Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Brent Blazek

Jennifer Lynn Melin

Dennis Wayne Howard

Richard Burgin

Keith O Johnson

Chris Mesa

Dean R VandeWater

A computer program and method for controlling the manner in which an operating system associated with a computer launches a plurality of application programs. Briefly described, one of many possible embodiments is a computer program for use in a computer having an operating system. The computer program may comprise code for: determining application programs that are to be launched by the operating system; determining a program launch procedure associated with the application programs, the program launch procedure defining a sequence in which the application programs are to be launched by the operating system, the sequence based on the functionality of at least one of the application programs; and launching the application programs with the operating system based on the program launch procedure.

Computer program for controlling the manner in which an operating system launches a plurality of application programs

A system for connecting an external device and a host system includes an input/output code element on a host system linked with the external device. The input/output code element generates a device identification string. The device identification string includes an optional feature component associated with the external device. The optional feature component indicates at least one extra feature that is included with a particular external device, such as an envelope feeder for a printer or an audio component for a wireless Internet appliance. The system further includes an installer linked with the host system. The installer receives the device identification string and parses the string for the optional feature component. The installer creates an add-on identifier key in the host system's registry based on the optional feature component. The system further includes a device driver for operating all features of the external device identified by the device identification string, especially the optional feature component. In particular, the device driver accesses the add-on identifier key in the registry. The device driver includes a device driver configuration component which is modified in accordance with each add-on identifier key to include features associated with the optional feature component.

Computer-based system and method for automatic configuration of an external device

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Meridian, ID, United States of America

Brent Blazek