Dell Products Inc.

Dell USA L P

T Gavin Smith

Terry Wayne Liles

Gaston M Barajas

James Patrick McGlothlin

David T Valys

A method, computer program product, and system that include identifying a sector offset on a storage device and storing an image onto the storage device at the sector offset where the image includes an operating system. The method also includes providing the sector offset to an installation engine and, subsequent to storing the image on the storage device, initiating the installation engine to cause the operating system to be installed on the storage device using the image.

Method, computer program product, and system for installing an operating system from a storage device using a sector offset

A method that includes setting a plurality of switching devices to cause a first plurality of devices to be coupled to a computer system is provided. The method also includes booting the computer system and detecting one or more errors associated with one or more of the first plurality of devices.

Method and system for testing hardware and software configurations in a computer system

A system and method that include detecting a reboot request and, in response to detecting the reboot request, removing a first entry associated with a first program from an execute list are provided. The system and method also include rebooting the computer system, and, in response to rebooting the computer system, initiating a second program associated with a second program entry on the execute list.

System and method for selectively executing programs in response to a reboot in a computer system

An image is received in response to a specification. The image represents information. In response to the received image, the information is installed onto a first portion of a computer-readable medium. The received image is stored on a second portion of the computer-readable medium so that, even after the information is installed onto the first portion, the stored received image is retained on the second portion for subsequently reinstalling the information onto the first portion.

Computing system and method for preparing a computer-readable medium

A computer system includes a processor; a hard drive connected to the processor and having an image applied thereto, the image including device drivers and executable applications; an installation file stored on the hard drive and executable by the processor, the installation file including a first instruction associated with a first executable application; and a data file stored on the hard drive; wherein upon execution of the first instruction by the processor, a determination is made whether the data file includes a valid section corresponding to the first executable application and including a list of hardware devices that are compatible with the first executable application.

System and method for selectively executing a computer program based on the presence of associated hardware

Method and apparatus for factory-installing directories with long filenames while maintaining proper references to the short filename equivalents thereof are described. During a development stage, a determination is made whether any files or directories with long filenames were created by an application installed on a development system for developing an installation package for the application. If so, the development system is queried for the short filenames associated with these long filenames. The development system then creates a factory-install package for the application in which all short filename references to these long filename files and directories are programmatically replaced with tokens that are unique to each long filename. The factory-install package is then uploaded to a factory server. Subsequently, during a factory-installation stage, the factory-install package is downloaded to a built-to-order (&ldquo;BTO&rdquo;) system and, as the package is installed on the BTO system, the instances of all tokens are dynamically replaced with the equivalent short filenames.

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Pflugerville, TX, United States of America

T Gavin Smith