COMPUTER SYSTEM INCLUDING A TRANSOARENT AND SECURE FILE TRANSFORM MECHANISM

A computer system including a file transform mechanism, such as encryption, compression, encoding, translation and conversion, a file storage subsystem for storing a file composed of one or more blocks of data, a data storage subsystem for storing blocks of data in first and second logical data areas and a processor for executing instructions implementing a computer operating system in the first logical data area and an application program in the second logical data area. The processor is coupled to the file storage subsystem and the data storage subsystem for transferring a predetermined block of data between the file storage subsystem and the data storage subsystem. The processor includes (1) a transform mechanism, defined within the operating system, for transforming the predetermined block of data in the first logical data area separately from any other block of data; (2) a request mechanism, defined by the application program, for selecting the predetermined block of data to be operated on; and (3) an interface that controls the transfer of the predetermined block of data between the file storage subsystem and the data storage subsystem and between the first and second logical data areas. The interface can determine whether the predetermined block of data is transformed. The interface controls the transfer of the predetermined block of data from the file storage subsystem to the data storage subsystem and between the first and second logical data areas, transforming the data as required.