Asus SSD Application Manual

ASUS Express Gate SSD

ASUS Express Gate SSD is an instant-on environment that gives you quick access
to web, Skype, and viewing your pictures. Within a few seconds of powering on
your computer, you will be at the Express Gate SSD menu where you can start the
web browser, Skype, or other Express Gate applications.

• ASUS Express Gate supports SATA devices in

• ASUS Express Gate supports HDDs or ODDs connected to

chipset-controlled onboard SATA ports

ports and external SATA ports are NOT supported. See chapter 2 for the
exact location of onboard SATA ports.

IDE or SATA mode

only. All onboard extended SATA

only.

motherboard

The First Screen

Express Gate SSD’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 SSD 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 SSD Environment

The very rst time you enter the Express

Gate SSD environment (by launching

either web or Skype from the rst screen),
a rst time wizard will guide you through
basic Express Gate SSD congurations.
Basic congurations include language,

date and time and screen resolution.

Once inside the Express Gate SSD 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.

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

Using the Conguration Panel

Use the conguration panel to change various Express Gate SSD settings.

Click on an icon to open a particular conguration tool. The following tools are

available:

•

Date and Time

•

Input Language

•

Language and Keyboard

•

LaunchBar Settings

auto-hides, etc.)

•

Network

network ports that you may use. LAN(s) refer to the RJ-45 network port(s) on
your computer.

: set current date and time as well as time zone.

: choose your preferred input language and method.

: choose your language and keyboard preferences.

: customize your LaunchBar (where it docks, whether it

: Specify how your computer connects to the Internet. Enable all the

• 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
SSD 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 SSD 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 SSD

environment after clearing its settings.

•

Screen Settings

•

Volume Control

: Choose the most optimal screen resolution for your display.

: 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 SSD 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

Accesses the

Starts the

Starts the

Start the

Photo Manager

Chat

Skype

Online Games

instant messaging tool.

software, which lets you call other people on Skype

for quick access to the World Wide Web.

feature of Express Gate SSD.

album / organizer tool.

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 right­click on its icon and then select

to force it to close.

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 (if supported).

Click to show “About Express Gate SSD”.

Click to open Express Gate SSD 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

Check to save

user prole

Cancel and return to

Express Gate SSD

Restart

How Do I Get on to the Internet

If Internet doesn’t seem to be working in the Express Gate SSD 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
SSD 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 SSD is
running (e.g. move the cable from LAN1 to LAN2), you may need to restart
Express Gate SSD 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
for any LAN port. If this is not the case, click

to congure the static IP

Setup

Setup

settings manually.

• If you have wireless network, click
the

Advanced Network Settings

point in the

eld. If your wireless access point has security enabled,

SSID

Setup

box, enter the name of your wireless access

for the WiFi option. In the

WiFi

tab of

select the corresponding security algorithm from the drop-down list (e.g.
WEPAUTO) in the

Click

to enable WiFi and establish the wireless connection.

OK

Encryption Type

eld, and enter the password.

• If you use a network cable connected directly to your DSL/cable modem (no
router in between), click

for xDSL/cable dial-up. This method is also

Setup

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

to enable xDSL/cable dial-up and establish the PPPoE connection.

OK

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

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.

portal site, which provides

See the latest games

See the most

popular games

Search a game

See games in

different categories

Game list

Using the Photo Manager

Express Gate SSD provides a easy-to-use

Photo Manager

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 user­created image

album(s)

that allows you to

HelpPhoto slideshow

View mode
selection

ASUS Express Gate supports HDDs connected to

controlled onboard SATA ports

only. All onboard extended SATA ports and

motherboard chipset-

external SATA ports are NOT supported.

Image
control bar

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 Tools conguration menu page. See page 4-35 for details.

Main Ai Tweaker Advanced Power Boot Tools Exit

ASUS EZ Flash 2

Express Gate [Enabled]
Enter OS Timer [10 Seconds]
Reset User Data [10]

ASUS O.C. Prole

BIOS SETUP UTILITY

Press ENTER to run
the utility to select
and update BIOS.
This utility doesn't
support :

1.NTFS format

Express Gate Updater

Use the Express Gate Updater to update your existing Express Gate software to
new versions or to restore the Express Gate software if it is ever corrupted. You

can nd Express Gate Updater Installer on the support DVD or download it from

the ASUS support website. It runs on Windows.
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.
Express Gate software is released as an image le with .DFI extension.

To install the Express Gate Updater, launch the installer and follow on-screen
prompts.

To use the Express Gate Updater, launch the application and follow on-screen
prompts.

The Updater can preserve your Express Gate settings and personal data (web
browser bookmarks, etc.) while doing an update. Use the checkbox “Keep user

prole” to decide whether the Updater should do so.

Clearing the user data is useful in the rare case where corrupt settings prevent the
Express Gate environment from launching properly.

The rst time wizard will run again when you enter the Express Gate

environment after clearing its settings.