Importance

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Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for executing, in a multitasking operating system, an application program that accesses a protected resource directly without mediation by the operating system. For example, the application can be a backup application and the resource can be a floppy disk drive, QIC tape drive, or other storage device. The method of the invention can be executed in a computer system having a processor, a storage device, and a device control mechanism for controlling operations of the storage device responsively to commands issued by the processor. The device control mechanism can be, for example, a floppy disk controller chip if the storage device is, for example, a floppy disk drive. According to the invention, the processor executes the application program as a task of the operating system. The operating system includes a software component, such as a device driver, for issuing commands to the device control mechanism. The application program has its own component for issuing commands to the device control mechanism. While the application program is executing, the operating system's command-issuing component is temporarily bypassed, and the application program's command-issuing component is used to issue a command to the device control mechanism, which controls an operation of the storage device responsively to the issued command.

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First Claim