Patent ID: 8645511

Claim:
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable-instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable to cause a server computer to: transmit to a second computer a customization application to establish, on a first computer having a unique first computer ID, one or more user preferences for an account of a user of a network-based service for use when the account is accessed by the user via the first computer and one or more local system settings for the first computer, wherein the network-based service is remotely-provided to the second computer; receive from the second computer the one or more user preferences, the one or more local system settings for the first computer, a username for the user account, and a unique second computer ID that identifies the second computer; store the received one or more user preferences, the one or more local system settings for the first computer, the username for the user account, and the unique second computer ID that identifies the second computer; receive a log-on request from the first computer, the log-on request including the username for the user account and a computer ID that is either the unique second computer ID that identifies the second computer or the unique first computer ID that identifies the first computer; compare the computer ID received with the log-on request from the first computer to the unique second computer ID stored with the user preferences and the one or more local system settings for the first computer; if the computer ID received with the log-on request from the first computer matches the unique second computer ID stored with the one or more user preferences and the one or more local system settings for the first computer, transmit the stored one or more user preferences and the one or more local system settings for the first computer to the first computer; and if the computer ID received with the log-on request is the unique first computer ID, transmit the stored one or more user preferences but not the stored one or more local system settings for the first computer to the first computer.