Patent ID: 7950020

Claim:
A method for enabling a plurality of operating systems to run concurrently on a computer, wherein a first operating system in the plurality of operating systems is currently active, the method comprising: identifying a second operating system from the plurality of operating systems that is to be active next, the second operating system having the same privileges to system resources as the first operating system for operation system switching; causing a memory access controller to enable exclusive access to a portion of memory for the second operating system once the second operating system becomes active; causing the second operating system to become active; determining that a forcible switching event occurred, wherein identifying the second operating system that is to be active next occurs in response to determining that the forcible switching event has occurred, wherein a forcible switch can occur between any two operating systems in the plurality of operating systems; performing a forced control transfer; and initiating operating system switching in response to an operating system switching event, wherein the forcible switching event occurs after a currently active operating system fails to become inactive and fails to allow the second operating system to become active, and wherein the operating system switching event is generated in response to a switching button being depressed.