A process for manufacturing a computer system, including a selected hardware
configuration
and a selected software configuration, utilizes a CD-ROM writer connected to a
manufacturing system network to select and write a custom software configuration
to a CD-ROM. The CD-ROM is used to install the selected software configuration
onto a custom hardware configuration and to subsequently serve as a permanent backup
copy of the software configuration. The CD-ROM is written with an identifier of
the specific computer hardware assembled in the manufacturing process and the identification
written to the CD-ROM is checked when the software is loaded from the CD-ROM onto
the computer so that the software is only accessible to the specified computer hardware.
