Methods and systems for adjusting an
operating system configuration according to changes in hardware components of a
client computer. The adjusted
operating system can boot on the
client computer regardless of changes in the hardware configuration of the
client computer since it was last connected to a network
server. Before the
operating system boots, a preliminary connection is established between the client computer and the
server. During the preliminary connection, the
system identifies hardware components that are new and that must be supported by the operating
system for bootup to occur. In particular, the
server sends information relating to the previous client hardware configuration to the client computer. The client computer compares its current hardware configuration to the previous hardware configuration information, thereby identifying its new hardware components. Information identifying the new hardware components is sent to the server. The server locates operating
system components or device drivers that support the new hardware components and stores them in a specified repository at the server. The operating system, which is now reconfigured to support the current client hardware components, is downloaded to the client computer and boots thereon.