Dell Products Inc.

Lowell B Dennis

Peter A Woytovech

Orbie A Welch

Ricardo Luis Martinez

Marc D Alexander

Todd W Schlottman

MyPhuong N Sang

Colin McCann

Vaden Albert Mohrmann

Don Charles McCall

Mark A Larson

Susan Adele Nunn

Brian J Decker

Charles Marslett

Thao Nguyen

Margaret Franco

Andrew A Walker

Pete Woytovech

Thao N Tran

A system and method of enabling use of software applications using stored software licensing information is disclosed. In one form, a method of enabling use of a software application is disclosed. The method can include accessing a first software licensing information of a first software application within a non-volatile memory of an information handling system. The first licensing information can be stored in association with an order fulfillment process. The method can also include executing an initialization routine in association with a BIOS of the information handling system. In one form, the initialization routine can be operable to initiate accessing the software licensing information from the non-volatile memory to enable use of the first software application.

System and method of enabling use of software applications using stored software licensing information

A system and method is disclosed for extending the BIOS Boot Specification. The specification is extended to accommodate the identification of a greater number of bootable devices. The specification is also extended so that the identifier for each bootable device identifies the default boot order of the device. The specification is also extended to provide additional information about the type of each bootable device and whether each bootable device is an onboard or add-in device. The extension of the BIOS Boot Specification also allows for the designation of certain entries as placeholders for devices that that are supported by the computer system, but not present in the computer system.

System and method for extension of the BIOS boot specification

A system and method for unlocking storage drives during the transition from a low power state to an operational state in a computer system is disclosed. During initiation of the computer system, a password for each password-protected storage drive is saved to a memory location in the computer system. During the transition from a low power state to an operational power state, the password associated with each password-protected device is retrieved from the memory location on the basis of the unique identifier associated with each storage drive and applied to the storage drive for the purpose of unlocking or making the storage drive accessible.

System and method for managing access to a storage drive in a computer system

A method for retrieving information about a device within an information handling system comprising a central processing unit and a plurality of devices coupled with the central processing system through an internal bus and a slot based bus expansion system for adding a plurality of devices, comprises the steps of:

Computer system with improved bus handling

Plural information handling system configuration setting restore points stored in non-volatile memory are selectable by an end user for use in booting an information handling system. For example, the configuration setting restore points include basic default settings having known safe values, factory default settings used at shipment of the system from its manufacturer and last known good settings last used in a successful boot. A configuration settings restore point interface presents the restore points to an end user for selective use in a system boot, such as if corruption is detected in the configuration settings of the CMOS of the information handling system.

System and method for maintaining multiple information handling system configuration images

An information handling system having PCI devices which comply with the Power Management Interface Specification have a low power mode that may be used to put Power Management Capability devices into a low power state when the information handling system enters into Sor S. A firmware or software low power mode program, retained in non-volatile memory of the information handling system, recognizes when the information handling system is entering Sor S. The low power mode program may clear the Power Management Event Enable or not in each of the Power Management Capable devices when the information handling system enters into Sor S

Low power mode for device power management

Methods and systems are disclosed for single list BBS implementations that allow for significant configurability and ease of use improvements. BCV devices are included as individual entries in the IPL list so that intermixing of devices of different device types is freely allowed. As such, users are provided a simplified and more powerful configuration interface through which to select the order of boot devices. In addition, a drive swizzler or hard drive link handler is included to provide an interface between the INTlink chain for hard drives and the operating system.

Method and system for implementing full BBS (BIOS boot specification) functionality with a single device list

Memory testing at system startup, such as boot POST, of an information handling system is accelerated by adjusting memory testing routines to use instructions that take advantage of optimizations made to information handling system and CPU architectures. For instance, memory test iterations in one Mbyte portions using 128-bit SIMD registers, 64-bit MMX registers, ADD and SUB instructions, the MOVNTDQ instruction, and relying on an initial setting of the gate Aand protected mode result in a substantially accelerated memory test.

System and method for accelerated information handling system memory testing

A method and system for maintaining a boot sequence in bootable devices is disclosed. The method includes receiving a bootable device configuration for one or more bootable devices in an information handling system, comparing the bootable device configuration to a configuration history of one or more bootable devices; and updating the configuration history.

System and method for managing the boot sequence of an information handling system

Bus numbering management for an information handling system, such as a personal computer, is provided by interfacing one or more selectively hidden devices with one or more buses through either a hardware or software implementation. If an inactive bus becomes active, then disabling of a selectively hidden device interfaced with another active bus provides a bus number to the newly active bus. For instance, if a graphics capability is added to a computer system through a PCI bus, a PCI bridge associated with a second PCI bus is disabled so that the PCI bus number for the portion of the second PCI bus between the chipset of the computer system and the PCI bridge is available for use as the PCI bus number for the PCI bus associated with the graphics capability. The PCI bus number for the portion of the second PCI bus between the PCI bridge and existing peripheral devices is available for use for both portions of the second PCI bus. Thus, peripheral devices associated with the second PCI bus will continue to be recognized by the operating system as associated with the same PCI bus number. Alternatively, instructions associated with the PCI bus controller enables or disables a virtual device by handling input/output accesses.

System and method for managing bus numbering

An information handling system includes a processor, a storage medium coupled to the processor, and a program stored in the storage medium and executable by the processor. The program is for causing the processor to, in response to a boot event, detect that a device is not present in the information handling system where the device was present in the information handling system during a prior boot event or detect a device that is present but was not present during a prior boot event. The program is also for causing the processor to access a list that indicates a boot order where the list is stored in the storage medium prior to the boot event and including an entry associated with each bootable device. The program is further for causing the processor to store an indicator in the entry where the indicator indicates that the device is dormant or to replace a dormant device in the boot order with a newly present device of the same type.

System and method for preserving boot order in an information handling system when a boot device is replaced by a matching device

A method, computer system, and apparatus perform boot record recovery. When the boot record is known to be free, a snapshot copy of the boot record is stored in non-volatile memory. On boot-up, the current boot record is compared with its corresponding snapshot. If relevant differences exist between the two (indicating that the boot record has been modified), a message is reported to the user. The user may opt to boot from (optionally updating the snapshot) the modified boot record, or boot from (optionally restoring the boot record) the stored snapshot.

Growing community of inventors

Plugerville, TX, United States of America

Lowell B Dennis