Patent ID: 8234359

Claim:
A method for executing a re-imaging process for replacing an original image on an active system of a remote computer system with a new image comprising: receiving a command to initiate the re-imaging process from a remote location; downloading the new image onto the active system; performing the re-imaging process to replace the original image with the new image, wherein performing the re-imaging process includes: stopping processes not needed to maintain an operating system running on the active system in an operable state; moving files and settings in the original image from a top level space of the active system into a temporary directory using system level application programming interface (API) commands; and moving files from a re-imaging directory in which files for the new image are stored on the active system into the top level space using system level API commands; informing the remote location of the re-imaging process's success; and rebooting the computer system after the original image is replaced with the new image, wherein no reboot occurs during a time interval defined by a start time at which the command to initiate the re-imaging process is received and an end time at which this rebooting occurs.