Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Brian Alan Reynolds

Ralph A Lipe

Pierre-Yves Santerre

Robert M McKaughan

Darryl Steven Richman

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 software on a remote server accessible only by network.

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Brian Alan Reynolds