A computer system warranty upgrade method and apparatus are provided. When
a warranty upgrade is desired, the computer requesting a warranty upgrade
sends its configuration information to a remote warranty server computer.
The warranty server prepares a warranty price quote specific to the
particular configuration of the requesting computer. When the price quote
is paid, the warranty server encrypts and transmits a warranty
authorization to the requesting computer. The warranty authorization
includes warranty type, duration, the specific configuration warranted
and an identification number unique to the requesting computer. These
data are authenticated and validated by a secure processor in the
requesting computer. After validation, the validated data is stored in
secure storage by the secure processor.