Reduce or fail-safe bootstrapping of a system having a graphical user interface
US5627964A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 13, 1994 |
| Grant date | May 6, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 13, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/1417
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and system are disclosed for invoking a limited or "fail-safe" functionality from a computer system having a graphical user interface (GUI). In one aspect, a computer operating system having GUI functionality can be activated with two different sets of GUI features. Normally, the operating system provides a full complement of GUI features. Alternatively, the operating system provides a more limited set of GUI features. The operating system invokes the limited set of GUI features either in response to a user command, such as a keyboard function key pressed during the bootstrap loading sequence of the operating system, or automatically in response to a failure of an attempt by the computer system to load the normal complement of GUI functions. With the limited set of GUI features, the user of the computer can take advantage of the power of graphical user interfaces even when the computer system is not operating normally. For example, the user can run graphically based diagnostic and repair programs from the "fail-safe" mode. The invention finds application in stand-alone and networked computer systems and, in particular, in systems that store the bulk of the operating system…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.