Patent ID: 7930531
Filing Date: 2011-04-19
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method to switch operating systems comprising: detecting when a user inserts a multi-partition Universal Serial Bus (USB) device into a USB socket on a host computer when the host computer is executing a primary operating system; executing a basic input-output system (BIOS) on the host computer when the multi-partition USB device is inserted and linking a control program stored on the multi-partition USB device to the BIOS; passing control to and executing the control program on the multi-partition USB device; testing the multi-partition USB device and determining a memory size of a USB memory on the multi-partition USB device by executing the control program; mounting the USB memory on a file system of the host computer when testing passes; rebooting the host computer from the multi-partition USB device; copying an alternate OS image from an alternate-OS partition of the USB memory to a main memory of the host computer; passing control to the alternate OS image copied to the main memory and executing application programs in an alternate operating system using the alternate OS image; and detecting a button press by the user of a button on the multi-partition USB device, wherein the button press indicates a request to switch the host computer to the alternate operating system; wherein the button press selects the alternate-OS partition or a primary-OS partition to mount to the file system; wherein the button press selects among the alternate operating system and the primary operating system for loading during rebooting; wherein mounting the USB memory on a file system of the host computer when testing passes comprises mounting the alternate-OS partition to the file system when a button for the alternate operating system is pressed, and comprises mounting the primary-OS partition to the file system when a button for the primary operating system is pressed, whereby buttons select an operating system and whereby the host computer is rebooted from the multi-partition USB device to load the alternate operating system.