Virtual execution environment for software delivery and feedback

1. A method for testing a new software product in a virtual machine, the method comprising:

installing a Virtual Machine (VM) to run under control of a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) on a user computer, wherein the VMM has a privilege level at least as high as a host operating system of the user computer to access memory pages assigned to the VM being mapped and handles exceptions generated within the VM;

loading a software product from a component inside the VM via a first server;

launching the software product in the VM;

using the VMM to log software product execution data;

using the VMM to generate an incremental snapshot relative to a master snapshot of the VM;

using the VMM to generate a software product execution report and to provide the software product execution report to a second server,

wherein the software product execution report includes the incremental snapshot.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the snapshot comprises a state of the VM prior to crash.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring of the software product execution is performed by the VMM.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the VMM has a detect module for detecting VM crashes.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the report comprises information related to the user actions.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the report comprises information related to power saving applications.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein VMM includes any of:

continuous data protection means;

driver verification tools;

instruction trace log; and

state capture means.

8. A computer useable non-transitory storage medium having computer program logic stored thereon for executing on a processor for implementing the steps of claim 1 .

9. A system for testing a test application, the system comprising:

a client computer connected to a remote server;

a virtual machine (VM) implemented on the client computer;

a guest operating system (GOS) running on the VM;

a test application executed on the (GOS);

a virtual machine monitor (VMM) controlling the VM and having a detect module, wherein the VMM has a privilege level at least as high as a host operating system of the client computer to access memory pages assigned to the VM being mapped and wherein the VMM handles exceptions generated within the VM, and

wherein:

the test application is loaded onto the client computer from a component inside the VM via a first server;

user actions, system operations and VM crashes are detected by the detect module within the VMM;

the detect module generates a test application report;

the VMM generates an incremental snapshot relative to a master snapshot of the VM; and

the VMM transmits the test application report and the incremental snapshot at a moment prior to the crash, to the remote server.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the VMM provides execution statistics of the test application and of the VM to the remote server.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the execution statistics comprise snapshots of the VM prior to crash.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the execution statistics comprise user action-related data.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the snapshot includes contents of video memory.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the snapshot includes a screenshot.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the snapshot includes a state of virtual peripheral devices.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the snapshot includes a paging file contents.

17. The system of claim 9 , wherein the snapshot includes a call stack.