1. A method for allowing multiple users to share a common computer system image, the method comprising: generating a state vector representing the total machine state for a virtual machine configured with one or more commonly used applications; establishing the state vector for the virtual machine as a read-only common computer system image for use by multiple users; loading the state vector into a first virtual machine for use by a first user and into a second virtual machine for use by a second user; and allowing the first user to use the first virtual machine and allowing the second user to use the second virtual machine, and allowing the first and second users to enter different data in the first and second virtual machines, respectively, so that the processing paths of the first and second virtual machines diverge.