Improvements to computer systems and methods that permit platform identification
to provide service and technical support to users. The present invention employs
a compact Internet agent that is preferably part of a basic input output system
(BIOS) of user computer systems. An operating system of the user computer systems
operate to set up a registry. Each user computer system contains a web browser
that is used to contact the central server by way of the Internet, for example
when it is launched. The Internet agent is used to identify the user computer system
during system BIOS boot. The BIOS launches when a user computer system is turned
on, which launches the Internet agent. The Internet agent adds a predetermined
number (preferably two) MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) headers to
a registry. The default browser web page is changed to point to a web page on the
central server. The MIME headers are inactive and useless until the web browser
is launched and the user computer system connects to the web page. The central
server analyzes the HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) request upon connection.
If the MIME headers are identified, the server identifies the user computer system,
optionally asks the user for registration, and pushes service content to the user
computer system.
