Application level automatic format of removable media

Abstract

An invention is provided for automatically formatting removable media at the application level. The method includes intercepting a write request to write to removable media, and determining if the removable media is unformatted. When the removable media is unformatted, the removable media is automatically prepared for content. The write request is then provided to an operating system, which performs a write operation on the removable media. In one aspect, the method can determine whether the write request is directed to a supported drive, which is a drive within a predetermined set of supported drives. In this aspect, if the write request is not directed to a supported drive, the write request can be provided to the operating system without formatting the removable media.

1 . A method for automatically formatting removable media, comprising the operations of: 
 accepting a selection of a format parameter;    intercepting a write request to write to removable media, wherein the write request is preserved;    determining whether the write request is directed to a supported drive;    if the write request is directed to the supported drive: 
 determining if the removable media is unformatted,  
 automatically preparing the removable media for content when the removable media is unformatted based on the format parameter and at least determining a drive type of a drive containing the removable media and detecting a media type of the removable media present in the drive, and  
 providing the preserved write request to an operating system, wherein the operating system performs a write operation on the removable media; and  
   if the write request is not directed to the supported drive, providing the preserved write request to an operating system without determining if the removable media is unformatted and without automatically preparing the removable media for content.    
   
   
       2 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising communicating with a format application to request that the format application format the removable media when the removable media is unformatted.  
   
   
       3 . A method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein communicating with the format application to request that the format application format the removable media includes sending a message to the format application requesting that the format application format the removable media when the removable media is unformatted.  
   
   
       4 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the supported drive is a drive within a predetermined set of supported drives.  
   
   
       5 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the write request is generated in response to a drag and drop operation.  
   
   
       6 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the format parameter is a Universal Disk Format (UDF), File Allocation Table (FAT), NT File System (NTFS), or International Standards Organization (ISO) file system format.  
   
   
       7 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the drive type defines characteristics of the drive.  
   
   
       8 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the media type defines characteristics of the removable media.  
   
   
       9 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the removable media is prepared for content based on the drive type and media type in response to receiving the write request to write to the removable media.  
   
   
       10 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the removable media is a compact disc.  
   
   
       11 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the removable media is a digital videodisc.  
   
   
       12 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the removable media is a floppy disk.  
   
   
       13 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the write request is preserved by a dynamic library object.  
   
   
       14 . A method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the dynamic library object is a dynamic link library (DLL).  
   
   
       15 . A computer system for automatically formatting removable media, comprising: 
 a format application executed by the computer, wherein the format application is capable of automatically preparing removable media for content based on at least a drive type, the drive type defining characteristics of a drive containing the removable media, and a media type, the media type defining characteristics of the removable media; and    a dynamic library object executed by the computer, wherein the dynamic library object is in communication with the format application, the dynamic library object being capable of intercepting a write request and preserving the write request to write to the removable media, the dynamic library object being capable of determining if the removable media is unformatted,    wherein if the removable media is unformatted and if the write request is directed to a supported drive, the dynamic library object communicates with the format application to request that the format application prepare the removable media for content, and    wherein if the write request is not directed to the supported drive, the dynamic library object provides the write request to the operating system without communicating with the format application.    
   
   
       16 . A system as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the dynamic library object provides the write request to an operating system once the removable media is prepared for content, the operating system performing a write operation on the removable media based on the write request.  
   
   
       17 . A system as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the dynamic library object is capable of determining whether the write request is directed to the supported drive, the supported drive being a drive within a predetermined set of supported drives.  
   
   
       18 . A system as recited in  claim 15 , where in the write request corresponds to a drag and drop operation.  
   
   
       19 . A system as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the format application is capable of automatically preparing removable media for content based on a format parameter.  
   
   
       20 . A system as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the format parameter is a Universal Disk Format (UDF), File Allocation Table (FAT), NT File System (NTFS), or International Standards Organization (ISO) file system format.  
   
   
       21 . A system as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the dynamic library object communicates with the format application by sending a format message to the format application, the format message requesting that the format application prepare the removable media for content.  
   
   
       22 . A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program capable of automatically formatting removable media, the computer readable medium comprising: 
 instructions for accepting a selection of a format parameter;    instructions for intercepting a write request to write to removable media, wherein the write request is preserved;    instructions for determining whether the write request is directed to a supported drive;    if the write request is directed to the supported drive: 
 instructions for determining if the removable media is unformatted,  
 instructions for automatically preparing the removable media for content when the removable media is unformatted based on the format parameter and at least a drive type defining characteristics of a drive containing the removable media, and a media type defining characteristics of the removable media,  
 instructions for providing the preserved write request to an operating system, the operating system performing a write operation on the removable media; and  
   if the write request is not directed to a supported drive: 
 instructions for providing the preserved write request to an operating system without determining if the removable media is unformatted and without automatically preparing the removable media for content, wherein the operating system performs the write operation on the removable media.  
   
   
   
       23 . A computer program as recited in  claim 22 , further comprising instructions for communicating with a format application to request that the format application format the removable media when the removable media is unformatted and the write request is directed to the supported drive.