Abstract: A method for managing a secondary storage device connected to a computer system having a primary storage device includes hooking a partition session selector device driver in a layered drive structure. An application programming interface call to obtain information related to storage devices connected to the computer system is then performed. The application programming interface call is trapped and the partition session selector device driver is communicated with directly via an interface call to manage a user accessible representation of the primary and secondary storage devices.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus, a system, a computer readable media, and a method for protecting data of a computer system. The method includes: (a) connecting a peripheral storage device to the computer system; (b) preparing a storage media of the peripheral storage device to be a protection enabled media; (c) selecting a backup set of data stored in a hard drive of the computer system, the backup set of data includes a default set of boot files and operating system files; (d) creating a spare tire backup using file-based copying from the hard-drive of the computer system to the storage media of the peripheral storage device; (e) enabling the peripheral storage device to incrementally copy portions of the backup set of data from the hard drive of the computer system during normal use; and (f) booting the computer system from the peripheral storage device when a failure occurs with the hard drive that disables normal booting.

Abstract: A method for generating a footprint image file of a primary storage device connected to a computer system includes calling a footprint module having a set of methods that is configured to generate the footprint image file. The system registry of the computer system is then scanned to ascertain whether a controller is connected to the computer system. Next, the system registry, an application programming interface, and a partition session selector device driver are scanned to ascertain information related to storage devices connected to the controller. The system registry, the application programming interface, and the partition session selector device driver also are scanned to ascertain information related to logical partitions of the storage devices. Finally, a footprint image file containing information regarding the controller, the storage devices, and the logical partitions of the storage devices is generated.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus, a system, a computer readable media, and a method for protecting data of a computer system. The method includes: (a) connecting a peripheral storage device to the computer system; (b) preparing a storage media of the peripheral storage device to be a protection enabled media; (c) selecting a backup set of data stored in a hard drive of the computer system, the backup set of data includes a default set of boot files and operating system files; (d) creating a spare tire backup using file-based copying from the hard drive of the computer system to the storage media of the peripheral storage device; (e) enabling the peripheral storage device to incrementally copy portions of the backup set of data from the hard drive of the computer system during normal use; and (f) booting the computer system from the peripheral storage device when a failure occurs with the hard drive that disables normal booting.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for booting a computer system. The computer system includes a first device and a second device which, during initialization of the computer system, are each respectively automatically associated with a unique identification used in a computer generated request to indicate whether the first device or the second device is to respond to the computer generated request. The method includes the act modifying each unique identification that is associated with the first device and the second device of the computer system. In this manner, the second device responds to the computer generated request for the first device, and the first device responds to the computer generated request for the second device.