Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Troy Alan Funk

Octavian Tony Ureche

Innokentiy Basmov

Ping Xie

James Anthony Schwartz, Jr

Ellsworth Davis Walker

Shon Eizenhoefer

Arvind R Padole

Itai Rosenberger

Sanket Patel

James A Schwartz Jr

Shon T Eizenhoefer

Various embodiments provide an ability to automatically boot a computing device with an operating system stored on a portable storage device when the portable storage device is detected to be present. The computing device can be configured to dynamically boot from the portable storage device when the portable storage device is detected, and revert to a programmed boot order in its associated boot module when the portable storage device is not detected. In some embodiments, the operating system is fully encapsulated on the portable storage device, such as the operating system being completely separate from an operating system initially booting the computing device.

Dynamically redirecting boot to another operating system

A portable device may be roamed from one host to another. In one example, the portable device stores software that is to be executed by a host. The host may maintain a policy that governs which software may be executed on the host. When the portable device is connected to a host, the host checks the software version installed on the guest to determine whether that software version is compatible with the host's policy. If the guest's software does not comply with the host's policy, then the host installs a compatible version. If the guest's version complies with the policy and is newer than the host's version, then the host copies the guest's version to the host and propagates it to other guests. In this way, newer versions of software propagate between hosts and guests, while also respecting specific execution policies of the various hosts.

Use of software update policies

Growing community of inventors

Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Troy Alan Funk