JP2007079841A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor, which displays a multilingual BIOS menu screen while ensuring the stability of a system and suppressing the capacity of BIOS to be stored in ROM. <P>SOLUTION: The storage area of an HDD 13 includes a general storage area 13a, and a language data area 13b storing character string data corresponding to one or more languages. When the BIOS menu screen is called by a user, the BIOS 12a reads character string data of a message to be arranged on a menu screen from the language data area 13b, and displays the menu screen with the message on an LCD 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that operates by BIOS.

  In general, an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer) operates under the control of a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System). When the information processing apparatus is powered on, the BIOS is first executed to perform hardware testing and initialization, and to call up an OS (Operating System). In addition, the BIOS has functions such as providing a menu screen for performing basic hardware settings, and bridging the OS and applications with hardware operating at the BIOS level. Since the entire device will not operate unless the BIOS is activated, the BIOS is normally stored in a dedicated memory such as a flash ROM (Read Only Memory) that is more reliable than other storage media such as an HDD. ing.

On the other hand, since the menu screen displayed by the BIOS usually supports only English, convenience for users whose native language is another language has been a problem. Thus, an information processing system that can display a menu screen corresponding to a plurality of languages has been considered (for example, Patent Document 1). The information processing system described in Patent Document 1 can display a menu screen corresponding to a plurality of languages by storing BIOS messages in several languages on the flash ROM.
JP-A-11-327725

  However, the flash ROM not only has a limited storage capacity, but also has a high price per unit capacity. Therefore, it is difficult to make the BIOS menu screen compatible with more languages by the method described in Patent Document 1. . On the other hand, if the number of supported languages is limited, for example, it is necessary to install a different BIOS for each destination, which may cause a new cost. Particularly in recent years, the price of digital products such as PCs is rapidly decreasing, and there is a demand for development of products that can be mass-produced while suppressing an increase in cost.

  In addition, as a method of reducing the capacity of the BIOS, it may be possible to store a part of the BIOS data in another storage medium such as an HDD. The risk that the BIOS will not start increases, and the stability of the system is impaired. For example, when a part of the BIOS program is stored in the HDD, the BIOS stops operating if the HDD fails, and when the entire data relating to the character string displayed on the BIOS menu screen is stored in the HDD. The menu screen cannot be displayed.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of displaying a BIOS menu screen corresponding to multiple languages while suppressing the capacity of the BIOS stored in the ROM while ensuring the stability of the system.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to claim 1 stores a BIOS and a memory for storing character string data arranged on a display screen generated by the BIOS for at least one language. A display unit that displays a display screen generated by the BIOS on a display device, and a magnetic disk device that stores language data that is data related to one or more languages of character strings arranged on the display screen. It is characterized by.

  The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 stores a BIOS, a memory for storing character string data arranged on a display screen generated by the BIOS for at least one language, and the display screen on the display device. Display means for displaying, and a magnetic disk device that stores language data that is data related to one or more languages of character strings arranged on the display screen, and the storage area of the disk device stores the language data. A language data area that is an area to be stored; and a non-language data area that is an area other than the language data area, wherein the start address value of the language data area is greater than the end address value of the non-language data area In general, the BIOS restricts access to the language data area during OS operation.

  The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 stores a BIOS, a memory that stores character string data arranged on a display screen generated by the BIOS for at least one language, and the display screen as a display device. Display means for displaying, and a magnetic disk device that stores language data that is data related to one or more languages of character strings arranged on the display screen, and the storage area of the disk device stores the language data. A language data area that is an area to be stored; and a non-language data area that is an area other than the language data area and stores a start address of the language data area, and the start address of the language data area is stored The address of the location is described in the BIOS.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the information processing apparatus which can display the BIOS menu screen corresponding to multiple languages can be provided, suppressing the capacity | capacitance of BIOS memorize | stored in ROM, ensuring the stability of a system.

  The information processing apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a PC according to an embodiment of an information processing apparatus of the present invention. The PC 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, a main memory 11, a flash ROM 12 that stores a BIOS 12 a, an HDD 13, a graphic controller 14, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 15, and an operation unit 16. .

  The CPU 10 is a processor provided for controlling the operation of the PC 1, executes the BIOS stored in the flash ROM 12, and reads and executes the OS and application programs from the HDD 13.

  The main memory 11 temporarily stores programs such as BIOS and OS executed on the CPU 10 and data used when executing the programs. Further, when the BIOS creates the menu screen, the character string data related to the message in the specified language is temporarily read into the main memory 11. The main memory 11 is a volatile memory, and the data stored in the main memory 11 is erased when the PC 1 is turned off.

  The flash ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory that stores the BIOS 12a. Even if the power of the PC 1 is turned off, the BIOS 12a stored in the flash ROM 12 does not disappear.

  The BIOS 12a is stored in the flash ROM 12 as described above. When the PC 1 is powered on, the CPU 10 first reads the BIOS 12a from the flash ROM 12 and executes it. The BIOS 12a is configured to test and initialize hardware such as the HDD 13 and the operation unit 16, call the OS from the HDD 13, display a menu screen for setting the hardware on the LCD 15, and bridge the OS, application, and hardware. It has a function.

  When the BIOS 12a displays the menu screen on the LCD 15, the BIOS 12a reads the character string data in the language set by the user from the HDD 13b and creates a menu screen on which the character string is arranged. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen created by the BIOS 12a. On the menu screen 20 in FIG. 2, the system time, date, display language, and the like can be set. The display language of the menu screen 20 in FIG. 2 is English, and messages such as “System Time” (message 0), “System Date” (message 1),... “Save and Exit” (message M) are arranged on the menu screen 20. Has been. When switching the display language, the user can switch the display language from English to another language such as Japanese or French by selecting “Japanese” or “French” in the language selection area 21. When the user inputs that the display language is switched, the BIOS 12a reads the character string data of the message in the language specified by the user from the language data area 13b of the HDD 13 onto the main memory 11, and each message such as message 0, message 1, etc. A menu screen 20 is created in which is replaced with the one in the specified language.

  If the BIOS 12a cannot recognize the HDD 13, a menu screen is created from the English character string data 12b in the BIOS 12a and the menu screen is displayed on the LCD 15. That is, the English character string data 12b is English character string data of a message arranged on the menu screen. When the HDD 13 is not connected, the BIOS 12a uses the English character string data 12b.

  The BIOS 12a describes information on the initial address 12c. The initial address 12c is an address of a position where the start address of the language data area 13b of the HDD 13 is stored.

  The HDD 13 is a storage medium with a larger capacity than the main memory 11 and the flash ROM 12. Note that the HDD 13 of this embodiment corresponds to an ATA command (AT Attachment). The storage area of the HDD 13 is composed of a normal storage area 13a and a language data area 13b. When the menu screen is not displayed by the BIOS 12a, the language data area 13b cannot be accessed by SET MAX ADDRESS which is an ATA command. It has become. Here, SET MAX ADDRESS is an ATA command for setting the maximum address accessible by the user. In normal times, the maximum address accessible by the user by SET MAX ADDRESS is the final address of the normal storage area 13a. .

  The normal storage area 13a stores an OS, various application programs, data, and the like. Along with these, the start address of the language data area is stored at the position of the initial address 12c described in the BIOS 12a.

  The language data area 13b is an area for storing character string data of messages arranged on the menu screen when the BIOS 12a creates the menu screen. In the language data area 13b, message character string data corresponding to one or more languages is stored. The BIOS 12a reads the character string data of the message in the specified language from the language data area 13b to the main memory 11, and designates it. Create a language menu screen.

  The graphic controller 14 displays an image on the LCD 15 under the control of the CPU 10. A menu screen created by the BIOS 12a executed on the CPU 10 is also displayed on the LCD 15 by outputting a video signal from the graphic controller 14.

  The operation unit 16 is an input user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse. The user can perform various settings such as the system time and display language on the menu screen created by the BIOS 12a by operating the operation unit 16.

Next, the storage area of the HDD 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the storage area of the HDD 13.
As described above, the storage area of the HDD 13 is composed of the normal storage area 13a and the language data area 13b. During normal times, the language data area 13b cannot be accessed by SET MAX ADDRESS.

  Address 0 to address (S'-1) are assigned to the normal storage area 13a, and address S 'to address (S-1) are assigned to the language data area 13b. That is, assuming that the storage capacity allocated to each address is the unit storage capacity, the storage capacity of the entire HDD 13 is S, the storage capacity of the normal storage area 13a is S ', and the storage capacity of the language data area is SS'. .

  An address S ′, which is a start address of the language data area 13b, is stored in the address A of the normal storage area 13a. The address A is the initial address 12c. Since the BIOS 12a knows the information of the initial address 12c (that is, the address A) in advance, the BIOS 12a accesses the address A of the HDD 13, and the address that is the start address of the language data area 13b from the information stored at the address A position. S 'can be known. At this time, the BIOS 12a determines whether the address S ′ stored at the position of the initial address 12c matches the storage capacity S ′ of the normal storage area 13a (that is, the number of addresses allocated to the normal storage area 13a). It is possible to determine whether or not the language data area is correctly secured.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the language data area 13. In the example of FIG. 4, in the language data area 13, English message character string data with language number 0, Japanese message character string data with language number 1, and French message character string data with language number N. Is remembered.

  In the language data area 13, the number X of the currently set language, the number of supported languages N, and the number of messages M (BIOS 12a supported by each language) in order from the top address (ie, address S ′). The data of “System Time”, “Save and Exit” (the number of messages such as when the display language is English), etc., arranged on the menu screen created by is arranged. The language number set in the language data area 13 is rewritten when the user switches the display language on the menu screen (the language selection area 21 in the example of FIG. 2).

  The above-mentioned data of the number of messages M is followed by a list for each language related to the address where each message is stored, and then the character string data of each message is stored. Here, in the present embodiment, within the language data area 13 and after the address list, the address where the character string data of each message is stored is arbitrary, and as shown in the example of FIG. The character string data does not necessarily have to be arranged in order, such as the character string data of the language 0 message 0 (“System Time”), the character string data of the language 0 message 1 (“System Date”), and so on.

  Here, when the BIOS 12a wants to obtain the character string data of the language number X (0 ≦ X ≦ N−1) and the message number Y (0 ≦ Y ≦ M−1), the data is obtained by the following mathematical formula (Equation 1). To get. In Equation 1, [x] is a value stored in the address x, MsgStr is the character string data of the message of language number X message number Y, MsgAdd is the address where MsgStr is stored, and A is This is the initial address 12c described in the BIOS 12a.

  The BIOS 12a does not have character string data displayed on the menu screen except for the English character string data 12b that is referred to when the HDD 13 is not connected, and has only information on the message number to be displayed. That is, in the example of the menu screen 20 in FIG. 2, the BIOS 12 a has message number information such as “message 0” and “message 1” instead of character string data such as “System Time” and “System Date”. Yes. When creating the menu screen, the BIOS 12a can acquire the character string data of each message according to the above equation 1, reads the character string data into the main memory 11, creates the menu screen, and displays it on the LCD 15. Display.

  Next, the flow of processing of the BIOS 12a when the PC 1 is started will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing after the BIOS 12a is activated. Since SET MAX ADDRESS is valid at the time of startup, the storage capacity of the HDD 13 virtually matches the normal storage area (that is, the language data area 13b cannot be accessed unless SET MAX ADDRESS is released). ).

When the PC 1 is activated, the CPU 10 first reads the BIOS 12a from the flash ROM 12, and starts processing by the BIOS 12a.
First, the BIOS 12a checks whether the HDD 13 is connected to the system (S501). If the HDD 13 is not connected (No in S501), the BIOS 12a performs a predetermined normal process when the HDD 13 is not connected (S502). Here, when the user calls the menu screen, the BIOS 12a creates and displays the menu screen using the English character string data 12b.

  If the HDD 13 is connected (S503), the BIOS 12a stores the storage capacity of the HDD 13 (the storage capacity S ′ of the normal storage area because SET MAX ADDRESS is valid) and the initial address 13c of the HDD 13 (in the example of FIG. 3). It is checked whether or not the address stored in (addressA) matches (S503). Thereby, the BIOS 12a checks whether or not the language data area 13b is correctly secured.

  If the two values do not match in S503 (No in S503), the BIOS 12a determines whether the user is calling the BIOS menu screen (S504). If the menu screen is being called (Yes in S504). ), A menu screen is created from the English character string data 12c in the BIOS 12a and displayed on the LCD 15 (S505). If the user has not called up the menu screen (No in S504), the BIOS 12a reads the OS from the HDD 13 and activates it (S506).

  If the initial address 13c and the storage capacity of the HDD 13 match in S503 (Yes in S503), it is considered that the language data is correctly secured in the language data area 13b. It is determined whether or not the screen is called (S507). If the user does not call the menu screen (No in S507), a password is applied to the release of SET MAX ADDRESS, and the user releases SET MAX ADDRESS. Then, after the language data area 13b is prevented from being destroyed (S508), the OS is started (S506).

  In S507, when the user is calling the BIOS menu screen (Yes in S507), the BIOS 12a temporarily cancels SET MAX ADDRESS and enables access to the language data area 13b. Since the release of SET MAX ADDRESS here is temporary, when the PC 1 is restarted, the storage area of the HDD 13 virtually matches the normal storage area 13a by SET MAX ADDRESS again. In other words, the state returns to a state in which the final address of the area accessible by the user matches the final address of the normal storage area 13a.

  After releasing SET MAX ADDRESS and enabling access to the language data area 13b, the BIOS 12a reads the character string data related to the message in the specified language from the language data area 13 to the main memory 11, and creates a menu screen. The image is displayed on the LCD 15 (S511). The designated language read at this time is the language of the language number designated by the top address (address S ′) of the language data area 13.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the character string data of the message displayed on the menu screen created by the BIOS 12 a is stored in the language data area 13 b in the HDD 13. This makes it possible to display a menu screen corresponding to more languages while suppressing an increase in the capacity of the BIOS 12a. Furthermore, since a disk device such as the HDD 13 generally has a larger capacity than a flash ROM or the like and is cheaper per unit capacity, an increase in cost associated with multilingual support can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the flash ROM 12 has English character string data 12b. As a result, even when the HDD 13 is not connected, the HDD 13 is broken, or when it is determined that the language data is not correctly installed in the language data area 13b in the HDD 13, the menu screen is displayed using the English character string data 12b. Can be created and displayed.

  In the present embodiment, the character string data of the BIOS 12a is stored in the HDD 13. The character string data has a large amount of data as compared with data related to a normal program, but is less important. If a part of the program of the BIOS 12a is stored in the HDD 13, there is a problem that the BIOS 12a does not start if the HDD 13 fails or is not connected. However, if it is character string data of the menu screen, the program of the BIOS 12a and As long as the English character string data 12b is stored in the flash ROM 12, even if the HDD 13 fails, the BIOS 12a does not operate or the menu screen is not displayed, and the system can be stabilized. it can.

  Further, even when character string data for all languages on the menu screen is stored in the HDD 13 and no character string data is stored in the flash ROM 12, there is a problem that the BIOS 12a does not operate if the HDD 13 fails. In the example, since the English character string data 12b is included in the flash ROM 12, such a situation can be prevented and the system can be stabilized.

  In the present embodiment, the BIOS 12a checks whether or not the initial address 13c and the storage capacity of the HDD 13 match, so it can check whether or not the language data area 13b is correctly secured in the HDD 13.

  In this embodiment, the start address of the language data area 13b is stored in the normal storage area 13a of the HDD 13, and the BIOS 12a describes the address (initial address 12c) of the position where the start address is stored. For example, when the same function is installed in a PC on which an HDD having a storage capacity different from that of the HDD 13 is installed, even if the storage capacity of the language data area 13b is the same, the start address of the language data area 13b is The start address in the HDD 13 is different. As a result, when the BIOS 12a has the start address of the language data area 13b, it is necessary to newly create a BIOS different from the BIOS 12a for the PC. However, in this embodiment, since the information of the initial address 12c is included, even if the PC has a different storage capacity, it is only necessary to fix the address for storing the start address of the language data area to the initial address 12c. This eliminates the need to prepare a separate BIOS 12a.

  In this embodiment, the BIOS 12a sets a password for canceling SET MAX ADDRESS before starting the OS. This restricts the release of SET MAX ADDRESS and prevents the language data area 13b from being overwritten.

  In this embodiment, by securing the language data area 13b behind the normal storage area 13a, access to the language data area 13b can be restricted by SET MAX ADDRESS.

The figure which shows the structure of PC concerning Example 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the example of the menu screen which BIOS of PC concerning Example 1 of this invention produces. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a storage area of an HDD installed in a PC according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a language data area of an HDD installed in a PC according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The figure which shows the flow of a process after BIOS starting of PC which concerns on Example 1 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... PC
10 ... CPU
11 ... Main memory 12 ... Flash ROM
12a ... BIOS
12b ... English character string data 12c ... Initial address 13 ... HDD
13a: Normal storage area 13b: Language data area 14: Graphic controller 15: LCD
16 ... Operation unit 20 ... Menu screen 21 ... Language selection area

Claims (10)

A memory for storing a BIOS and character string data arranged on a display screen generated by the BIOS for at least one language;
Display means for displaying a display screen generated by the BIOS on a display device;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a magnetic disk device that stores language data that is data related to one or more languages of a character string arranged on the display screen. The BIOS is
Determining whether the magnetic disk device is connected, and
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a character string in a language stored in the memory is arranged on the display screen when the magnetic disk device is not connected. The storage area of the magnetic disk device is:
A language data area that is an area for storing the language data;
A non-language data area that is an area other than the language data area,
The magnetic disk device stores the start address of the language data area in the non-language data area,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an address of a position where a start address of the language data area is stored is described in the BIOS. The BIOS determines whether or not the number of addresses assigned to the non-language data area matches the value of the start address of the language data area stored in the non-language data area. Item 4. The information processing device according to Item 3. The storage area of the magnetic disk device is:
A language data area that is an area for storing the language data;
A non-language data area that is an area other than the language data area,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a value of a start address of the language data area is larger than a value of an end address of the non-language data area. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a display for switching a language of a character string arranged on the display screen is provided on the display screen. The storage area of the magnetic disk device is:
A language data area that is an area for storing the language data;
A non-language data area that is an area other than the language data area,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the BIOS restricts access to the language data area during an OS operation. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the BIOS sets a password for an operation for releasing access restriction to the language data area before the OS is started. A memory for storing a BIOS and character string data arranged on a display screen generated by the BIOS for at least one language;
Display means for displaying the display screen on a display device;
A magnetic disk device that stores language data that is data related to one or more languages of character strings arranged on the display screen, and the storage area of the disk device includes:
A language data area that is an area for storing the language data;
A non-language data area that is an area other than the language data area,
The value of the start address of the language data area is larger than the value of the end address of the non-language data area,
The BIOS restricts access to the language data area during OS operation. A memory for storing a BIOS and character string data arranged on a display screen generated by the BIOS for at least one language;
Display means for displaying the display screen on a display device;
A magnetic disk device that stores language data that is data related to one or more languages of character strings arranged on the display screen, and the storage area of the disk device includes:
A language data area that is an area for storing the language data;
An area other than the language data area, and a non-language data area for storing a start address of the language data area,
An information processing apparatus, wherein an address of a position where a start address of the language data area is stored is described in the BIOS.

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