Patent ID: 7464258

Claim:
A method of displaying foreground visual data in foreground and executing system booting in background for a computer system, the computer system having a data storage, a system memory, a basic input and output system (BIOS), a display and at least one hot key, the hot key mapping to a hot key application program and the hot key application program mapping to the foreground visual data, the data storage storing an operating system, a display driver, and at least one hot key application program, the method comprising the steps of: (a) detecting a state of the hot key; (b) activating the computer system responsive to detecting the hot key being pressed; (c) executing the BIOS of the computer system; (d) the BIOS loading and executing the display driver to drive the display; (e) the BIOS loading the foreground visual data corresponding to the hot key application program mapped to the hot key, and the display displaying the foreground visual data in foreground; (f) loading and executing the operating system in the background concurrently with step (e); (g) loading and executing the hot key application program mapped to the hot key subsequent to initialization of the operating system being completed; and (h) terminating display of the foreground visual data responsive to the execution of the hot key application program mapped to the hot key; wherein the computer system includes a plurality of hot keys each mapped to a different application program and the data storage stores a hot key mapping table comprising a plurality of hot key mapping entries, and each entry comprises an event code, a hot key application program and corresponding foreground visual data mapped to the hot key.