Xuejian J Fu

US Patent:

6711660, Mar 23, 2004

Filed:

Jun 22, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/888107

Inventors:

Matthew W. Milne - Chino CA
Vu L. Luu - Milpitas CA
Xuejian Fu - Fremont CA
Michael S. Rothberg - Foothill Ranch CA

Assignee:

Western Digital Ventures, Inc. - Lake Forest CA

International Classification:

G06F 1208

US Classification:

711173, 714 6, 714306, 713 2

Abstract:

A system and method for performing disk drive diagnostics and restoration using a host-inaccessible partition are disclosed. The system includes a disk drive including: a host-accessible user partition; a host-inaccessible hidden partition independent of the host-accessible user partition; and a disk controller. The user partition includes: a user partition address range; a host-selected operating system; and a host-selected master boot record. The host-inaccessible hidden partition includes: a hidden partition address range outside the user partition address range; diagnostic software for determining a condition of the computer system; and a drive-selected master boot record for waiting for a user input; if the user input is received within a predetermined time period: loading and executing the diagnostic software; and if the user input is not received within the predetermined time period: loading the host-selected master boot record; and loading and executing the host-selected operating system identified by the host-selected master boot record.

US Patent:

6647481, Nov 11, 2003

Filed:

Jan 31, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/062927

Inventors:

Vu V. Luu - Milpitas CA
Xuejian Fu - Fremont CA

Assignee:

Western Digital Ventures, Inc. - Lake Forest CA

International Classification:

G06F 1210

US Classification:

711206, 711165

Abstract:

The invention relates to a method for accessing data in a hidden area of a physical disk drive. The physical disk drive reports a user logical address range during booting the host computer or configuring an operating system for maintaining a file system, but does not report a hidden logical address range. A virtual disk drive is created that has a virtual logical address range that is reported to the operating system. A driver program is invoked for remapping addresses of the virtual logical address range with addresses of the hidden logical address range. When the file system makes a disk request directed to accessing a file in the virtual logical address range, the disk request is remapped from the virtual logical address range to the hidden logical address range. A command is transmitted to the physical disk drive using the remapped file address range.