Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.p.

Lonnie J Pope

James Luke Mondshine

Tim L Zhang

Kevin R Frost

Daniel V Forlenza

Gregory B Memo

William E Jacobs

Greg B Memo

Dan V Forlenza

Bill E Jacobs

Briefly, a computer system plays audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive during an audio CD play mode in which the computer system is not fully powered. An audio CD play controller of the computer system includes a means for detecting a plurality of audio CD play buttons for playing an audio CD in the CD-ROM drive and a means for communicating a plurality of audio CD play commands corresponding to the plurality of audio CD play buttons to the CD-ROM drive. The computer system enters the audio CD play mode without a full boot-up procedure and without loading an operating system.

Audio CD play controller for controlling a CD-rom drive independent of system bios of a computer system

A computer system is capable of playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive independent of the operating system by using an embedded CD-ROM drive application or a CD-ROM drive controller. When an audio CD mode switch of the computer system is in an &ldquo;on&rdquo; state and the main power switch of the computer is in an &ldquo;off state&rdquo; the computer system is in an audio CD mode. When the computer is placed in such an audio CD mode, the computer either loads the embedded CD application from a non-volatile memory region such as read-only-memory (ROM) region or enables the CD-ROM drive controller of the CD-ROM drive to receive a CD selection and transmit the selections to the CD-ROM drive. The embedded CD application includes an embedded CD-ROM device driver for driving the CD-ROM drive to process audio CDs, power-on-self test (POST) code for selectively powering and initializing hardware device in the computer system, initialization code for the embedded CD-ROM device driver, and system management interrupt/keyboard controller interface code used for processing the selection of a CD button of the computer system.

Computer system capable of playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive independent of an operating system

A computer system is capable of playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive independent of the operating system by using an embedded CD-ROM drive application or a CD-ROM drive controller. When an audio CD mode switch of the computer system is in an &ldquo;on&rdquo; state and the main power switch of the computer is in an &ldquo;off&rdquo; state, the computer system is in an audio CD mode. When the computer is placed in such an audio CD mode, the computer either loads the embedded CD application from a non-volatile memory region such as read-only-memory (ROM) region or enables the CD-ROM drive controller of the CD-ROM drive to receive a CD selection and transmit the selections to the CD-ROM drive. The embedded CD application includes an embedded CD-ROM device driver for driving the CD-ROM drive to process audio CDs, power-on-self test (POST) code for selectively powering and initializing hardware devices in the computer system, initialization code for the embedded CD-ROM device driver, and system management interrupt/keyboard controller interface code used for processing the selection of a CD button of the computer system.

Audio CD play subsystem capable for playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive during computer system is in power-off state

A computer system is capable of playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive independent of the operating system by using an embedded CD-ROM drive application or a CD-ROM drive controller. When an audio CD mode switch of the computer system is in an 'on' state and the main power switch of the computer is in an 'off' state, the computer system is in an audio CD mode. When the computer is placed in such an audio CD mode, the computer either loads the embedded CD application from a non-volatile memory region such as read-only-memory (ROM) region or enables the CD-ROM drive controller of the CD-ROM drive to receive a CD selection and transmit the selections to the CD-ROM drive. The embedded CD application includes an embedded CD-ROM device driver for driving the CD-ROM drive to process audio CDs, power-on-self test (POST) code for selectively powering and initializing hardware devices in the computer system, initialization code for the embedded CD-ROM device driver, and system management interrupt/keyboard controller interface code used for processing the selection of a CD button of the computer system.

Computer system capable of playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Lonnie J Pope