Abstract: A method in a computer system for loading an operating system into memory through use of a file system that is stored on secondary storage. The operating system is stored on secondary storage as files with file names. Before the operating system is loaded into memory, a bootstrap program loads the file system from secondary storage into memory. The file system is stored at locations in secondary storage that are known to the bootstrap program. The file system also has a mapping of file names of operating system files to locations in secondary storage that contain the operating system files. After loading the file system, the bootstrap program requests the loaded file system to load the operating system files by specifying the file names of the operating system files to be loaded. In response to the request, the file system uses the mapping to retrieve the locations in secondary storage of the operating system files specified by the file names.

Abstract: A method and apparatus interfaces a computer operating system with a storage volume, which is all or part of a data storage media such as a removable floppy-type disk or a hard disk. In a preferred embodiment, the method and apparatus select and associate the appropriate one of a plurality of system drivers with a respective storage volume to permit data communication between the storage volume and the operating system. The method and apparatus permit a single operating system to access a storage medium formatted in accordance with differing file systems, without reprogramming or otherwise altering the operating system. Generally, the operating system identifies which of the plurality of file system drivers is appropriate for reading a particular storage volume and, thereafter, associates the identified file system driver with the particular storage volume.