1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of variably establishing storage areas of a flash memory according to the status of a system in a computer having a flash memory in which booting data and execution data are stored.
2. Description of the Related Art
As generally known in the art, a random access memory (RAM) is used as a main memory device of a computer. Although RAM can read and write data fast, the data is lost after power is switched off. Thus, since data is permanently stored in a hard disk with a slow speed, necessary data is loaded to RAM when the computer system operates.
However, the data needs to be moved from the hard disk when an application is executed right after the computer system is booted, which causes a reduction in the executing speed of the computer.
In more detail, when the hard disk transmits the data, since a transmission time is delayed due to a mechanical operating part of the hard disk, a central processing unit (CPU) is quite faster than the hard disk, and a difference in the data transmission speed causes a bottleneck state, which reduces the operating speed of the computer.
Therefore, the computer system includes another storage means for sharing a part of the data with the hard disk, supporting the hard disk, maintaining the data when the power is turned off, and transmitting the data faster than the hard disk, so that the operating speed of the computer can be increased.
Recently, a variety of non-volatile memory devices other than the hard disk have been developed. In addition to flash memory, various read only memory (ROM), phase-change RAM (PRAM), resistive RAM (ReRAM), magneto-resistance RAM (MRAM), etc. technologies have been developed, so that these ROM, PRAM, and ReRAM can be expected to serve as devices that support the hard disk.
The hard disk and other non-volatile memory devices store data basically required for operation of the computer and frequently used data. When the data stored in the non-volatile memory devices is required, the data is supplied from the non-volatile memory devices other than the hard disk.
The non-volatile memory devices invariably establish a storage space for storing the data required to operate the computer and another storage space for storing the data having the high use frequency, which results in problems of the above conventional technology as described below.
Although the basically required data for operation of the computer is unnecessary after the computer is fully operational, the data occupies a part of the storage space of the non-volatile memory devices, which relatively reduces the storage space for storing the data having the high use frequency.
Further, according to the prior art, in order to always store the data basically required to operate the computer while securing a sufficient storage space for storing the frequently used data, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the non-volatile memory devices.