Patent ID: 8307425

Claim:
A method, comprising: detecting, by a host device, an external storage medium operatively coupled to the host device, the external storage medium storing portable account information, wherein the portable account information includes: a home directory of the portable account; authentication information of the portable account; and a user profile of the portable account; providing a login user interface for presentation on a display screen of the host device, the login user interface including one or more local accounts and the portable account for login; adding the portable account to a local directory database as a local account associated with the external storage medium, wherein adding the portable account comprises: determining whether the portable account has administrative privileges; and when the portable account has administrative privileges, removing the administrative privileges before adding the portable account to the local directory database; receiving, from a user of the host device, an input for logging in the local account associated with the external storage medium; and responsive to the input, logging in the user using the user profile of the portable account and designating the home directory of the portable account as stored on the external storage medium as a home directory of the user.