Asus Express Gate

Express Gate just allows you to access stuff before your OS loads. Chat is one of the "features" of express gate, and they call it Pidgen. It's not a way of talking to your computer, it's just another chat app... so if you want to chat, you'll need an actual person on the other end... which is why you didn't get a reply for 20 min.

First you must understand what Express Gate is: a mini (basic) OS that has a few features such as email, a web brower, chat and Skype, that you can access, "in 5 seconds of hitting the power button". That's the draw: 5 seconds after hitting the power button.

If you want to use Express Gate (since you already have a fully functional and very versatile OS I don't know why you would?), then you have to let Express Gate install what it needs to function; it needs to load. If you can wait the full 20 seconds for your regular OS to load, then Express Gate becomes a pointless gimmick.

It "may" be useful in certain rare situations? For example, if your hard drive dies and the replacement hasn't arrived yet, and you just have to finish that chat session... voila, problem solved... Express Gate.

No, Asus is not bundling viruses into its software.

The additional software included with your MOBO is written as ROM, its included by ASUS to enhance the hardware. It will not infect the OS because you can utilise it while the MOBO is running in POST. Chat programs are a personal taste that one decides to use.

HD, ExpressGate is essentially a stripped down Linux written in a flash memory somewhere in your mainboard, and the BIOS programmers put some hot key in the BIOS so that you can load that stripped down Linux in few seconds. As for what does it installs, you need to make a picture of the request dialog so that we all can see... And there is no virus that's capable of infecting your ExpressGate OS...

zzz2496

Fumz said:

First you must understand what Express Gate is: a mini (basic) OS that has a few features such as email, a web brower, chat and Skype, that you can access, "in 5 seconds of hitting the power button". That's the draw: 5 seconds after hitting the power button.

If you want to use Express Gate (since you already have a fully functional and very versatile OS I don't know why you would?), then you have to let Express Gate install what it needs to function; it needs to load. If you can wait the full 20 seconds for your regular OS to load, then Express Gate becomes a pointless gimmick.

It "may" be useful in certain rare situations? For example, if your hard drive dies and the replacement hasn't arrived yet, and you just have to finish that chat session... voila, problem solved... Express Gate.

No, Asus is not bundling viruses into its software.

I agree and to add, there are some points:

Express Gate can also be uninstalled from within Windows (edit:Correction)

Express Gate was added years ago. This was due to the current (years ago) startup times. It would usually take up to a minute to load the OS on the "regular" computers you would buy in stores. These usually had less RAM than they should and Slower CPU's than they should (but whatever). Now the difference from 5 seconds to 20 seconds is not a big jump and EG has less appeal.
{I have it on my comp, but dont use it because my computer starts up fast enough for me. Your computer might take longer to start up or you may want to preserve battery life by not loading windows to check email while at the airport. There are reasons it is good...}

Pidgen is a Chat GUI that uses your accounts from multiple chat providers like yahoo, AIM, MSN messenger, google chat etc. this allows one interface to all of your chat accounts which is easier to put into Express Gate than all of the listed services above.

I understand that you would be suspicious of the program trying to download into this OS. If you want, a good way of finding out is to write down all the information on what is trying to load and post it here and search google. If we see anything suspicious, we can root out the program and verify whether or not it is safe.