Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Reconfiguration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-21
2004-07-13
Butler, Dennis M. (Department: 2115)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Reconfiguration
C713S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06763458
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention pertains generally to apparatus, system, and method that provide multiple operating system support and a fast or task-specific startup capability in a computer or information appliance device, and more particularly to apparatus, system, and method that permits a user to select and execute one of a plurality of operating systems available on the device at the time of powering on the device and where data generated by an application program executing within one of the plurality of operating systems is available to a different application program executing within a different operating system on the same device.
BACKGROUND
Today's modem personal computers typically includes a microprocessor, a memory system, data storage devices, and input/output (I/O) devices such as monitor or display, keyboard, pointing devices such as mouse, touch-screen, or other pointing device, and communication devices, among others. The computer system is typically initialized, or boot-strapped (“booted”), during or immediately after a power-up or reset initiated sequence using system software and/or information representing a sequence of internal control variables which is usually stored, at least in part, within a system read-only-memory (ROM). The ROM in which this information is stored is generally referred to as the BIOS which is an acronym for Basic Input/Output System, as this information provides some fundamental information to the processor as to how to the processor relates to inputs from and outputs to its environment. Since the system ROM is desirably non-volatile, the contents of the ROM contains valid data and/or instructions so that the computer system can be reliably boot-strapped to a point where the operating system of the computer can be loaded to complete the boot-up sequence. Normally, an operating system is required before other programs referred to as “applications programs” can be loaded and executed.
One computer system using the ROM-based boot code approach is the type of computer referred to as an IBM personal computer (PC) and variants referred to as IBM PC compatibles, PC clones, or simply IBM or PC compatibles. Another type of computer is the Macintosh line of computers, including the iMac, and variants thereof made by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino Calif. Increasingly, computers are available in a variety of form factors such as main-frame models, desk top models, notebook models, lap top models, sub-notebook models, Personal Data Assistants (PDA), Personal Information Manager (PIM), and the like. In addition, many computers, information appliances, and other electronic devices have the equivalent of a start-up or boot-sequence requirement and capability. We focus this discussion on the IBM PC because of its large market share and because it is representative of a large class of computers, information appliances, and other devices which suffer from the limitations of conventional structure and methods, and which may benefit from the invention which is described in detail elsewhere in this specification; however, those workers having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the invention pertains to all such computers.
In an IBM PC or an IBM compatible PC system, the system ROM stores the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) which is executed upon power-up by the processor, microprocessor, or CPU to initialize the computer system. Initialization typically involves first performing a Power On Self-Test (POST) routine, and then providing certain low-level, hardware dependent support for the system display or monitor, floppy disk drive(s), hard disk drive(s), communication devices, and other devices that may be present on the computer. More sophisticated routines and data may be included in the system ROM depending upon the needs and complexity of a given computer system. As the level of sophistication of computer systems and information appliances increases, the routines and data stored in the ROM are updated to match the needs of the computer system and its suite of devices. Additional details of the boot-up procedures for exemplary operating systems are described hereinafter.
All or virtually all computers, such as the various models of personal computers (PCs) produced by IBM Corporation, execute “operating system software” that instructs the computer how to use other programs, termed “application software”, “application programs”, or the like, such as word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, data base programs, and information management programs. Examples of PC operating systems include MS-DOS, PC-DOS, OS/2, Microsoft Windows 2.x, Microsoft Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, UNIX, and Linux, to name a few examples.
Before a PC can run an operating system, it must load the operating system from a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, or other storage medium to the PC's working memory (which is ordinarily random access semiconductor memory or RAM), in addition to loading the BIOS. This is carried out through a process known as boot-strapping, or more simply, booting the PC.
“Booting” refers to the process that occurs when a powered-off PC is first started (called a “cold boot”), or for an already-powered on PC when a “restart” command is issued to the computer through its operating system interface or when the user hits a hardware restart button (the latter cases being called a “warm boot”). All cases which we will call booting is typically characterized by the resetting of most of the PC's volatile memory state to a starting state followed by the loading and initialization of the operating system session.
Modem PC systems also support halting of usage with one or more “sleep” states where the memory state of usage session is preserved while the CPU is halted and the system is placed in a low power consumption state. The hardware of a system in such a suspended state typically cannot be used for purposes other than the suspended session because state changes in the system would conflict with assumptions of the suspended state. Booting is different from the suspend/resume states, therefore, we make a distinction between booting and sleep-related processes. Additional information is available in “Instantly Available Power Managed Desktop PC Design Guide,” Version 1.2, published by Intel Corporation 25 Sep. 1998, and available on the world-wide-web as of 04 April 2000 at the address http://developer.intel.com/technology/iapc/downloads/IAPCDGrev1
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2. pdf, which document is herein incorporated by reference.
We now describe the nominal boot-strapping or boot procedure under Windows 98 so as to establish a background of information and terminology as to how the inventive structure and procedure operates in conjunction with this procedure; however, the discussion of DOS, Windows 1 .x, Windows 2.x, Windows 3.x, Windows CE, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows 2000, and/or of the operation of the invention relative to these operating environments or systems is merely exemplary and not limiting.
By way of overview, after power-on, Microsoft Windows 98 boots in roughly four stages: (1) Loading and initializing the BIOS, (2) Loading real-mode drivers and Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) programs for backward compatibility with DOS, (3) Loading and initializing Windows specific device drivers (static VxDs) in real mode, and (4) Loading and starting up the protected-mode operating system and loading any remaining VxDs. The details of these Windows 98 boot stages, as well as the start up and booting of other Microsoft Windows operating system versions and non-Microsoft operating systems are known in the art not described in detail here. The interested reader is referred to numerous publications published by Microsoft Corporation and Microsoft press and others. For example, “Expert Guide to Windows 98”, Mark Minasi, Eric Christiansen, and Kristina Shapar, 1998, Sybex, 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, Calif. 94501; describes Microsoft Windows 98 throughout (pp. 1-899) and the Windows 98 startup and bo
Fung Henry T.
Schwartz Paul D.
Watanabe Ryoji
Butler Dennis M.
Captaris, Inc.
Perkins Coie LLP
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