CN1700175A - Computer system, method and medium for switching operation system - Google Patents

Abstract

An operating system switching method in a computer system with at least two operating systems is provided. The operating system switching method includes: receiving a command to switch a currently running first operating system to a second operating system; causing the computer system to transition to a low-power sleep state in response to the command; and utilizing the second operating system in the transitioned state Boot the computer system.

Description

Computer system, method, and medium for switching operating systems

Technical field

The invention relates to a multi-operating system, in particular to an operating system switching method in a computer system with multiple operating systems installed thereon.

Background technique

Although a single operating system was installed in one computer system in the past, the development of computer technology has enabled two or more operating systems to be installed on one computer system. An operating system configuration that has two or more operating systems installed in it is called a multi-operating system.

Thus, once the desired multi-operating system configuration is constructed, the user becomes able to perform the desired computing task in the appropriate operating system. During a computing task, if a different computing task needs to be performed, the computer system must switch from one operating system to another. Thus, computer systems with multiple operating systems typically provide operating system switching functionality.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional operating system switching method. For convenience of explanation, an operating system switching method in a computer system in which Windows(R) and Linux(R) operating systems are installed is shown in FIG.

In step S100, it is assumed that the Windows(R) operating system is booted and running normally. In this case, in steps S110 and S120, when the user wants to use a predetermined short key (short key) to switch from the Windows® operating system to the Linux® operating system, the Windows® operating system switches the power management state of the computer system to the software The power-off state S5 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2 . In other words, the computer system uses the power management function to switch operating systems.

When switching the traditional operating system, at step S120, the power management state is transferred to the power management state 240 (FIG. 2) corresponding to the S5 state, so that the Windows(R) operating system is terminated. In step S130, when the power is turned on, in step S140, the bios is booted. In this case, power may be activated by the user's power input button or automatically by the computer system. When the bios system boot is performed, the user is asked which operating system the computer system will be booted by in step S150. The user selects the Linux(R) operating system, after which the computer system is booted by the Linux(R) operating system in step S160. Here, of course, if the user selects the Windows(R) operating system, the computer system will be booted by the Windows(R) operating system in step S100.

In order to better understand the traditional operating system switching method, a general description of the power management function of the computer system is now given.

The power management system of the computer system develops from the initial simple function to the enhanced function. Recently, Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, and Toshiba Corporation have proposed the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification. According to the ACPI specification, power management is not performed by the BIOS (Basic Input Output System), but by the operating system. Details of the ACPI specification are disclosed in "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface Specification Version 1.0."

FIG. 2 is a state diagram illustrating various states of a computer system and transitions of each state according to the ACPI specification.

As shown in FIG. 2 , there are five total states of the computer system: legacy state 210 , G0 state 220 , G1 state 230 , G2 state 240 , and G3 state 250 .

In legacy state 210, ACPI functionality is disabled and power management is not performed. In the G0 state 220, the computer system is functioning normally. In the G1 state 230, ie, the sleep state, power consumption is gradually reduced. In the G2 state 240, ie, the soft off state, only minimal power is consumed to sense soft switching (switching of the computer system for power on/off). In the G3 state 250, ie, the mechanical shutdown state, the power is cut off.

In a state where the ACPI function is used and power is supplied, the computer system has 6 stages of sleep states: S0 to S5. The S0 state is equivalent to the G0 state 220 . States S1 to S4 232 , 234 , 236 , and 238 (hereinafter, referred to as low-power sleep states) correspond to the G1 state 230 . The S5 state corresponds to the G2 state 240 . In low power sleep states 232, 234, 236, and 238, power consumption is gradually reduced according to the operating state of the computer system. In this state, the S1 state 232 is a low power sleep state in which all states of the computer system are stored, and the S2 state 234 is a low power sleep state similar to the S1 state 232, but the CPU cache and system cache are not Stored in S2 state 234. The S3 state 236 is a low power state similar to the S1 state 232, but with the loss of hardware-related information other than memory information. In the S4 state 238, the low power sleep state, the hardware stops working. In the S4 state 238, the power is almost cut off, and thus, it takes time to reuse the S4 state 238. However, the environment of the previously run operating system, such as memory information, information of various application programs, or data information is stored in the hard disk, which is called mirror backup.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the conventional OS switching method, after the current OS is completely terminated, bios booting is performed and booting by the OS to be switched is performed thereafter. If necessary, a process of asking the user to select an operating system may be performed at the time of bios booting or thereafter.

In other words, in the process of terminating the current operating system, the overall time required to switch the operating system is extended and unnecessary user operations such as selection of the operating system by the user are required. For multiple operating systems that require faster boot, these issues need to be addressed.

In addition, when switching the current operating system to an operating system for a specific purpose, other processing or hardware not used for the specific purpose is also executed, which results in unnecessary consumption of system resources or power. Therefore, to conserve system resources and power, it is desirable to run only the processing or hardware needed to perform that particular purpose.

Contents of Invention

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be acquired by practice of the invention.

The present invention provides an operating system switching method, by which, when switching operating systems in a computer system with multiple operating systems installed, the state of the computer system is shifted to a specific state and in the transition state, the operating system is switched to the required operating system, thereby reducing the time required for switching the operating system and requiring no additional operations by the user.

The present invention also provides an operating system switching method, by which, during operating system switching, the environment information of the previously running operating system is stored, so that even if the current operating system is restored to the previously running operating system, the previously running operating system The environment of the system is also maintained.

The present invention also provides an operating system switching method, by which the optimal low power state of the system is maintained when the current operating system is switched to a purpose-installed operating system.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the following description, drawings and appended claims.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operating system switching method in a computer system having at least two operating systems, the operating system switching method comprising: receiving a command to switch the currently running first operating system to the second operating system causing the computer system to transition to a low-power sleep state in response to the command; and booting the computer system with the second operating system in the transitioned state.

The receiving of the command may include receiving the command using an input unit provided in the computer system. The input unit may include: a user input device for switching operating systems, a wireless signal receiving module, and a network interface module.

Low power sleep states may include S3 power management states according to the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification.

Transitioning the computer system to the low-power sleep state may include setting power management state information indicating the transitioned low-power sleep state and operating system switching information indicating booting of the computer system utilizing the second operating system, and in the transitioned state The booting of the computer using the second operating system may include booting the computer system using the second operating system according to the power management state information and the operating system switching information.

Transitioning the computer system to a low-power sleep state may include storing information on an environment of the first operating system when a command is received at a predetermined storage area. The information may include: system resource information, program information, or data information. In the S4 power management state according to the ACPI specification, this information may be stored in a predetermined storage area.

The step of booting the computer system with the second operating system in the transitioned state may include extracting information about the environment of the operating system from a predetermined storage area and providing the environment of the second operating system using the extracted information, the extracted information including information about the Information about the environment of the second operating system running before the second operating system is switched to the first operating system. In the S4 power management state according to the ACPI specification, this information may be stored in a predetermined storage area.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer system with at least two operating systems is provided, and the computer system includes: a receiving module, which receives a command to switch the currently running first operating system to the second operating system; a module that causes the computer system to transition to a low power sleep state in response to the command; and an operating system switching module that boots the computer system with a second operating system in the transitioned state.

Low power sleep states may include S3 power management states according to the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification.

The state control module may send power management state information indicating transitioned low power sleep state and operating system switching information indicating booting of the computer system utilizing the second operating system to the operating system switching module, and the operating system switching module may, according to the power management The status information and operating system switching information boot the computer system with the second operating system.

The operating system switching module performs operating system switching including the bios ROM.

The computer system may further include a storage module that stores information about an environment of a second operating system that the computer system was running before being switched to the first operating system, wherein the operating system switching module extracts the information from the storage module and utilizes The extracted information performs operating system switching to provide an environment of a second operating system. According to the ACPI specification, the storage module may store information in the S4 power management state.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operating system switching method in a computer system having at least two operating systems, the operating system switching method includes: booting the currently running first operating system to the second operating system to The user provides multimedia content; controls at least two hardware states included in the computer system according to the type of the multimedia content; and provides the user with the multimedia content in the controlled hardware state.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operating system switching method in a computer system having at least two operating systems, the operating system switching method includes: booting the currently running first operating system to the second operating system to providing the multimedia content by the user; providing a user interface to provide the user with a list of the multimedia content; causing the computer system to be placed in a low power state mode to run the multimedia content selected by the user from the list; and running the selected multimedia in the low power state mode content.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided at least one computer-readable medium storing instructions for controlling at least one processor to perform a method comprising: switching from a first operating system currently running in a computer system to a second operating system a command of the second operating system; causing the computer system to transition to a low power sleep state in response to the command; and booting the computer system using the second operating system.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided at least one computer-readable medium storing instructions for controlling at least one processor to perform a method comprising: booting a currently running first operating system to a second operating system to The user provides multimedia content; controls at least two hardware states included in the computer system according to the type of the multimedia content; and provides the user with the multimedia content in the controlled hardware state.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided at least one computer-readable medium storing instructions for controlling at least one processor to perform a method comprising: booting a currently running first operating system to a second operating system to providing the multimedia content by the user; providing a user interface to provide the user with a list of the multimedia content; causing the computer system to be placed in a low power state mode to run the multimedia content selected by the user from the list; and running the selected multimedia in the low power state mode content.

Description of drawings

The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more clear through the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a traditional operating system switching method;

2 is a state diagram illustrating the states of a computer system according to the ACPI specification and each state transition;

3 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system for performing operating system switching according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a state diagram illustrating OS switching, that is, a first OS switching mode, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operating system switching method as shown in Fig. 4;

6 is a state diagram illustrating OS switching according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, that is, a second OS switching mode;

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the operating system switching method as shown in Fig. 6;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating system switching according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating system switching according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

10 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system for controlling a low power state according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a low power state according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary diagram showing a user interface according to the structure shown in FIG. 10 .

Detailed ways

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. Hereinafter, the exemplary embodiments are described in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

The invention is described hereinafter with reference to flowcharts of methods according to exemplary embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment to produce the processor of the machine, so that these instructions are executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to realize the flow block or the specified function in a combination of boxes. These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory, which can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific way, so that the instructions stored in the computer-available or computer-readable memory Create artifacts to perform the specified functions in a process block or combination of blocks. Computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device to cause a series of operational steps to be executed on the computer or other programmable device to generate computer-implemented processing, thereby executing The instructions provide the functionality specified in the implementation process block or combination of blocks.

In addition, each block of the flowchart may represent a module, a program segment, or a portion of code, which includes one or more executable instructions to implement a specific logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functionality noted in the blocks may occur exceptionally. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved.

Meanwhile, for a better understanding of the present invention, it is assumed that Windows(R) and Linux(R) operating systems are installed in the computer system according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to Windows(R) and Linux(R) operating systems and may include other operating systems or any combination of systems other than Windows(R) and Linux(R) in place of Windows(R) and Linux(R). Additionally, although the examples below indicate that the Windows(R) operating system is the default operating system, an operating system such as Linux(R) could be designated as the default operating system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system 300 for performing operating system switching according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The computer system 300 includes: a receiving module 330, which receives an operating system switching command from a user; a state control module 310, which controls the state of the computer system 300 in response to the command; an operating system switching module 320, which switches the current operating system in response to the command to a different operating system; and the storage module 340, which stores information about the environment of the previously executed operating system when the operating system is switched.

Here, the term 'module' as used herein generally refers to, but is not limited to, a software or hardware component, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which performs certain tasks. A module may conveniently be configured to reside on the addressable storage medium and configured to execute on one or more processors. Thus, a module may include, for example, such components as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, Components such as databases, data structures, lists, arrays, and variables. Functionality intended to be provided in components and modules may be combined into fewer components and modules or further separated into additional components and modules. Additionally, components and modules may be implemented so that they are executable by one or more computers in a communication system.

Now, the operation of the module will be described in more detail below.

If a user working under the Windows(R) operating system executes an operating system switching command using a predetermined input unit to switch the current operating system to a Linux(R) operating system, the receiving module 330 receives the operating system switching command. In this case, user input devices such as a mouse, a keyboard, and a touch screen may be used as the input unit. Alternatively, when the user switches the operating system using the remote controller, a wireless signal receiving module for receiving a wireless signal transmitted from the remote controller may be used as an input unit. In addition, when the user performs operating system switching through a wired or wireless network, the input unit may include a network interface module.

The receiving module 330 processes the operating system switching command received from the input unit as 'occurrence of an event' and transmits information on the event to the status control module 310 . In this case, the state control module 310 sends the power management state information and the operating system switching information to the operating system switching module 320, wherein the power management state information indicates the power management state of the computer system 300, and the operating system switching information indicates the operating system switching information using Linux The booting performed by the operating system. In an example, the power management state information may indicate a state in which power is partially supplied to computer system 300 . In this instance, the state in which power is partially supplied may be a state in which power is supplied to all system resources of the computer system 300 and all devices installed on the computer system so that the system resources and devices can operate, or may be a state in which A state in which power is not supplied to the computer system 300, eg, the 'low power sleep state' previously described. Power management information may also indicate a status such as "system terminated."

Meanwhile, power management status information and operating system switching information may be sent in a message format.

The OS switching module 320 includes respective variables indicating power management status information and OS switching information, and sets information received from the status control module 310 to the variables. Hereinafter, for better understanding of the present invention, a variable indicating power management state information is referred to as 'Power_state_var', and a variable indicating operating system switching information is referred to as 'InstantOn_var'. Since the value set to the variable is preferably maintained even if the power of the computer system 300 is turned off, the switch module 320 can be implemented with a device such as a bios ROM that operates through an additional power supply and or a program running in the device. The variable 'Power_state_var' may indicate the power management state with respect to each operating system in one variable.

When the variable 'Power_state_var' and the variable 'InstantOn_var' are changed, the operating system switching module 320 changes the power management state of the computer system 300 to the power management state set in the variable 'Power_state_var'. Then, start booting by using the Linux(R) operating system set in the variable 'InstantOn_var'. In this case, the power management states may be defined as the power management states S1 to S4 according to the ACPI specification, ie, the previously described low power sleep state, and, preferably, the S3 or S4 state.

When switching to the Linux(R) operating system, the user may still want to maintain the Windows(R) operating system environment. Thus, information about the environment of the Windows(R) operating system is stored in the storage module 340. In this instance, the storage module 340 may be a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk. The information on the environment of the Windows(R) operating system may be system resource information such as memory, program information such as application programs stacked in the memory or various processes performing background work, and data information related to the program. In addition, the information may be stored in the storage module 340 in a manner of being stored in the S4 power management state according to the ACPI specification. In this example, when the user switches the Windows(R) operating system to the Linux(R) operating system and then switches the Linux(R) operating system to the Windows(R) operating system again, the Windows(R) operating system environment can be restored. Whether the operating system switching module 320 restores the information on the operating system environment stored in the storage module 340 is determined by the value set in the variable 'Power_state_var'.

For example, when the user wants to switch the Windows® operating system to the Linux® operating system while maintaining the environment of the Windows® operating system, the value set in the variable 'Power_state_var' is set under the 'S4 power management state', and about The information of the environment of the Windows(R) operating system is stored in the storage module 340 . Thereafter, when returning to the Windows® operating system, the operating system switching module 320 finds that the value set in the variable 'Power_state_var' is set under the 'S4 power management state', and extracts the previously stored value in the storage module 340. information, and restore the environment of the Windows® operating system.

In this case, when a user executes an OS switching command, an interface such as a Graphical User Interface (GUI) may be used to ask the user whether to store information about the environment of the current OS in the storage module 340 . In addition, codes indicating OS switching may vary according to OS switching methods.

For a better understanding of the present invention, the situation in which the information about the environment of the operating system is not stored during the switching of the operating system is referred to as a 'first operating system switching mode', and wherein during the switching of the operating system, the information about the operating system The case where the information of the environment is stored is referred to as a 'second operating system switching mode'.

FIG. 4 is a state diagram illustrating OS switching, ie, a first OS switching mode, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

For example, assume that at step 410, the current Windows(R) operating system is booted and running normally. This state corresponds to the S0 power management state of the ACPI specification. In this example, at step 420, when an event occurs regarding an operating system switch request from the user, then at step 430, the power management state is switched to the S3 power management state of the ACPI specification. Thereafter, the current Windows(R) operating system is booted by the Linux(R) operating system to establish the Linux(R) operating system environment at step 440. There may be two situations in the state of step 440: a situation in which the computer system is powered off by the user in step 450; and a situation in which the Linux® operating system is switched to the Windows® operating system in step 470.

If the user turns off the power of the computer system and turns it on again at step 460, the computer system is booted by the predetermined operating system. Figure 4 shows the computer system being booted by the Windows(R) operating system.

At step 470, if the user switches the Linux® operating system back to the Windows® operating system, then at step 480, the power management state is switched to the S3 power management state of the ACPI specification, and at step 410, the computer system is replaced by the Windows® operating system Boot to create an environment for the Windows(R) operating system.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operating system switching method shown in FIG. 4 .

For example, assume that in step S505, the current Windows(R) operating system is normally booted and running. In this case, when an event instructing the user to switch the operating system occurs, a value indicating the S3 power management state of the ACPI specification is set in the variable 'Power_state_var' in steps S510 and S515. Then, at step S520, the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'true', and at step S525, the bios booting starts. Meanwhile, a case where the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'true' indicates that the current operating system is switched to an operating system that is not running yet, and a case where the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'false' indicates that the current operating system The operating system that is not running now is not switched, that is, the operating system that is currently running is maintained. Preferably, the initial value of the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'false', and the variable 'Power_state_var' and the variable 'InstantOn_var' are stored in the bios ROM.

In step S525, when the bios boot starts, if the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'true', the current operating system is switched to the Linux® operating system. In this case, at step S535, a value indicating the S0 power management state of the ACPI specification is set to the variable 'Power_state_var'. Then, in step S540, the computer system is booted by the Linux® operating system, and the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'false'. This is because, if the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'true', the operating system should be switched to the Windows(R) operating system. Then, in step S550, the Linux(R) operating system runs.

Meanwhile, at step S555, the computer system may be operated by pressing a power button of the computer system that is turned off. In this case, in step S525, bios booting starts as in the conventional method. In this case, it is assumed that the booted operating system is initially set to the Windows(R) operating system. Therefore, since the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'false', the current operating system is not switched to the Linux(R) operating system.

In step S560, when the variable 'Power_state_var' is set to a value indicating a state corresponding to the S3 power management state of the ACPI specification, in step S565, the variable 'Power_state_var' should be set to a value corresponding to the S0 power management state of the ACPI specification value. This is because the computer system is prevented from remaining in the S3 power management state of the ACPI specification.

FIG. 6 is a state diagram illustrating OS switching according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, that is, a second OS switching.

For example, assume that in step S610, the current Windows(R) operating system is normally booted and running. This state corresponds to the S0 power management state of the ACPI specification. In this case, at step 620, when an event related to an operating system switching request from the user occurs, then at step 630, the power management state is switched to the S4 power management state of the ACPI specification. Thereafter, in step S635, information about the environment of the Windows(R) operating system is mirrored and stored, and the computer system is booted by the Linux(R) operating system to establish the environment of the Linux(R) operating system in step S640. There may be two situations in the state of step 640: a situation where the computer system is powered off by the user at step 650; and a situation where the Linux® operating system is switched to the Windows® operating system at step 670.

If the user turns off the power of the computer system and turns it on again at step 660, the computer system is booted by the predetermined operating system.

Figure 6 shows the computer system being booted by the Windows(R) operating system. In this case, the image stored at step S635 is restored at step S665.

In step S670, if the user switches the Linux® operating system back to the Windows® operating system, then in step S680, the power management state is switched to the S4 power management state of the ACPI specification, and in step 610, the computer system is booted by the Windows® operating system , so as to establish the environment of the Windows® operating system. Even in this case, the image stored at step 635 is restored at step 685 .

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the exemplary operating system switching method shown in FIG. 6 .

For example, assume that in step S705, the current Windows(R) operating system is normally booted and running. In this case, when an event instructing the user to switch the operating system occurs, a value indicating the S4 power management state of the ACPI specification is set in the variable 'Power_state_var' at steps S710 and S715. Then, at step S720, the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'true'.

Then, in step S722, information about the environment of the Windows(R) operating system is mirrored and stored, and in step S725, bios booting starts.

Meanwhile, a case where the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'true' indicates that the current operating system is switched to an operating system that is not running yet, and a case where the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'false' indicates that the current operating system The operating system that is not running now is not switched, that is, the operating system that is currently running is maintained. Preferably, the initial value of the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'false', and the variable 'Power_state_var' and the variable 'InstantOn_var' are stored in the bios ROM.

In step S725, when the bios boot starts, in step S740, the computer system is booted by the Linux® operating system, and the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'false'. This is because, if the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'true', the operating system is switched to the Windows® operating system. Then, in step S750, the Linux(R) operating system runs.

Meanwhile, at step S755, the computer system may be operated by pressing a power button of the computer system that is turned off. In this case, at step S725, bios booting starts as in the conventional method. In this case, it is assumed that the booted operating system is initially set to the Windows(R) operating system. Therefore, since the variable 'InstantOn_var' is set to 'false', the current operating system is not switched to the Linux(R) operating system.

When the variable 'Power_state_var' is set to a value indicating a state corresponding to the S4 power management state of the ACPI specification (at step S760), at step S765, the variable 'Power_state_var' should be set to correspond to the S0 power management state of the ACPI specification value. This is because the computer system is prevented from remaining in the S4 power management state of the ACPI specification. Then, the image stored at step S722 is restored at step S767.

Meanwhile, it is assumed that the Linux(R) operating system is used for a specific purpose, for example, for the purpose of watching movies, listening to music, or browsing photos or pictures using various image files. In this case, unnecessary consumption of system resources and power is caused if various processes or hardware not used for the above-mentioned purpose are allowed to run continuously. Therefore, when the Windows(R) operating system is switched to the Linux(R) operating system, a process of allowing only processing or hardware necessary for the above purpose to operate (hereinafter, referred to as 'low power state mode') is required.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operating system switching method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, that is, an operation of setting a low power state during the operating system switching shown in FIG. 5 . Steps S805 to S835 in FIG. 8 generally correspond to steps S505 to S535 in FIG. 5 . Steps S840 to S865 of FIG. 8 generally correspond to steps S540 to S565 of FIG. 5 .

A low power state mode can be set when the Windows(R) operating system is switched to the Linux(R) operating system. For example, when the variable indicating the effective and non-effective state of the low power state mode is 'PowerSavingMode', if the value of this variable is set to 'on' in step S837, then in step S840, when the computer system is powered by the Linux® operating system At boot time, a low power state environment is established. However, when the computer system is booted by the Windows® operating system, at step S870, the value of the variable 'PowerSavingMode' is set to 'off' so that the low power state mode is canceled. Meanwhile, the method of setting up the environment of the system in the low power state by setting the value of the variable 'PowerSavingMode' to 'on' will now be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 when the computer system is booted by the Linux® operating system.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operating system switching method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, that is, an operation of setting a low power state during the operating system switching shown in FIG. 7 . Steps S905 to S930 in FIG. 9 generally correspond to steps S705 to S730 in FIG. 7 . Steps S940 to S967 in FIG. 9 generally correspond to steps S740 to S767 in FIG. 7 .

When the Windows(R) operating system is switched to the Linux(R) operating system at step S935, the low power state mode as in FIG. 8 is set. When the computer system is booted by the Linux(R) operating system at step S940, the environment of the system in the low power state is established. However, when the computer system is booted by the Windows® operating system, at step S969, the value of the variable 'PowerSavingMode' is set to 'off' so as to cancel the low power state mode.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system for controlling a low power state according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The computer system 300 includes a CPU 1010, a memory 1020, a bios 1030, and an application program 1040 that accesses a channel for controlling hardware disposed in the memory 1020 (hereinafter, referred to as an 'application program'). Meanwhile, for a better understanding of the present invention, assume that the Linux® operating system is used to watch movies, listen to music, or browse photos or pictures using various image files, that is, the Linux® operating system is only used to provide multimedia content. However, any other operating system can replace Linux(R). The application program 1040 includes programs such as a program for reproducing movies or music or an image viewer, and executes a corresponding program according to an object selected by a user.

Now, the operation shown in FIG. 10 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11 .

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a low power state according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

When the user switches the Windows(R) operating system to the Linux(R) operating system, in step S1110, the Linux(R) operating system starts to boot. In this case the value of the variable 'PowerSavingMode' is set to 'on' in order to activate the low power state mode. Application programs 1040 run on top of the Linux(R) operating system. In this case, in step S1120, other application programs or processes other than the application program 1040 are not executed.

Then, in step S1130, the application 1040 provides the user with the user interface 1200 shown in FIG. In this case, the shape of the user interface 1200 can be changed according to the design of the application program 1040, and the user can select to execute specific content in the environment of the Linux(R) operating system.

If the user wants to watch a movie in the environment of the Linux(R) operating system, the user selects the movie 1220 from the user interface 1200 . The application 1040 then begins setting up the environment for the low power system to play the movie. In other words, the state of hardware installed in the system such as the CPU 1010, optical disk drive, hard disk drive, liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, and wireless LAN module is set to an optimum state for playing movies. For this reason, a method of controlling the above-mentioned hardware using the application program 1040 is required. In an exemplary embodiment, a channel for controlling hardware is formed in the memory 1020 at step S1140. Usually, the code used to control the hardware is recorded in bios 1030. A specific area of the memory 1020 is mapped to code and the application program 1040 accesses the specific area to load the code for controlling hardware recorded in the bios 1030 into the memory 1020 at step S1150. In this case, an interrupt occurs and the CPU 1010 executes the code loaded into the memory 1020, so that in step S1160, the application program 1040 controls the hardware. For example, when a user wants to watch a movie stored on an optical disc drive, the power supply to the hard drive is cut off, and when the speed of the clock is adjusted so that the CPU 1010 performs 75% of the functions and the brightness of the LCD panel is divided into 10 levels ( For example, when the brightest state is set to level 10), the brightness of the LCD panel can be set to level 7 and power can be blocked from being supplied to the wireless LAN module. This information can be preset in the bios 1030, and depending on the movies 1220, music 1240, and photos/pictures 1260 selected by the user, the degree of control over each piece of hardware can vary. For example, when a user wants to listen to music stored on a hard drive, the brightness of the LCD panel can be set to levels 3 to 4 below level 7, power is blocked from being supplied to the optical drive, and the speed of the clock can be set so that the CPU 1010 performs 50% of the functions.

CPU 1010 executes codes loaded into memory 1020, thereby controlling related hardware. Therefore, in step S1170, the application program 1040 is responsible for controlling and executing the movie so that the user can watch the movie stored on the optical disc drive.

According to the present invention, when an operating system is switched in a computer system having at least two operating systems, the operating system can be switched more quickly without an additional operation by a user. In addition, the environment of the previously operated system can be restored.

Although the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the principle and spirit of the invention. In addition to these exemplary embodiments, the scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (31)

1, a kind of operating system switching method in having the computer system of at least two operating systems, this operating system switching method comprises:

Reception switches to first operating system of current operation the order of second operating system;

Make computer system in response to this command conversion to low power sleep state; And

Utilize the second booting operating system computer system.

2, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the receiving step of order comprises that utilizing the input block that is provided with in the computer system to receive orders.

3, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, input block comprises the user input apparatus that is used for switching operating system.

4, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 2, wherein, input block comprises the wireless signal receiver module.

5, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 2, wherein, input block comprises Network Interface Module.

6, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, low power sleep state comprises the S3 power management states according to ACPI (ACPI) standard.

7, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

The step that makes computer system be converted to low power sleep state comprises: the power management states information of the low power sleep state of indicating conversion and the operating system handover information that indication utilizes the second booting operating system computer system are set; And

Utilize the step of the second booting operating system computer system to comprise and utilize the second booting operating system computer system according to power management states information and operating system handover information.

8, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the step that makes computer system be converted to low power sleep state comprises when receiving order, will be about the information stores of the environment of first operating system in predetermined storage area.

9, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, this information comprises: system resource information, program information or data message.

10, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, in the S4 power management states according to the ACPI standard, information is stored in the predetermined storage area.

11, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, utilize the step of the second booting operating system computer system to comprise: from the information of predetermined storage area extraction about the environment of operating system, and utilize the information of extracting that the environment of second operating system is provided, the information of this extraction comprises the information about the environment of second operating system of moving before second operating system is switched to first operating system.

12, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 11, wherein, in the S4 power management states according to the ACPI standard, information is stored in the predetermined storage area.

13, a kind of computer system with at least two operating systems, this computer system comprises:

Receiver module, it receives the order that first operating system of current operation is switched to second operating system;

Status control module, its make computer system in response to this command conversion to low power sleep state; And

The operating system handover module, it utilizes the second booting operating system computer system.

14, computer system as claimed in claim 13, wherein, according to ACPI (ACPI) standard, low power sleep state comprises the S3 power management states.

15, computer system as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

The power management states information and the indication of the low power sleep state that status control module can be changed indication utilize the operating system handover information of the second booting operating system computer system to be sent to the operating system handover module; And

The operating system handover module can utilize the second booting operating system computer system according to power management states information and operating system handover information.

16, computer system as claimed in claim 13, wherein, the operating system handover module is carried out the operating system that comprises bios ROM and is switched.

17, computer system as claimed in claim 13, also comprise: memory module, its storage is about the information of the environment of second operating system, wherein, this computer system is moved being switched to first operating system, wherein, the operating system handover module switches so that the environment of second operating system to be provided from the information and executing operating system of memory module information extraction and utilization extraction.

18, computer system as claimed in claim 17, wherein, memory module can be with information stores in the S4 power management states according to the ACPI standard.

19, a kind of operating system switching method in having the computer system of at least two operating systems, this operating system switching method comprises:

First operating system of current operation is changed into second operating system to provide content of multimedia to the user;

According to the type of content of multimedia, control is included at least two hardware states in the computer system; And

In in check hardware state, provide content of multimedia to the user.

20, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 19, wherein, hardware state comprises the state of cpu clock speed.

21, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 19, wherein, hardware state comprises: the state of the electric power on/off state of CD drive, the electric power on/off state of hard disk drive and brightness of display screen and the electric power on/off state of wireless LAN module.

22, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 15 wherein, guides the step of first system of system to the second to comprise:

Reception switches to first operating system order of second operating system;

In response to this order, make computer system be converted to low power sleep state and power to be under the low power sleep state with the permission computer system; And

First operating system is changed into second operating system.

23, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 22, wherein, the step that first operating system is changed to second operating system comprises: from the information of predetermined storage area extraction about the environment of second operating system, and utilize the information of extracting that the environment of second operating system is provided, the information of this extraction comprises the information that operates in second operating system environment wherein about computer system before switching to first operating system.

24, a kind of operating system switching method in having the computer system of at least two operating systems, this operating system switching method comprises:

First operating system of current operation is changed into second operating system to provide content of multimedia to the user;

Provide user interface so that the tabulation of content of multimedia to be provided to the user;

Make computer system be set to the low power state pattern so that carry out the content of multimedia of from tabulation, selecting by the user; And

Under the low power state pattern, carry out the content of multimedia of selecting.

25, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 24, wherein, the step of first operating system being changed into second operating system comprises:

Reception switches to first operating system order of second operating system;

In response to this order, make computer system be converted to low power sleep state and power to be under the low power sleep state with the permission computer system; And

Guide first operating system to the second operating system.

26, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 25, wherein, guide the step of first operating system to the second operating system to comprise: from the information of predetermined storage area extraction about the environment of second operating system, and utilize the information of extracting that the environment of second operating system is provided, the information of this extraction comprises the information that operates in second operating system environment wherein about computer system before switching to first operating system.

27, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 24, wherein, the step that makes computer system be set to the low power state pattern comprises:

Be written into the hardware controls code to carry out the content of multimedia of selecting from bios; And

The control routine that execution is written into is the low power state pattern so that computer system to be set.

28, operating system switching method as claimed in claim 24, wherein, user interface comprises that user therefrom can select the zone according to the content of multimedia of catalog classification.

29, at least a computer-readable medium, its at least one processor of storage control is to carry out the instruction of following method, and this method comprises:

Reception switches to first operating system of current operation in the computer system order of second operating system;

Make computer system in response to this command conversion to low power sleep state; And

Utilize the second booting operating system computer system.

30, at least a computer-readable medium, its at least one processor of storage control is to carry out the instruction of following method, and this method comprises:

First operating system to the second operating system that guides current operation is to provide content of multimedia to the user;

Type according to content of multimedia is controlled at least two hardware states that are included in the computer system; And

In in check hardware state, provide content of multimedia to the user.

31, at least a computer-readable medium, its at least one processor of storage control is to carry out the instruction of following method, and this method comprises:

First operating system to the second operating system that guides current operation is to provide content of multimedia to the user;

Provide user interface so that the tabulation of content of multimedia to be provided to the user;

Make computer system be set to the low power state pattern so that carry out the content of multimedia of from tabulation, selecting by the user; And

The content of multimedia that operation is selected under the low power state pattern.

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