Patent ID: 8589733

Claim:
A method in a data processing system for saving state of at least one application that is open on said data processing system when an event forces open applications to close, the method comprising: executing a software tool at start up of the data processing system, wherein the software tool is distinct from an operating system of the data processing system; maintaining, by the software tool, a list of a plurality of applications and for each respective application included in the list, recording, by the software tool, a set of predetermined actions to be performed for saving current state of the application; monitoring, by the software tool, data processing system activities to detect the event indicative of a forthcoming system shutdown action, the system shutdown action including a command which forces closing of open applications; and responsive to detecting said event, the software tool: suspending execution of said shutdown action prior to the at least one open application detecting the event; recording a current state of the at least one open application, wherein said recording the current state of the at least one open application includes, for each open application of the plurality of applications, performing the corresponding set of predetermined actions; and storing an indication that the current state of the at least one open application has been recorded for reuse; and following said recording and storing steps, restoring execution of said shutdown action.