Asus Application User manual

ASUS Express Gate
ASUS Express Gate is an instant-on environment that gives you quick access to
the Internet. Within a few seconds of powering on your computer, you will be at the
Express Gate menu where you can start the web browser, Skype, or other Express
Gate softwares.
Installing ASUS Express Gate
• ASUS Express Gate supports installation on SATA HDDs in IDE mode only.
• ASUS Express Gate supports HDDs or ODDs connected to motherboard
chipset-controlled onboard SATA ports only. All onboard extended SATA
ports and external SATA ports are NOT supported.
• ASUS Express Gate supports installation on USB HDDs and Flash drives,
but the software performance may be slower than installed on SATA HDDs.
To install Express Gate on your computer
1. Place the support CD/DVD to the optical drive. The Drivers installation tab
appears if your computer has enabled Autorun feature.
2. Click the Utilities tab, then click ASUS Express Gate Installer.
3. Select the language for installation and click OK.
4. The InstallShield Wizard for
Express Gate appears. Click Next
to continue.

5. Select the target disk volume for
you to install Express Gate. If you
have multiple volumes and OS
installed in your hard drive, it is
The First Screen
Express Gate’s rst screen appears
within a few seconds after you power
on the computer. From here, you can
immediately start the web browser or
Skype.
You can also choose to continue booting
normally (e.g. to your installed OS such
as Windows), enter BIOS setup, or power
off.
If you don’t make any selection, Express
Gate will automatically exit and boot to your normal OS after a certain amount of
time. The timer countdown is shown on-screen inside the “boot to OS” button. As
you move the mouse or type a key, the countdown stops and the timer disappears,
so you can take your time to make a selection.
The Express Gate Environment
The very rst time you enter the Express
Gate environment (by launching either
web or Skype from the rst screen), a
rst time wizard will guide you through
basic Express Gate congurations. Basic
congurations include language, date
and time and screen resolution.
recommended to install Express
Gate in Volume C. Click Next to
continue.
6. Follow the screen instructions to
complete installation.

Knowing the Express Gate hot-keys
Here is a list of common-used hot-keys for Express Gate.
In the First Screen:
Key Function
PAUSE/BREAK Power-off
ESC/F8 Continue to boot OS
DEL Enter BIOS setup
In the Express Gate Environment:
Key Function
<Alt> + <Tab> Switch between softwares
<Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Del> Bring up Power-Off dialog box
<Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Print Screen> Save screen snapshot as picture to le
Once inside the Express Gate environment, click on the icons on the LaunchBar,
by default at bottom of the screen, to launch or switch between softwares. You
can re-arrange, re-size and move windows. Bring a window to the foreground
by clicking within it or by clicking on its corresponding software icon. Re-size a
window by dragging any of its four corners. Move a window by dragging its title bar.
Besides using the LaunchBar, you can also switch between softwares by pressing
<Alt> +<Tab> on the keyboard. You can also right-click anywhere on the desktop to
bring up a menu of softwares.
The red triangle on an software icon in the LaunchBar denotes that the software is
already running. This means that you can switch to it without any delay. In the rare
case where an software stops responding, right-click on its icon to force close it.

Using the Conguration Panel
Use the conguration panel to change various Express Gate settings.
Click on an icon to open a particular conguration tool. The following tools are
available:
• Date and Time: set current date and time as well as time zone.
• Input Language: choose your preferred input language and method.
• Language and Keyboard: choose your language and keyboard preferences.
• LaunchBar Settings: customize your LaunchBar (where it docks, whether it
auto-hides, etc.)
• Network: Specify how your computer connects to the Internet. Enable all the
network ports that you may use. LAN(s) refer to the RJ-45 network port(s) on
your computer.
• The number of the LAN ports may differ from motherboards.
• You can connect the LAN cable to any RJ-45 port, and Express Gate SSD
will automatically use the connected port.
Also specify whether each port uses DHCP (most common) or static IP. For
PPPoE and wireless (optional), set the login credentials (user name, password,
SSID, etc.) as well.
• Environment Settings: This function allows you to clear the Express Gate
settings, as well as any personal information stored by the web browser
(Bookmarks, Cookies, History, etc.). The user data will be reset to the original
default conguration.
After you click Restore System, a conrmation dialog box will open. If you click
“Yes” in the conrmation dialog box, your system will immediately restart and
then re-enter Express Gate to nish clearing the settings. This is also useful in
the rare case where settings might become corrupted.
The rst-time Wizard will run again when you enter the Express Gate
environment after clearing its settings.
• Screen Settings: Choose the most optimal screen resolution for your display.
• Volume Control: Control the volume for your speaker output, microphone
input, etc.

Using the LaunchBar
The LaunchBar has several system icons that show you various system statuses
and let you congure individual Express Gate settings. The LaunchBar can be
congured to auto-hide, if you want more screen space for the softwares. It can
also be congured to dock on any of the four sides of the screen.
Starts the Web Browser for quick access to the World Wide Web.
Accesses the Online Games feature of Express Gate.
Starts the Photo Manager album / organizer tool.
Starts the Chat instant messaging tool.
Start the Skype software, which lets you call other people on Skype
for free, as well as offering affordable, high quality voice communications
to phones all over the world.
Opens Conguration Panel, which lets you specify network settings
and other preferences.
In the rare case that one of the above softwares stops responding, you can right-
click on its icon and then select Close to force it to close.
The smaller icons on the right side of the LaunchBar are:
Click on this icon to open the File Manager window, which lets you
conveniently access the les on a USB drive. If a USB device is
detected, the icon contains a green arrow.
• ASUS Express Gate supports le uploading and downloading from USB
drives only.
• Only the image les in JPG, BMP, GIF, and PNG formats can be uploaded
from SATA HDDs, ODDs and USB drives.
Shows network status; click to congure network.
Shows mute status; click to change volume.
Click to choose input language and method as well as keyboard
shortcuts (Ctrl-Space by default).

Click to change LaunchBar options (auto-hide, docking position, etc).
Click to show the “ASUS Utility” panel.
Click to show “About Express Gate ”.
Click to open Express Gate Help.
Click to bring up power options window to boot to OS, restart or power
down. This window is also shown when you press Ctrl-Alt-Del on the
keyboard.
Power off
Enter OS
Cancel and return to
Express Gate
Restart
Check to save
user prole
How Do I Get on to the Internet
If Internet doesn’t seem to be working in the Express Gate environment, check the
following:
1. Open the Conguration Panel.
Open Conguration Panel
2. Open Network.
Network

3. Make the proper network congurations.
Each network interface is enabled immediately when you check the box next
to it.
• If you use a network cable connected to a home router (which is then
connected to your DSL/cable modem), enable every LAN port(s). Express Gate
will automatically use whichever port is connected.
• The number of the LAN ports may differ from motherboards.
• If you plug the network cable into a different port while Express Gate is
running (e.g. move the cable from LAN1 to LAN2), you may need to restart
Express Gate in order for it to detect the change.
• The most common scenario is for your computer to automatically obtain
network settings (i.e. DHCP). If this is the case, you don’t need to click Setup
for any LAN port. If this is not the case, click Setup to congure the static IP
settings manually.
• If you have wireless network, click Setup for the WiFi option. In the WiFi tab of
the Advanced Network Settings box, enter the name of your wireless access
point in the SSID eld. If your wireless access point has security enabled,
select the corresponding security algorithm from the drop-down list (e.g.
WEPAUTO) in the Encryption Type eld, and enter the password.
Click OK to enable WiFi and establish the wireless connection.
• If you use a network cable connected directly to your DSL/cable modem (no
router in between), click Setup for xDSL/cable dial-up. This method is also
referred to as PPPoE. Choose whether the DSL/cable modem is connected
to your computer’s LAN port. Then enter the username and password for your
dial-up account.
Click OK to enable xDSL/cable dial-up and establish the PPPoE connection.
When PPPoE is enabled, the port it uses will automatically be unchecked and
grayed out.

Using the Online Games
Express Gate SSD introduces a Splashtop Gaming portal site, which provides
many interesting games in different categories. The game titles are updated from
time to time. Enjoying these great games is just as easy as it gets!
You have to enable the network connection to run the Online Games feature.
Search a game
See the most
popular games
See the latest games
See games in
different categories
Game list
Using the Photo Manager
Express Gate SSD provides a easy-to-use Photo Manager that allows you to
view pictures stored in your hard drive or external storage devices (such as USB
dongles, card readers, or optical disks). You can view pictures in thumbnail view;
in an enlarged view individually; in a lename/data list view; or play them in a
slideshow with background music and fancy transition effects. JPEG, GIF, BMP,
and PNG formats are supported. Refer to the on-line Help for detailed software
operation.
Shows
the image
folder(s)
found in your
hard drive
or external
devices
Shows user-
created image
album(s)
Image
control bar
View mode
selection
HelpPhoto slideshow
ASUS Express Gate supports HDDs connected to motherboard chipset-
controlled onboard SATA ports only. All onboard extended SATA ports and
external SATA ports are NOT supported.

Conguring Express Gate in BIOS Setup
Enter BIOS setup by pressing DEL key after powering on or by clicking on the
BIOS setup icon on Express Gate’s rst screen. Express Gate conguration
options are under the Tools menu.
Updating Express Gate
You may update your existing Express Gate software to new versions. New
versions of the Express Gate software will be released regularly, adding
renements or new applications. You can nd original version of the software on
the support DVD or download new versions from the ASUS support website.
To update Express Gate
1. Double-click the Express Gate setup
le to start software update.
2. A software update conrmation
dialog box appears. Click Yes to
continue.
3. The InstallShield Wizard for Express Gate appears. Click Next to continue.
4. Follow the screen instructions to complete installation.
Repairing Express Gate
In case Express Gate cannot start normally, you can repair Express Gate by
reinstalling the software or using the repairing utility.
To repair Express Gate
• Click Start > All Programs > Express
Gate > Express Gate Installer >
Repair this software.
OR
• Double click the Express Gate setup
le, choose Repair, and click Next to
continue.
BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit
ASUS EZ Flash 2
Express Gate [Enabled]
Enter OS Timer [10 Seconds]
Reset User Data [No]
Press ENTER to run
the utility to select
and update BIOS.
This utility doesn't
support :
1.NTFS format