Adaptive booting from mass storage device

A data storage device for a computer, the computer having a BIOS with a geometrical translation scheme, the data storage device having a device geometrical configuration, the data storage device comprising executable code for loading an operating system into the computer independent of the geometrical translation scheme.

In a computer system having a BIOS used for loading an operating system from a data storage device:

• a data storage device having a BIOS parameter block and comprising executable computer code for modifying the BIOS parameter block prior to loading the operating system, thereby enabling proper loading of the operating system.

A method for enabling a BIOS to load an operating system from a data storage device into a computer, wherein the data storage device has a BIOS parameter block and a Master Boot Record, the method comprising:

• reading executable computer code contained in the Master Boot Record of the data storage device;
• and
• executing said executable computer code to modify the BIOS parameter block prior to loading the operating system.

A method of using a first computer having a BIOS with a first geometrical translation scheme, for preparing a data storage device having a Master Boot Record to enable loading an operating system on a second computer having a BIOS with a second geometrical translation scheme different from the first geometrical translation scheme, the method comprising:

• creating a BIOS parameter block on the data storage device;
• and
• writing executable computer code onto the Master Boot Record of the data storage device, wherein executing said executable computer code causes the second computer to modify said BIOS parameter block prior to loading the operating system, to cause the second computer to load the operating system independent of the first geometrical translation scheme.