Fast booting a computing device to a specialized experience

• US 9,898,304 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Powell, Therron L., Anderson, Jason Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Fahmida
• Application Number:
  US14/852,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20160004540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

Described is a technology by which independent computing functions such as corresponding to separate operating systems may be partitioned into coexisting partitions. A virtual machine manager, or hypervisor, manages the input and output of each partition to operate computer system hardware. One partition may correspond to a special purpose operating system that quickly boots, such as to provide appliance-like behavior, while another partition may correspond to a general purpose operating system that may load while the special purpose operating system is already running. The computer system that contains the partitions may transition functionality and devices from one operating system to the other. The virtual machine manager controls which computer hardware devices are capable of being utilized by which partition at any given time, and may also facilitate inter-partition communication.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

at least one boot device that comprises memory that comprises a special-purpose operating system and a general purpose operating system;

additional memory that includes computer-executable instructions that, based on execution by the computing device, configure the computing device to;

boot the special-purpose operating system in a first partition in response to starting the computing device based on a first hardware event;

initially execute, via the booted special-purpose operating system, an application that is associated with the first hardware event;

process, by the application being initially executed by the booted special-purpose operating system, media that is protected by the first partition;

further boot, during operation of the special-purpose operating system, the general-purpose operating system in a second partition that is isolated from the first partition and that comprises a file system; and

hand-off control of the execution of the initially executing application from the booted special-purpose operating system via a user-perceived seamless transition to the booted general-purpose operating system, where the application continues processing the media protected by the first partition under the handed-off control of the booted general-purpose operating system via control interfaces to the first partition, and where the media protected by the first partition is isolated from the file system in the second partition.

2. The computing device of claim 1 where the first hardware event is selected from the group consisting of:

activation of a media control button, use of a special media-player button, and a media insertion hardware event.

3. The computing device of claim 1 where the first hardware event comprises activation of a specific button dedicated to booting the special purpose operating system, the first hardware event causing a first value to be stored in a basic input-output system (“

BIOS”

); and

the boot loader configured to determine, based at least in part on whether the first value is stored in the BIOS, whether to load the special-purpose operating system or the general purpose operating system.

4. The computing device of claim 1 where the special-purpose operating system is configured to increase power savings by activating only a subset of available hardware resources.

5. The computing device of claim 1 configured for the special-purpose operating system and the general-purpose operating system to both run concurrently on the computing device.

6. The computing device of claim 1 where the special-purpose operating system is dedicated to playing media.

7. A method performed on a computing device, the method comprising:

booting a special-purpose operating system in a first partition in response to starting the computing device based on a first hardware event;

initially executing, via the booted special-purpose operating system, an application that is associated with the first hardware event;

processing, by the application being initially executed by the booted special-purpose operating system, media that is protected by the first partition;

further hooting, during operation of the special-purpose operating system, a general-purpose operating system in a second partition that is isolated from the first partition and that comprises a file system; and

handing-off control of the execution of the initially executing application from the booted special-purpose operating system via a user-perceived seamless transition to the booted general-purpose operating system, where the application continues processing the media protected by the first partition under the handed-off control of the booted general-purpose operating system via control interfaces to the first partition, and where the media protected by the first partition is isolated from the file system in the second partition.

8. The method of claim 7 where the first hardware event comprises activation of a media control button, use of a special media-player button, or a media insertion hardware event.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

storing, in response to the first hardware event, a first value in a basic input-output system (“

BIOS”

); and

determining, based at least in part on whether the first value is stored in the BIOS, whether to load the special-purpose operating system or the general purpose operating system.

10. The method of claim 7 where the special-purpose operating system increases power savings by activating only a subset of available hardware resources.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising running the special-purpose operating system and the general-purpose operating system concurrently on the computing device.

12. The method of claim 7 where the special-purpose operating system is dedicated to playing media via the application.

13. At least one computer-readable hardware storage device that includes computer-executable instructions that, based on execution by a computing device, configure the computing device to perform actions comprising;

booting a special-purpose operating system in a first partition in response to starting the computing device based on a first hardware event;

initially executing, via the booted special-purpose operating system, an application that is associated with the first hardware event;

processing, by the application being initially executed by the booted special-purpose operating system, media that is protected by the first partition;

further booting, during operation of the special-purpose operating system, a general-purpose operating system in a second partition that is isolated from the first partition and that comprises a file system; and

handing-off control of the execution of the initially executing application from the booted special-purpose operating system via a user-perceived seamless transition to the booted general-purpose operating system, where the application continues processing the media protected by the first partition under the handed-off control of the booted general-purpose operating system via control interfaces to the first partition, and where the media protected by the first partition is isolated from the file system in the second partition.

14. The at least one computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 13 where the first hardware event comprises activation of a media control button, use of a special media-player button, or a media insertion hardware event.

15. The at least one computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 13 where the special-purpose operating system increases power savings by activating only a subset of available hardware resources.

16. The at least one computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 13, the actions further comprising running the special-purpose operating system and the general-purpose operating system concurrently on the computing device.

17. The at least one computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 13 where the special-purpose operating system is dedicated to playing media.