JP2003150379A - Method for starting multiple pda operating system through menu - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a method and a system for starting a multiple PDA OS through a menu. SOLUTION: The invention mainly modifies the BIOS booting procedure in a notebook computer installed with multiple OS's. After the notebook computer is turned on, the multiple OS's are detected. These multiple OS's, including a PDA OS 40 and a normal notebook computer basic OS (such as the Windows OS) are displayed on a menu. Bu ignoring some hardware diagnostic steps during the BIOS booting procedures and only performing hardware diagnoses for those input devices that support menu manipulations, the starting speed of a laptop can be accelerated. The user can thus start any OS by clicking a desired item in the OS menu.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a notebook PC.
The present invention relates to a technique for activating a PDA (personal digital assistant) OS (operating system) and its utility in a portable PC such as a (personal computer) or an equivalent electronic device. Specifically, in a notebook PC with multiple PDA OSs installed, the user selects one of the PDA OSs and includes that PDA OS (including OSs for handheld PCs, pocket PCs and other similar small electronic devices).
It is suggested that an OS menu be provided to enable the booting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the widespread use of computers, there are more and more cases where computers need to be used to solve problems both at work and at home. In general, there are two main ways to obtain information. (1) Books, newspapers, magazines, CD-RO
A method of acquiring from M etc., and (2) a method of acquiring from the network.

[0003]

However, both of these methods have drawbacks. The information obtained using the first method becomes obsolete over time. Rapid information exchange significantly shortens the life cycle of that information. However, information recorded on a medium such as a book cannot be easily updated. On the other hand, the information obtained by using the second method may change simultaneously with the movement of the world, resulting in some trouble for the user. The problems can be seen from the following points. 1. Windows98 (registered trademark), Win
Windows 2000 (registered trademark), Windows XP
The OS (operating system) of existing personal computers such as (registered trademark), Linux, etc. is complicated (or, therefore,) despite its powerful function and design. Moreover, the operation design of the user is not simple enough and intuitive. Under these circumstances, users with no background in computers are afraid because of the obstacles they encounter while using such systems. 2. Users who do not understand the network structure do not know where to start their search. In that case, the user often
Trying to use a familiar OS, or trying to install several OSs on a computer hardware platform. This type of system is called dual OS or multi-OS. However,
This method cannot solve the above problem because a utility is required for switching between OSs. 3. PDAs are becoming more and more popular today.
It has features that are complementary to desktop Windows OS, such as smaller volume, faster boot up, more compact features, and more convenient usability. Therefore, a method of supporting a plurality of PDA systems on a notebook PC has been an important research subject at present, and in this case, users can enjoy the functions of different PDA systems on the same notebook PC. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of arbitrarily allocating and activating an OS in a notebook PC in which a plurality of PDA OSs and standard OSs (Windows OS etc.) are installed.

[0005]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The disclosed method is mainly a notebook PC in which a plurality of OSs are installed.
Applied to. Such OS is at least one PDA
OS (including OSs for handheld PCs, pocket PCs and other small electronic devices, all of which are hereinafter referred to as PDA
) And basic OS. BIOS (Bas
By changing the boot procedure of the ic Input Output System, the OS information installed in the notebook PC is
It is read from R (master boot record). The OS information installed in the notebook PC is
It is listed in the menu on the display and can be obtained from it. The user can boot any OS directly there through this menu.

The disclosed system is mainly composed of a plurality of OSs.
Is built with a notebook PC installed.
Basic OS (Win
Except for Windows OS), basic OS boot procedure, and power switch button for notebook PC boot, the system further includes: That is, the PDA OS, P stored in the storage device of the notebook PC
The P preloaded in the BIOS of the notebook PC to start the DA OS and open the PDA utility
Notebook P to detect DA boot procedure, multiple OSes with notebook PC installed, and list OSes in menu on display
A pre-loaded OS detection procedure in C's BIOS (which allows the user to select and boot one of the OSs using the input device), and to speed up the notebook PC boot , Skipping the complicated hardware diagnostic steps in the normal boot procedure of the notebook PC, and pre-loaded into the BIOS of the notebook PC to execute the hardware diagnostic for the input device that supports the menu operation as described above. High speed hardware diagnostic procedures.

[0007]

The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given below. However, the following description is for illustrative purposes only, and thus
It does not limit the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the disclosed method is based primarily on at least one PDA OS and a base OS (Windows) preloaded on a notebook PC.
It is applied to a notebook PC in which a plurality of OSs are installed, including the OS). The following steps are taken in order to reach the target of booting an OS from a menu among a plurality of OSs. 1. Modify the BIOS content of the notebook PC, especially the content in the boot block, so that the following functions are executed. That is, (1) some of the hardware device diagnostic steps are skipped in order to increase the startup speed of the notebook PC system. (2) Detect a plurality of OSs installed in the notebook PC. 2. List the detected OSs in a menu on an output device such as a display or other equivalent device. 3. The system is the OS selected by the user from the menu
Get information about (eg PDA OS). The user can assign any OS in the menu to be booted using an input device such as a mouse, keyboard, touch control monitor or other equivalent device. 4. This starts the OS selected by the user.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hardware structure using the disclosed technique is mainly for the latest notebook PC.
It is based on the basic hardware device of. The hardware structure includes at least the following: CPU
(Central processing unit) 10, BIOS (Basic Inp)
ut Output System) chip 11, main memory 12, storage device 13 (eg HD, CD-RO)
M, storage medium or other recording medium), power switch button 20, output device 14 (eg display, touch control monitor or other equivalent device), and input device 15 (eg mouse, keyboard, touch control monitor or other). Equivalent device).

Referring to FIG. 3, the system of the present invention comprises a basic OS preloaded on a notebook PC.
(For example, Windows OS) 31, basic OS boot procedure 32, utility 33 for basic OS 31, and driver 34 for basic OS 31 are included. In addition, the system also includes:

The PDA OS 40, the PDA OS utility 41, the PDA OS and the utility 41 stored in the storage device 13 of the notebook PC 13
PDA boot procedure 42, PDA preloaded on BIOS chip 11 of notebook PC to boot
A driver 43 for the OS 41 and a PDA boot procedure module 44 pre-loaded on the BIOS chip 11 of the notebook PC, which is high speed to increase the startup speed of the notebook PC by skipping some of the hardware device diagnostic steps. The hardware diagnostic procedure 441 and a plurality of OSs already installed in the notebook PC are detected and output to the output device 1
4 includes an OS detection procedure 442 for displaying in the menu of FIG.
PDA boot procedure module 44.

The basic OS-related software including the utility 33 and the driver 34 and the PDA OS-related software including the utility 43 and the driver 44 are separately stored in the storage device 13 of the notebook PC. Both software are different H of HD
It is preferably stored in the D partitions 131 and 132. The PDA boot procedure 42 and the boot procedure 32 of the basic OS 31 are the BIOS chip 11 of the notebook PC.
Stored together with.

FIG. 4 shows a notebook PC in which the disclosed technology is realized. The operations performed by the BIOS chip 11 after power on include the following steps. A. Partial hardware diagnostics. This is an input device that supports menu operation to speed up the boot-up of the notebook PC by skipping complicated hardware diagnostics in the standard boot procedure of the notebook PC through the fast hardware diagnostic procedure. 1
Only hardware diagnostics are performed for 5 (eg mouse, keyboard, touch control monitor, etc.). B. The OS already installed in the notebook PC through the OS detection procedure 442 (for example, preloaded Windows OS 31 and PDA OS 40)
Is detected and listed in a menu on the input device 14. C. OS selected by user from menu (eg PDA
OS) to obtain selection information. D. The OS selected by the user is started.

The OS detection procedure 442 acquires all the information of the OS installed in the storage device 13 of the notebook PC by reading the OS partition message stored in the MBR (master boot record).

According to the selection result in step C, BI
For the OS chip 11, the user can select the PDA OS from the menu
PD depending on whether to select OS or basic OS 31
AOS40 and its utility 41 or basic O
In order to start S31 and its utility 33, the PDA boot procedure 42 or the basic OS boot procedure 32
To execute.

The method of executing the boot procedure 32 of the basic OS 31 is different from that of the boot procedure 42 of the PDA OS 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the boot procedure of the basic OS 31 is as follows.
(A) Steps for executing a POST (Power On Self Test) procedure, (b) Preloaded basic OS 31
To the main memory 12, and (c) the basic OS 31 is started and its utility 3
3. Performing step 3.

As shown in FIG. 6, the PDA OS boot procedure is (A) loading the preloaded PDA OS 40 into the main memory 12, and (B) PD.
It includes the steps of booting the AOS 40 and executing its utility 41.

From the above description, it can be seen that complicated hardware diagnostic steps are executed at the start of starting the basic OS 31. This is what is called POST. Mainly tested by this are memory size, internal memory defects, keyboard features, display interface card types, hard disk drive and floppy disk drive types and models, and interrupt controller and timer functions. Any conflict between the interface card's configuration and the host either causes a warning message or prevents the system from loading. The printer is also tested to see if the printhead can move in the event of an internal paper jam and if the printer is connected to the computer. On the other hand, PDA boot procedure 4
When the PDA OS 40 is booted through the PDA OS 40 through 2, the complicated hardware diagnostic step is skipped, and the PDA OS 40 preloaded in the storage device 13 (eg HD) of the notebook PC is booted directly. PDA
The utility 41 is also loaded and the PDA operating environment is input at high speed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of the present invention based on the procedure shown in FIG. This is also a special PDA O after power on
A PDA hot key 16 for directly activating S40 is provided (see FIG. 8). The number of PDA hotkeys 16 is
It is determined by the number of OSs installed in the notebook PC. Each PDA hot key 16 has a unique ID, which is stored in the hot key table 17 of the BIOS chip 11. When the user presses any one of the PDA hot keys 16, the BIOS selects the PDA from the hot key table 17 according to the pressed PDA hot key 16.
Identify the OS. Then, the assigned PDA O
S is activated. The steps included in the detailed procedure are as follows. B1. The entire information of the OS installed in the storage device 13 of the notebook PC is read from the MBR. B2. It is confirmed whether or not a plurality of OS partitions exist, and if they exist, the procedure proceeds to the next step. If they do not exist, the boot procedure 32 of the basic OS 31 is executed to start the basic OS. B3. PDA OS in multiple OS partitions
40 is detected. B4. It detects whether any of the PDA hot keys 16 has been pressed, and accordingly identifies the PDA OS from the hot key table 17 and activates the assigned PDA OS and its utility 41. If not, continue directly to the next step. B5. The plurality of detected OSs are displayed as a menu on the output device 14 for the user, and the OS to be activated can be selected through the input device 15. B6. The OS selected by the user is started.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the intention is to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be interpreted as broadly as possible so that all such modifications and arrangements are included.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing steps for implementing the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware structure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a system structure of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the BIOS chip 11 after being booted.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing steps for starting a basic OS and its utility.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing steps for booting a PDA OS and its utility.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of another implementation showing the steps for launching a PDA OS and its utilities using hotkeys.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment hardware structure showing a structure for adding a PDA hot key.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... CPU 11 ... BIOS chip 12 ... Main memory 13 ... Storage device 14 ... Output device 15 ... Input device 16 ... PDA hotkey 31 ... Basic OS 32 ... Basic OS boot procedure 40 ... PDA OS 41 ... Utility of PDA OS 42 ... PDA boot procedure

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Wen Seirin             Taiwan, Taipei, She-Ling Distributor             66, Inn             Bentech Building (72) Inventor Chu Chang-Chen             Taiwan, Taipei, She-Ling Distributor             66, Inn             Bentech Building F-term (reference) 5B076 AA14 BB01 BB17                 5E501 AA03 AA04 BA01 BA05 CA02                       CB02 CB05 CB09 EB05

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A method for booting multiple PDA operating systems through a menu for booting operating systems in a portable computer installed with multiple operating systems including at least one PDA operating system and a base operating system. , (1) modifying the BIOS content of the portable computer, wherein (a) some of the hardware device diagnostic steps are skipped in order to increase the boot speed, and (b) multiple pre-loaded into the portable computer. Other operating systems are detected so that (2) multiple detected operating systems are available for the user to select. A step of listing in a menu on the output device of the tablable computer; (3) a step of obtaining selection information on an operating system selected by the user from the menu; A method characterized by comprising a plurality of P's
How to boot the DA operating system through a menu. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the BIOS content further comprises establishing high speed hardware diagnostic procedures and operating system detection procedures. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fast hardware diagnostic procedure only performs hardware diagnostics on input devices that support menu operations to speed up the startup of a portable computer. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the input devices is selected from the group consisting of a mouse, keyboard and touch control monitor. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the operating system detection procedure obtains all information of the operating system preloaded on the portable computer by reading the operating system partition information stored in the master boot record. . 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the output device is selected from the group consisting of a monitor and a touch control monitor. 7. A method of booting multiple PDA operating systems through a menu for booting operating systems in a portable computer installed with multiple operating systems including at least one PDA operating system and a base operating system. , (1) modifying the BIOS content of the portable computer, wherein (a) some of the hardware device diagnostic steps are skipped in order to increase the boot speed, and (b) multiple pre-loaded into the portable computer. Each operating system is detected so that (2) each PDA operating system is booted directly after power on. Preparing a PDA hotkey for the computer, (3) listing the detected operating systems in a menu on the output device of the portable computer for the user to select, and (4) selecting from the menu by the user. A method for booting a plurality of PDA operating systems, comprising: (5) booting an operating system selected by a user; and (5) booting the operating system selected by the user. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein modifying the BIOS content further comprises establishing high speed hardware diagnostic procedures and operating system detection procedures. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the fast hardware diagnostic procedure only performs hardware diagnostics on input devices that support menu operations to increase the boot speed of the portable computer. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the input devices is selected from the group consisting of a mouse, keyboard and touch control monitor. 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the operating system detection procedure obtains all information of the operating system preloaded on the portable computer by reading the operating system partition information stored in the master boot record. . 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the number of PDA hotkeys is determined by the number of operating systems installed on the portable computer. 13. The method of claim 7, wherein the correspondence between PDA hot keys and operating system is limited by a hot key table in the BIOS chip. 14. Before the step (3), (3.
1) Check if there are multiple operating system partitions, and if there are, continue to the next step, if not, start the basic operating system boot procedure, (3.2)
Detecting a PDA operating system in a plurality of operating system partitions, and (3.3) detecting whether any of the PDA hot keys has been pressed, and the PDA corresponding to the PDA hot key.
The method of claim 7, further comprising booting an operating system, otherwise continuing to step (3). 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the basic operating system boot procedure further comprises the step of performing a POST (Power On Self Test) procedure after powering up.