Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hyejung Yi

Vicky He

Luca Lodolo

In an example, in a method for providing a shutdown process for a computer system including an operating system (OS), basic input/output system (BIOS) firmware may capture a request from the OS to hardware of the computer system to enter into a hibernate state. In addition, the BIOS firmware may determine whether a hybrid-shutdown process is in process and in response to a determination that the hybrid-shutdown process is in process, may turn off the computer system instead of entering the computer system into the hibernate state.

Method and system for providing hybrid-shutdown and fast startup processes

A system and corresponding method are disclosed to provide hybrid-shutdown and fast startup processes. The system allows a computer to quickly return to its last state before power-off instead of going through the hardware enumeration and configuration of a normal full system boot. The system enables fast system startup regardless of the number of pre-loaded software as long as there is no hardware configuration change since the previous power-off. Therefore, PC manufacturers can freely add value-add software without compromising the boot time. The system is integrated into the computer's power-off path, thus delivering a true power-off state and the lowest power consumption level.

The invention in one implementation encompasses a computer having an operating system and a power ON/OFF pushbutton switch. A microcontroller is coupled to receive ON/OFF information generated by the pushbutton switch. Responsive to receiving the ON/OFF information, the microcontroller generates a command causing the operating system to cause the computer to toggle between sleep and awake states.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Hyejung Yi