the an untrusted data or program source; selectively operating the computer in a normal mode and a repair mode wherein: (a) in the normal mode, the first storage is physically present within the housing of the computer and able to support read and write operations, and the second storage is physically present within the housing of the computer but logically hidden and unable to support a write operation communication from the first storage, the first processor, the first random access memory, or the first BIOS memory; and (b) in the repair mode, the first storage is physically present in the computer and able to support read and write operations, and the second storage is physically present in the computer and logically visible and able to have only predetermined communication controlled by the repair procedure with the first storage, the predetermined communication being permitted only through a trusted processor and memory executing a repair procedure that are known to be virus and malicious code free; switching the computer operation from the normal mode to the repair mode in response to a repair start signal; automatically and without user intervention repairing the first storage to a known operational state that supports normal mode operation including generating the executable computer program instructions on the first storage using the repair procedure to copy at least a portion of the master template to the first storage through a trusted processor and memory executing a repair procedure that are known to be virus and malicious code free; and after completing the repairing, then automatically returning to normal mode operation.