Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus and a method for storing diagnostic software on a data storage device provides one or more ghost partitions overlapping a user partition on a data storage device. During a factory download of the application software as well as the diagnostics software, the apparatus creates a user partition and one or more overlapping ghost partitions. Next, it determines a minimum and maximum partition size for the ghost partition(s) and allocates the ghost partition size(s) appropriately. The apparatus then creates one or more master boot records (MBRs), one for each created partition. The ghost partition containing the diagnostics software is set as the active partition to allow the diagnostic software to be executed. Upon completion of the diagnostics process, the MBR for a second ghost partition is enabled so that upon reboot, download verification software located on a second ghost partition can be executed to ensure the correctness of the software downloading process. Next, the ghost partitions are disabled to reclaim storage space back to the user partition and the MBR for the user partition is set as the active partition so that upon reboot, only user partitions are visible. Further, in the event that the diagnostics software needs to be executed for quality control purposes, the MBR containing data on the ghost partition with the diagnostics software replaces the MBR for the user partition so that the ghost partition with diagnostics software can be resurrected after it has been previously disabled. No master boot records for any of the user or system partitions are modified at any time during the process. Additionally, the MBR and file allocation table (FAT) for the ghost partition may be cleared so test data cannot be accessed after the factory test processes. Since the ghost partitions overlap user partitions, after the ghost partitions have been disabled, data storage is automatically reclaimed by the user partitions when needed. The ghost partitions can properly function while overlapping the user partitions because while in the controlled environment of the factory, data will not be arbitrarily written to the user partition (otherwise both user and ghost partition data could become corrupt). Thus, the present invention avoids the need to set up a large system partition and avoids wasting disk space associated with manufacturing diagnostics.

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First Claim