JP4266119B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an activation process of an electronic device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, notebook-type and sub-notebook-type personal computers (hereinafter referred to as personal computers) are easy to carry, and thus there is a risk that the personal computer itself is stolen. Further, there is a risk that an internal hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as an internal HDD) is taken out from the personal computer body, the internal HDD is connected to another personal computer, and data in the internal HDD is illegally accessed. In order to avoid such a risk of data leakage, there is an HDD having a lock mechanism in which a password can be set in the built-in HDD and data access is prohibited until a valid password is input (for example, Patent Document 1). ).
[0003]
Such password cancellation of the HDD is performed by a program that manages input / output control of peripheral devices called BIOS (Basic Input / Output System). This is because the BIOS is stored in a non-volatile memory called a BIOS-ROM even when a program such as an operating system (hereinafter referred to as an OS) cannot be read when the internal HDD is password-locked. This is because it can operate before the OS is started. When the password check is completed by the BIOS, data access to the built-in HDD is permitted, the OS is read from the built-in HDD, and a personal computer activation process is performed.
[0004]
In recent years, there are personal computers having an expansion slot called a selectable bay that can be arbitrarily expanded, such as an HDD, an optical disk drive, and a battery. In this selectable bay, it is easy to add an expansion device, and it is possible to add a favorite device according to a user's request. However, there is also a risk that a device provided in the selectable bay can be easily stolen because it is easy to add. Therefore, it is very useful to apply the above-described password lock technology to HDDs added to the selectable bay (hereinafter referred to as “selectable bay HDD”).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
US Pat. No. 5,375,243 [0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described conventional technology, password check between the selectable bay HDD and the built-in HDD is necessary. Further, it is necessary to perform a password check process when the BIOS is executed during the personal computer activation process. In this case, it is necessary to initialize the input device (keyboard) and the display screen (LCD) in order to input the password. After these devices are initialized, password verification is performed. When a valid password is input, initialization of the internal HDD and the selectable bay HDD is started. For this reason, during the startup process, the startup process is temporarily stopped in the state of the password input screen. The built-in HDD is a main non-volatile storage medium of the personal computer main body and is a medium storing the OS of the entire personal computer. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a password check by the BIOS before accessing the built-in HDD. However, since the selectable bay HDD is a device that is arbitrarily added, it is extremely rare that data that is essential at the time of activation is stored. Nevertheless, there is a problem that the startup process is temporarily stopped for the password check of the selectable bay HDD and the startup time of the personal computer is extended.
[0007]
In recent years, peripheral devices have been remarkably developed, and the capacity of the BIOS-ROM has increased for its control. Furthermore, it is necessary to store a program for initializing the display device, initializing the input device, and displaying a password input screen on the display device in the BIOS-ROM, which causes a problem of compressing the limited BIOS-ROM capacity. .
[0008]
In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device activation method and an electronic device that can reduce the capacity of a BIOS program.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when a power-on instruction for an electronic device is detected and the power-on instruction is detected, it is detected whether or not the first storage device is connected to the electronic device. When the first storage device is connected, it is determined whether or not a password for enabling the first storage device is stored in the first storage device, and is built in the electronic device. When the operating system stored in the second storage device is read and a password for enabling the use of the first storage device is stored in the first storage device, the operating system is read from the second storage device. After the password is read out, a password verification process for enabling use of the first storage device is performed.
[0010]
With such a configuration, it is possible to provide an electronic device activation method capable of reducing the capacity of the BIOS program.
[0011]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a main body, a first storage device that is detachably connected to the main body, a second storage device that is provided in the main body and stores an operating system, and a first storage device A storage means provided in the storage device for storing a password for enabling the first storage device; a means for determining whether or not the password is stored in the first storage device when the main body is activated; Means for reading the operating system from the second storage device, and means for displaying a screen prompting the user to input the password when the password is stored in the first storage device after the operating system is read. It is characterized by doing.
[0012]
With such a configuration, it is possible to provide an electronic device capable of reducing the capacity of the BIOS program.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0015]
In the first embodiment, a notebook personal computer will be described as an example of the electronic device.
[0016]
The personal computer 1 includes a main body unit 3 having a keyboard 2 disposed on the upper surface portion, and a display unit 5 connected to the main body unit 3 via a hinge portion 4. An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 6 that can display data processed in the above is provided.
[0017]
The display unit 5 can be rotated via the hinge portion 4, and can be rotated between a closed position covering the keyboard 2 and an open position where the keyboard 2 can be used in a substantially vertical state with respect to the main unit 3. It is possible to move. The LCD 6 is irradiated with a light source from the back by a backlight (not shown) built in the display unit 5 to maintain brightness and display.
[0018]
2 is a side view of the personal computer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0019]
FIG. 2 is a view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 with the display unit 5 in the closed position. As shown in FIG. 2, a slot 7 into which an optional unit called a selectable bay can be inserted is provided on the side surface of the main unit 3 of the personal computer 1, and an HDD (hereinafter referred to as a selectable bay HDD) 8 is provided in the slot 7. Has been inserted. In addition to the selectable bay HDD 8, the slot 7 can be used in the personal computer 1 by being appropriately inserted according to the user's intention, such as an optical disk drive, a battery, various memory card adapters, and a TV tuner. Also, unlike the selectable bay HDD 8, an HDD mounted as a standard (hereinafter referred to as a built-in HDD) is provided in the main unit 3 of the personal computer 1.
[0020]
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view when the selectable bay HDD is inserted and removed according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a view of the main body 3 as viewed from the bottom.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 3, the selectable bay HDD 8 can be inserted into and removed from the slot 7 in the direction of arrow BC. Further, a lock 9 is provided on the bottom surface of the main body 3 so that the selectable bay HDD 8 is not accidentally dropped when the selectable bay HDD 8 is inserted. In a state where the lock 9 is locked, the selectable bay HDD 8 is fixed to the main body 3 so that it cannot be removed.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the selectable bay HDD according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0022]
The selectable bay HDD has a housing 10 containing a magnetic disk as a storage medium. In addition to the magnetic disk medium, a memory for storing a password, a controller for controlling disk access, and the like are also incorporated. When inserted into the slot 7, the side surface is formed in the same plane as the side surface of the main body 3.
[0023]
FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the personal computer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0024]
The inside of the personal computer 1 is composed of devices necessary for the normal personal computer 1 to operate. As shown in the figure, the personal computer 1 includes a CPU 11, a graphic memory controller hub 12, a main memory (main memory) 13, a graphics controller 14, an I / O hub 15, a built-in HDD 16, a selectable bay HDD 8, an embedded controller. A keyboard controller (hereinafter referred to as EC / KBC) 17 and a BIOS-ROM 18 are provided.
[0025]
The CPU 11 is a device that refers to the operation control of the entire personal computer 1 and the contents of the memory 13 and executes data processing and the like based on the reference.
[0026]
The memory 13 includes an operating system (hereinafter referred to as “OS”) 19, a BIOS program 20 required during execution of the OS read from the BIOS-ROM 18 when the personal computer 1 is started up, a password utility program 21 of the selectable bay HDD 8, and the like. It is stored and referred to by the CPU 11 for execution.
[0027]
The graphics controller 14 is connected to the VRAM 141 and the LCD 6. Under the control of the OS 19 executed by the CPU 11, the display drive of the LCD 6 provided in the display unit 5 is controlled, and an external connected via various external display connection interfaces such as a CRT terminal, a DVI terminal, a TV terminal, etc. (not shown). Controls display drive of the display device.
[0028]
The VRAM 141 is a memory device controlled by the graphic controller 14 and temporarily stores display data displayed on the LCD 6. The graphic controller 14 writes / reads video data transmitted from the graphic / memory controller hub 12.
[0029]
The I / O hub 15 is a bridge circuit that performs data conversion between a device on an LPC (Low Pin Count) bus 22 connected to the I / O hub 15 and the graphic memory controller hub 12. The controller is built-in.
[0030]
The built-in HDD 16 is a nonvolatile data storage device, and can hold data even when the personal computer 1 is powered off. The built-in HDD 16 stores content data such as an OS, various applications, drivers, utility software, music, and video. These data are read into the memory 13 as appropriate and processed by the CPU 11.
[0031]
The selectable bay HDD 8 is a storage medium that is selectively connected to the personal computer by the user as described above, and serves as an auxiliary storage medium for the built-in HDD 16.
[0032]
The EC / KBC 17 includes a plurality of registers 171 that can be read / written by the CPU 11. By using this register 171, communication between the CPU 11 and a device connected to the EC / KBC 17 becomes possible. In addition, a keyboard controller function is also built in, a signal input from the keyboard 2 connected to the EC / KBC 17 is processed, and a higher-level device (CPU 111 or the like) is notified.
[0033]
The BIOS-ROM 18 is a program that systematizes a function execution routine for accessing various hardware in the personal computer, and is configured by a flash ROM so that the program can be rewritten. When the personal computer 1 is started up, initialization of various hardware is performed. In addition, a part of the program is copied to the memory 13 at the time of startup, and input / output control to various hardware is performed even while the OS 19 is being executed.
[0034]
Next, FIG. 6 shows a configuration diagram of a main part of the personal computer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0035]
FIG. 6 shows only the main part of the heartware described in FIG.
[0036]
The selectable bay HDD 8 includes a controller 31 for controlling access to a disk medium and a memory 32 for storing a password for locking access in the housing 10.
[0037]
The memory 13 stores an OS 19, a BIOS 20, a utility 21, and the like. When the personal computer 1 is started, first, basic hardware initialization is performed by the BIOS-ROM 18, and then a part of the program of the BIOS-ROM 18 is copied to the memory 13, and the BIOS program 20 is controlled under the control of the CPU 11. By being executed, the OS is read from the built-in HDD 16 to the memory, and then the personal computer 1 is operated under the management of the OS 19. Note that the BIOS program 20 is also executed during the operation of the OS 19.
[0038]
The utility program according to the present embodiment is a program that exists between the BIOS 20 and the OS 19 and executes the password cancellation of the selectable bay HDD 8 after the OS 19 is activated. This is executed when the BIOS program checks whether a password is set in the selectable bay HDD 8 when the personal computer 1 is activated, and receives information on whether or not a password is set from the BIOS program.
[0039]
According to the present invention, the password verification process performed by the BIOS before the OS is read in the conventional boot process is performed after the OS is read, thereby reducing the boot process time and reducing the BIOS-ROM capacity. .
[0040]
FIG. 7 shows a flowchart when the personal computer is activated according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0041]
Hereinafter, the processing by the BIOS-ROM 18 and the processing by the BIOS program 20 are considered to be the same and will be described as BIOS.
[0042]
First, when a power-on instruction by a power switch is input, hardware necessary for executing BOIS such as the CPU 11 in the personal computer 1 is initialized (step S101).
[0043]
Next, it is determined by the BIOS whether or not the selectable bay HDD 8 is connected to the slot 7 (step s102). If it is determined that the selectable bay HDD 8 is connected to the slot 7 (YES in step S102), the BIOS determines whether a password is registered in the selectable bay HDD 8 (step S103). Here, a command is sent to the controller 31 of the selectable bay HDD 8 to inquire whether a password has been set. Upon receiving the command, the controller 31 of the selectable bay HDD 8 accesses the memory 32, determines whether a password is stored, and notifies the BIOS whether the password is registered.
[0044]
When the information indicating that the password is registered is obtained from the controller 31 (YES in step S103), the BIOS sets the selectable bay HDD 8 in an unconnected state (resource allocation is not performed) (step S104). Subsequently, an event notification is sent to the utility program 21 that the password is registered in the selectable bay HDD 8 (step S105), and then the OS is read from the built-in HDD 16 to the memory 13 and the startup process of the personal computer 1 is continued (step S105). S106). The OS 19 read from the internal HDD 18 to the memory 13 initializes the input device (keyboard) and the display device (LCD). It should be noted that the order of the password notification to the utility (step S105) and the OS activation process (step S106) may be mixed.
[0045]
If the selectable bay HDD 8 is not connected to the slot 7 (NO in step S102), or if no password is set in the selectable bay HDD 8 (NO in step S103), the OS reads from the built-in HDD 16 to the memory 13. The activation process is performed (step S106).
[0046]
The personal computer 1 is activated and the OS 19 is also activated by the above processing.
[0047]
Next, FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of password check processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 shows a password input screen of the selectable bay HDD 8.
[0048]
After the activation of the OS 19, the utility program 21 determines whether information indicating that the password is registered in the selectable bay HDD 8 is received from the BIOS when the personal computer 1 is activated (step S201).
[0049]
In the activation process by the BIOS (FIG. 7), when an event notification indicating that a password has been registered has been received (YES in step S201), a screen 41 (FIG. 9) prompting the input of a password is displayed on the LCD 6. As described above, in this embodiment, the password input screen 41 is displayed after the OS 19 is started.
[0050]
In the password input screen 41, “*” is displayed corresponding to one character input from the keyboard 2.
[0051]
Here, the input of the password is awaited, and when it is determined that the password input has been completed by inputting the return key on the keyboard 2 (YES in step S203), the input password (hereinafter referred to as the input password) is displayed. The BIOS is notified (step S204). The BIOS that has received the input password converts the input password into a predetermined format, and transmits it to the controller 31 of the selectable bay HDD 8 together with the password release command (step S205).
[0052]
The controller 31 that has received the input password reads the password stored in the memory 32 (hereinafter referred to as a registered password) and collates it with the input password received from the BIOS. If the passwords match (YES in step S206), the controller 31 releases the password lock of the selectable bay HDD 8 (step S207). Further, the BIOS sends a command for executing initialization to the selectable bay HDD 8 whose password has been unlocked, executes initialization of the selectable bay HDD 8, and allocates resources (step S208). Subsequently, the BIOS notifies the OS 19 that the selectable bay HDD is connected (step S209), and the selectable bay HDD 8 is recognized from the OS 19.
[0053]
If the input password does not match the registered password (NO in step S206), the controller 31 notifies the BIOS that the password is different, and the BIOS determines whether the number of times the password has been input exceeds three. (Step S210). If the number of times exceeds three, the initialization of the selectable bay HDD 8 is not performed as it is, and the selectable bay HDD 18 cannot be recognized from the OS 19 and the data cannot be accessed.
[0054]
If the number of password inputs is less than 3 (NO in step S210), the password input screen 41 is displayed again on the LCD 6.
[0055]
If no password is set in the selectable bay HDD 8 (NO in step S201), the selectable bay HDD 8 is initialized (step S208), and the OS 19 is notified that the selectable bay HDD 8 is connected (step S209). ).
[0056]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the time until the OS is started up when the personal computer 1 is turned on is speeded up, and the password is released after the OS is started. Since it is not necessary to store the program in the BIOS-ROM 18, the capacity of the BIOS-ROM can be reduced.
[0057]
In the above-described embodiment, the startup of the personal computer 1 has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a resume process in which the personal computer 1 returns from suspend. In this embodiment, the selectable bay HDD has been described. However, other than this, a password can be set, and the present invention can also be applied to a detachable small memory device.
[0058]
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic device activation method and an electronic device that can reduce the capacity of a BIOS program in an electronic device having a removable storage device.
[0059]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, the embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent requirements are deleted from all the constituent requirements shown in the embodiment, the problem described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved, and the effect described in the column of the effect of the invention Can be obtained as an invention.
[0060]
【The invention's effect】
According to the invention described in detail above, it is possible to provide an electronic device activation method and an electronic device capable of reducing the capacity of the BIOS program of the electronic device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic apparatus according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the personal computer according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view when a selectable bay HDD is inserted and removed according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a selectable bay HDD according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the personal computer according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a main part of the personal computer according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart when starting up the personal computer according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of password check processing according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram of a password input screen of the selectable bay HDD.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Personal computer 2 ... Keyboard 3 ... Main body unit 4 ... Hinge part 5 ... Display unit 6 ... LCD
7 ... Slot 8 ... Selectable hard disk drive 11 ... CPU
12 ... Graphic memory controller hub 13 ... Memory 14 ... Graphics controller 15 ... I / O hub 16 ... Built-in hard disk drive 17 ... EC / KBC
18 ... BIOS-ROM
19 ... Operating system 20 ... BIOS program 21 ... Utility program 31 ... Controller 32 ... Memory 41 ... Password input screen

Claims (6)

The body ,
A first storage device detachably connected to the main body;
A second storage device provided in the main body and storing an operating system;
Storage means provided in the first storage device for storing a password for enabling the first storage device;
Means for determining whether or not the password is stored in the first storage device when the main body is activated;
Means for reading the operating system from the second storage device;
Means for displaying a screen for prompting input of a password when the password is stored in the first storage device after the operating system is read;
An electronic apparatus comprising: Means for verifying the password entered via the screen prompting the input of the password displayed on the display means and the password stored in the storage means;
The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising means for setting the first storage device to be usable when the input password matches the password stored in the storage means. Electronic equipment. The body, the electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a mounting portion for detachably connecting said first storage medium. The first storage device further includes a control unit that reads a password stored in the storage unit, and a storage medium that stores data received from the main body via the control unit,
The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit can execute only the process of reading the password stored in the storage unit when the first storage device is not in a usable state. . 5. The control unit according to claim 4 , wherein when the input password matches a password stored in the storage unit, the control unit can execute data writing to and data reading from the storage medium. Electronic equipment. 4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first storage device is a hard disk drive that can be attached to and detached from the mounting portion, and the second storage device is a hard disk drive built in the main body.

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