Albert E Rickey

US Patent:

6449716, Sep 10, 2002

Filed:

Sep 20, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/960181

Inventors:

Albert E. Rickey - Lake Forest CA

Assignee:

Phoenix Technologies Ltd. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

G06F 15177

US Classification:

713 2, 713100

Abstract:

A high capacity computer article of manufacture to be loaded into a drive of a computer that includes a memory, comprising: a computer usable medium including at least one partition area and a boot sector, with the computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, comprising: first computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector including a first BIOS parameter block for setting parameters for the medium if inserted in a floppy drive of the computer; and second computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector comprising a Partition Table for organizing the medium to include at least one partition and for designating an active partition. In a further embodiment of the invention, the article of manufacture includes: third computer readable code means fixed in the active partition area on the computer readable medium and including a second BIOS parameter block, and DOS boot record code for locating operating system files, loading the operating system files into the memory of the computer and causing the computer to execute them; and fourth computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector comprising a master boot record code for loading into the memory of the computer the third computer readable code means comprising the second BIOS parameter block and the DOS record code of the active partition listed in the Partition Table, and causing the computer to execute the DOS boot record code using parameters from the BIOS parameter blocks in accordance with whether the DOS boot record code was loaded from a floppy drive or a hard drive.

US Patent:

20020166059, Nov 7, 2002

Filed:

May 1, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/847812

Inventors:

Albert Rickey - Round Rock TX, US
Curtis Stevens - Irvine CA, US

International Classification:

H04L009/00

US Classification:

713/200000

Abstract:

Apparatus and methods that protect against boot sector viruses on partitioned media of a computer system. The apparatus and methods incorporate code in system firmware, or basic input/output system (BIOS) that parses the partition table. The Apparatus and methods thus provide virus protection implemented by the system firmware (BIOS). Exemplary boot sector virus protection apparatus and methods comprise a computer system having a nonvolatile memory and a mass storage device with a master boot record containing a partition table. The apparatus and methods store code in the nonvolatile memory that is capable of reading the partition table in the master boot record stored in the mass storage device, or stored in a secure area of the mass storage device. The stored code is used to read the master boot record, locate the partition table in the master boot table, locate a bootable partition within the partition table, and begin a boot process using the bootable partition. A checksum of the master boot record or its partition table, or a cyclic redundancy check of the master boot record or its partition table are preferably used.

US Patent:

63082640, Oct 23, 2001

Filed:

Sep 30, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/163359

Inventors:

Albert E. Rickey - Lake Forest CA

Assignee:

Phoenix Technologies Ltd. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

G06F 15177

US Classification:

713 2

Abstract:

A high capacity computer article of manufacture to be loaded into a drive of a computer that includes a memory, comprising: a computer usable medium including at least one partition area and a boot sector, with the computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, comprising: first computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector including a first BIOS parameter block for setting parameters for the medium if inserted in a floppy drive of the computer; and second computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector comprising a Partition Table for organizing the medium to include at least one partition and for designating an active partition. In a further embodiment of the invention, the article of manufacture includes: third computer readable code means fixed in the active partition area on the computer readable medium and including a second BIOS parameter block, and DOS boot record code for locating operating system files, loading the operating system files into the memory of the computer and causing the computer to execute them; and fourth computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector comprising a master boot record code for loading into the memory of the computer the third computer readable code means comprising the second BIOS parameter block and the DOS record code of the active partition listed in the Partition Table, and causing the computer to execute the DOS boot record code using parameters from the BIOS parameter blocks in accordance with whether the DOS boot record code was loaded from a floppy drive or a hard drive.

US Patent:

63049651, Oct 16, 2001

Filed:

Sep 29, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/162512

Inventors:

Albert E. Rickey - Lake Forest CA

Assignee:

Phoenix Technologies Ltd. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

G06F 9445

US Classification:

713 2

Abstract:

A method and computer system including a bootable storage media, preferably a CD-ROM, having a single bootable disk image that allows multiple emulations. A hard disk boot image including an MBR is provided at the beginning of the bootable disk image. A floppy DBR is provided at a predetermined sector boundary in the hard disk image so that the computer system can use either the hard disk or the floppy disk emulation at boot time. A computer article of manufacture embodying a single bootable disk image that allows both a hard disk or a floppy disk emulation is also provided.