JP2000305768A - Method for re-writing system software - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To re-write system software with a simple operation in an operating system(OS) environment by re-writing system software under a real mode just after the re-starting of a computer. SOLUTION: When re-writing application software 110 is started, an empty floppy disk(FD) medium 023 is inserted to a FD drive 021 and a message urging the depression of a key is displayed on a graphical user interface. When the FD 023 is inserted and the key is depressed, re-writing application software 110 reads a system software re-writing medium image file (IMG) 112. Then a medium image is written in the empty FD medium 023 where IMG 112 is inserted. OS completes OS after receiving the indication instruction of re-starting and re-starts the computer. Thus, the re-writing of the system software of IMG 112 is automatically executed, which is developed in the FD medium 023 under the operation environment by the real mode just after a computer power source is supplied.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for rewriting system software, and more particularly to a method for allowing a user to easily rewrite system software only by operating on an operating system operating in a protected mode.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as a typical central processing unit (CPU) used in computers, for example, Pentium (trade name) manufactured and sold by Intel Corporation in the United States
A processor may be mentioned. The CPUs after Intel's 80286 have operation modes of a real mode and a protect mode which employ different memory addressing schemes. In the real mode, the accessible maximum memory space is 1 MB, and the operation is the same as that of a conventional CPU. Microsoft Windows (trade name)
This real mode is used during startup of DOS or in DOS.

On the other hand, in the protect mode, a memory exceeding 1 MB can be handled, and each program is protected from leaving its own memory area. An operating system such as Windows (trade name) that supports multitasking can operate a plurality of application software at the same time by operating in the protected mode.

[0004] Computer software can be broadly classified into system software basically required to operate the computer and application software developed to perform business processes. The system software operates in a real mode, and is generally stored in a read-only memory (ROM) and is not usually rewritten. However, when the computer is shipped, for example, when a newly developed peripheral device is connected, the system software may need to be updated in order to set / change the system configuration information. Therefore, at present, the electrically rewritable read-only memory (E
EPROM: Electronically Erasable and Programmable
The system software is stored in Read Only Memory so that it can be rewritten in an emergency.

Since the system software operates in the above-described real mode, the operating system operates in the protect mode.
From the top, writing is not accepted or restricted,
Cannot be rewritten. Therefore, conventionally, when it is necessary to rewrite system software, a rewriting medium is obtained, or an image file of the updated system software and rewriting software are individually obtained, and a command is executed on an OS operating in a real mode. It was necessary to perform rewriting work by input. That is, the user switches over to the OS that operates in the real mode after terminating the OS that normally operates in the protect mode or the like, and then performs a rewrite operation by inputting a command.

[0006]

However, an OS (for example, MS-DO) operating in the real mode as described above.
S or DOS / V), the work of rewriting while inputting a command is usually performed by an OS operating in a protected mode.
It is unfamiliar and very inconvenient for users using (for example, Windows). In addition, if the rewriting operation of the system software is performed in an OS environment to which the user is not accustomed, the operation may not be completed normally or a serious mistake may occur. Since the system software plays an important role of the computer, in such a case, serious data damage may occur.

[0007] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Hei 7-287682 and Hei 9-6 describe attempts to enable rewriting of a system configuration under an OS environment operating in a protected mode.
No. 2607. The CPUs of the computer systems described in these publications have a system management mode (System Management Mode) for realizing a system management function in addition to the real mode and the protect mode. The system switches from the protect mode to the system management mode to update the BIOS driver.
However, since this method requires the CPU to have the system management mode, it cannot be applied to a CPU that does not support the system management function.
Further, providing a CPU having this function increases the production cost of the system.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and enables a user to easily rewrite system software only by operating on an OS environment operating in a normally used protect mode. The aim is to provide a method that can.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores an electrically rewritable read-only memory for storing system software and an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS). At least a hard disk, further storage means capable of writing / reading data, and a central processing unit which operates in a real mode before the OS is started and operates in a protected mode after the OS is started; In a system software rewriting method for a computer in which writing to the read-only memory is restricted during the operation of an OS, the additional storage means has a function of rewriting the system software in an environment where the OS is operating. Storing a boot file, specifying the further storage means as a boot medium, and restarting the computer. Accordingly, characterized in that as the system software rewriting is automatically performed under the real mode after the computer is restarted.

As described above, the O which is usually used by the user is
In the S environment, a start file having a function of rewriting system software is stored in a predetermined storage means, and the system software can be rewritten by restarting the computer by specifying the storage means as a start medium. Then, the user does not need to perform any troublesome command input under the OS environment operating in the real mode, and can rewrite the system software by a simple operation in the normally used OS environment.

In the method of the present invention, the further storage means has a removable storage medium.
Preferably, it is a write / read drive for a floppy disk. By using a floppy disk having excellent operability and mobility as a start-up medium, it is possible to easily and reliably rewrite a system file.

In this case, before storing the start-up file in the further storage means, the user of the computer may be loaded with an empty storage medium in the further storage means, and thereafter request any key input. It is desirable to make. For example, if the user is requested to insert an empty floppy disk and press any key, and if the key input is made to store the startup file on the floppy disk, the information data on the floppy disk may be overwritten accidentally. Or boot from another startup file stored on the disk when the computer restarts.

In the method of the present invention, the OS
Is a graphical user interface (G
Called UI. ) Is supported, and it is desirable to make the request using a GUI. As described above, an object of the present invention is to enable rewriting of system software by a simple operation in an OS environment normally used by a user. If the user is instructed to perform the procedure using the GUI as described above, the user can easily work without being confused.

Further, in the present invention, a plurality of different startup files designed for each type of the computer are prepared, and one of the startup files is selected by the user according to the type of the computer to which the computer is applied. It is desirable to store it in the storage means, or to automatically determine the type of the computer to be applied and store an appropriate one startup file in the further storage means. If a plurality of startup files are prepared for each computer and one startup file can be selected according to the computer to be applied, the method of the present invention can be widely used for various types of computers.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a storage device of a general computer to which a system software rewriting method according to the present invention is applied. Referring to FIG. 1, the storage device of the computer includes a memory as a main storage device 010 and an auxiliary storage device 020. The memory is a readable and writable memory (RAM: Ra
ndom Access Memory (ROM) 011 and a read-only memory (ROM: Read Only Memory) 012.
OM012 is electrically rewritable. The system software to be rewritten by the method of the present invention is stored in the rewritable ROM 012.

The auxiliary storage device 020 comprises a floppy disk drive (FDD) 21 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 022. The HDD 022 has at least the OS 11 operating in the protected mode.
5 and rewriting application software 110 that operates thereon. The OS 115 uses a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the purpose of simple operation, and has various other functions so as to be easy for the user to use. Since the OS 115 operates in the protect mode, access to the memory 010 is restricted after the OS 115 is started, and writing to the ROM 012 becomes impossible.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration relationship among the OS 115, the rewriting application software 110, the ROM 012, and the FD 023. As shown in FIG. 3, the rewriting application software 110 operates on the OS 115, and as shown by the left arrow in FIG.
Writing from 10 to the ROM 012 is prohibited. On the other hand, as indicated by the arrow on the right side, writing can be performed from the rewriting application software 110 to the FD 023 even when the OS 115 is operating.

FIG. 2 shows rewriting application software 1
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the rewriting application software 110 includes an operation program unit 111 and a system software rewriting medium image file (hereinafter, referred to as IMG) 112. Here, the IMG 112 is a file in which a bootable system software rewritable medium is filed as a medium image.
The FD medium is a starting medium having a system software rewriting function. That is, if the FD medium on which the IMG is developed is set in the FD drive and the personal computer is started using the FD drive as a start drive, the system software is automatically rewritten. In addition, IMG112
May be an internal file of the application software 110 or, as indicated by reference numeral 120 in FIG.
It may be configured as an external file of the operation program 111.

Next, the rewriting application software 11
The processing of the 0 operation program 111 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in the method of the present invention, before executing the rewriting application software 110, FDD021 is set as the highest priority in the boot drive of the applicable computer. With this, the computer can read the FDD021 when the bootable floppy disk medium is inserted in the FDD021.
And starts from the HDD 022 if not inserted.

When the computer is normally used (started without inserting the start FD), when the computer is started, the OS 115 stored in the HDD 022 is stored in the RAM 01
It is deployed to 1 and operates. As described above, since the OS operates in the protect mode, access to the ROM 012 from applications running on the OS 115 is restricted, and writing of system software is rejected.

When the system software needs to be rewritten, the rewriting application software 110 stored in the HDD 022 is executed on the OS operating in the protection mode ("Start" in FIG. 4). When the rewriting application software 110 is started, first, a message prompting the user to insert an empty FD medium 023 into the FD drive 21 and press a key is displayed on the GUI (step A1). By displaying a message box on the OS, which the user of the computer is familiar with everyday, the computer user can execute the instruction without any difficult operation.

When the user inserts the FD023 and presses any key (step A2), the rewriting application software 110 reads the IMG 112, which is a component of the FD023 (step A3). In addition, the read IMG
112 is faithfully written on the inserted empty FD medium 023 (step A4). Thus, the FD 023 inserted into the FD drive 21 becomes a boot medium having a system software rewriting function.

Thereafter, the rewriting application software 1
10 issues a restart instruction command to the OS and terminates (step A5). The OS that has received this instruction terminates the OS and restarts the computer. Here, as described above, since the FD drive 021 is set as the startup drive, the computer
It starts from the medium 023. As a result, the system software rewriting function of the IMG 112 loaded on the FD medium 023 is automatically executed under the operating environment in the real mode immediately after turning on the computer, and the system software is rewritten. In this way, the user only needs to execute the rewriting application software 110 on the OS during normal operation and perform key input after inserting the FD medium.
The system software can be easily rewritten only by a simple operation on the familiar OS.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification of the rewriting application software 110 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the application software 301 of the present example includes an operation program 311 and a plurality of system software rewritable medium image files (IMG) 120. When this application software 301 is executed,
Before the FD insertion and before the key input instruction, the user is prompted to display a menu of a plurality of IMGs 120 to select one of them, and the selected IMG 120 is used to rewrite the system software. For example, if the IMG 120 corresponding to each type of computer is provided, the system software of a plurality of types of computers can be rewritten only with the application software 301. Can be provided.

In FIG. 5, the operation program 31
1 may be configured to determine the computer on which it is operating, automatically select the IMG corresponding to that computer, and store it in the FD. These settings can be easily realized by those skilled in the art, and a description using detailed flowcharts and the like will be omitted.

Although the embodiment of the system software rewriting method of the present invention has been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be realized in various other forms. For example, the rewriting application software 110 does not need to expand the IMG 112 on the FD medium, and any other writable recording medium can be used as long as it can be set as the priority boot medium. Further, the type of the OS and other configurations in the normal operation of the computer are not limited.

[0027]

As described above, according to the system software rewriting method of the present invention, the rewriting of the system software can be achieved only by the operation on the OS operating in the protect mode normally used by the user. Therefore, the user does not need to perform any troublesome command input under the OS environment operating in the real mode, and can rewrite the system software by a simple operation in the OS environment normally used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a storage device of a computer to which a method of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a program for executing the method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the OS, ROM, and FD shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between the application software and rewriting application software.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing of the rewriting application software shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification of the rewriting application software shown in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

010 Main storage device 011 RAM 012 ROM 020 Auxiliary storage device 21 FDD 022 HDD 023 FD 110 Rewriting application software 111, 311 Operating program 112, 120 System software rewriting medium image file

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An electrically rewritable read-only memory for storing system software, a hard disk for storing an operating system (hereinafter referred to as an OS), and further storage means for writing / reading data. A central processing unit that operates in a real mode before the OS is started, and operates in a protected mode after the OS is started. Writing to the read-only memory is limited during the operation of the OS. In the computer system software rewriting method, a boot file having a function of rewriting the system software is stored in the further storage unit in an environment where the OS is operating, and the further storage unit is designated as a boot medium. And restart the computer, so that the computer is System software rewriting method is characterized in that as system software rewriting is automatically performed. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said further storage means comprises a removable storage medium, preferably a write / read drive for a floppy disk. Rewriting method. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the user of the computer is loaded with an empty storage medium in the further storage means before storing the boot file in the further storage means, and then any further. A system software rewriting method, which requires a key input. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said O
S is a graphical user interface
It is called GUI. ), And making the request using a GUI. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of different startup files designed for each type of the computer are prepared, and the user can select one of them according to the type of the computer to be applied. Wherein the boot file is selected and stored in said further storage means. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of different start-up files designed for each type of the computer are prepared, and the type of the computer to be applied is automatically determined to determine an appropriate one. A system software rewriting method, characterized in that a start file is stored in said further storage means.