Patent ID: 7805761

Claim:
A method of protecting computer system integrity from infection by unauthorized software, comprising: separating a system data from a user data, wherein the system data is separated from the user data according to a standard of difficulty of data re-creation; storing the system data in a virtual system data compartment within a partition, wherein the system data stored in the virtual system data compartment is referred to as virtual system data; storing the user data in a virtual user data compartment within the partition, wherein the user data stored in the virtual user data compartment is referred to as virtual user data; wherein both the virtual system data and the virtual user data are accessible to an operating system in the partition; automatically, by the operating system, disposing of all contents of the system data compartment based on a selected event comprising at least one of detection of infection by unauthorized software and a pre-emptive event to remove any potential infection by unauthorized software, wherein the disposing of all contents of the system data compartment includes one of rolling back and rolling forward the system data to a specified state; and storing a new system data in the virtual system data compartment, wherein the new system data stored in the virtual system data compartment is referred to as virtual new system data.