Abstract: A machine having a non-volatile storage medium interface such as a CDROM drive and a local hard drive is configured for execution of an application process from a non-volatile storage medium such as a CDROM. The method of configuring the machine includes first loading into the machine, from a removable non-volatile storage medium in communication with the non-volatile storage medium interface, an operating system environment. The local hard drive is accessed to determine if the machine has a signature indicating that the machine had been configured previously. In response to a determination that the machine was not previously configured, a network connection to a server is established to access configuration files for use by the operating system environment and/or the application process. A local file system is loaded from the removable non-volatile storage medium onto the local hard drive, based on the accessed configuration files.