Patent ID: 8429427

Claim:
A device used in connection with an information processing apparatus, comprising: a storage device including: an authentication storage area storing an authentication program in advance, wherein the authentication program is executed to authenticate whether each user operating the information processing apparatus is an approved user; an operating system storage area storing an operating system in advance, wherein the operating system is encrypted and is used by the information processing apparatus; an access controller that controls information process apparatus accesses to the authentication storage area and the operating system storage area; and a decoder configured to decrypt the encrypted operating system, wherein the storage device being configured to make one of the authentication storage area and the operating system storage area visible and the other area invisible from the information processing apparatus, and the authentication storage area and the operating system storage area are set to have identical attributes including a device name and a device size, wherein after the information processing apparatus is powered on, the access controller makes the authentication storage area visible and the operating system storage area invisible, thereby allowing the authentication program to be activated and implemented on the information processing apparatus, and after the successful authentication by the authentication program, the access controller makes the authentication storage area invisible and the operating system storage area visible and controls the decoder to decrypt the operating system, thereby allowing the operating system to be activated and implemented on the information processing apparatus.