Patent · US Expired

Recovery of a BIOS image

US7069431B2 · kind B2 · utility

27Cited by
22References
67Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 31, 2001
Grant dateJun 27, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 15, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F11/1433
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A hard drive having a protected partition is used in the recovery of a BIOS image for a computer system. An EEPROM is used to store a first BIOS image that is used to boot-up the system and recovery code is used to recover a new BIOS image if the first BIOS image has been corrupted. The new BIOS image is stored in the protected partition of the drive. A recover BIOS command is issued whenever the first BIOS image has been corrupted or a remote or local recover BIOS request is received. When the first BIOS is corrupted, the EEPROM is rewritten with the second BIOS image and the system boots with the rewritten first BIOS image. When a recover BIOS request is received in a data packet sent over a communication link, the data packet is authenticated before the first BIOS image is rewritten.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.