Asus P5E3 Premium WiFi-AP@n: Software

This chapter describes the contents of

the support DVD that comes with the

motherboard package and the softwares.

Software

5

support

Chapter summary

5

5.1 Installing an operating system ................................................... 5-1

5.2 Support DVD information ............................................................

5-1

5.3 Software information ...................................................................

5-9

5.4

RAID congurations .................................................................. 5-42

5.5 Creating a RAID driver disk .......................................................

5-59

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n

5.1 Installing an operating system

®

This motherboard supports Windows

XP/ 64-bit XP/ Vista™ operating systems

(OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize

the features of your hardware.

• Motherboard settings and hardware options vary. Use the setup

procedures presented in this chapter for reference only. Refer to your OS

documentation for detailed information.

®

• Make sure that you install the Windows

XP Service Pack 2 or later

versions before installing the drivers for better compatibility and system

stability.

5.2 Support DVD information

The support DVD that came with the motherboard package contains the drivers,

software applications, and utilities that you can install to avail all motherboard

features.

The contents of the support DVD are subject to change at any time without

notice. Visit the ASUS website(www.asus.com) for updates.

5.2.1 Running the support DVD

Place the support DVD to the optical drive. The DVD automatically displays the

Drivers menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer.

Click an icon to

display support DVD/

motherboard information

Click an item to install

If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the support

DVD to locate the le ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN folder. Double-click the

ASSETUP.EXE to run the DVD.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-1

5.2.2 Drivers menu

The Drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed

devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices.

ASUS InstAll - Drivers Installation Wizard

Installs all of the drivers through the Installation Wizard.

Intel Chipset Inf Update Program

®

Installs the Intel

chipset Inf update program.

SoundMAX ADI1988 Audio Driver

®

Installs the SoundMAX

ADI1988 audio driver and application.

Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet Driver

Installs the Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet driver.

Realtek RTL8110SC LAN Driver

Installs the Realtek RTL8110SC LAN driver.

JMicro JMB36X RAID Controller Driver

®

Installs the JMicro

JMB36X RAID controller driver.

ASUS EPU Driver + AI Gear 3 Utility

Installs the EPU + AI Gear 3 driver.

Install this driver before the ASUS AI Suite utility.

ASUS WiFi-AP @n

Installs the ASUS WiFi-AP @n driver.

USB 2.0 Driver

Installs the USB 2.0 driver.

5-2 Chapter 5: Software support

5.2.3 Utilities menu

The Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard

supports.

Click to display

the next page

Click to return

to the previous

page

ASUS InstAll - Installation Wizard for Utilities

Installs all of the utilities through the Installation Wizard.

ASUS Update

®

The ASUS Update utility allows you to update the motherboard BIOS in Windows

environment. This utility requires an Internet connection either through a network

or an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

ASUS PC Probe II

This smart utility monitors the fan speed, CPU temperature, and system voltages,

and alerts you of any detected problems. This utility helps you keep your computer

in healthy operating condition.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-3

7. When the logo images appear on the

right window pane, select an image to

enlarge by clicking on it.

8. Adjust the boot image to your desired

size by selecting a value on the Ratio

box.

9. When the screen returns to the ASUS Update utility, ash the original BIOS to

load the new boot logo.

10. After ashing the BIOS, restart the computer to display the new boot logo

during POST.

5-10 Chapter 5: Software support

5.3.2 AI NET2

®

The AI NET2 features the Marvell

Virtual Cable Tester™ (VCT). VCT is a cable

diagnostic utility that reports LAN cable faults and shorts using the Time Domain

Reectometry (TDR) technology. The VCT detects and reports open and shorted

cables, impedance mismatches, pair swaps, pair polarity problems, and pair skew

problems of up to 64 ns at one meter accuracy.

The VCT feature reduces networking and support costs through a highly

manageable and controlled network system. This utility can be incorporated

in the network systems sofware for ideal eld support as well as development

diagnostics.

Using the Virtual Cable Tester™

®

To use the the Marvell

Virtual Cable Tester™ utility:

®

1. Launch the VCT utility from the Windows

desktop by clicking

Start

>

All

Programs

>

Marvell

>

Virtual Cable Tester

.

2. Click

Virtual Cable Tester

from the menu to display the screen below.

3. Click the

Run

button to perform a cable test.

• The VCT utility only tests Ethernet cables connected to Gigabit LAN port(s).

• The Run button on the Virtual Cable Tester™ main window is disabled if no

problem is detected on the LAN cable(s) connected to the LAN port(s).

• If you want the system to check the status of the LAN cable before entering

the OS, enable the item Post Check LAN Cable in the BIOS Setup.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-11

5.3.3 ASUS PC Probe II

PC Probe II is a utility that monitors the computer’s vital components, and detects

and alerts you of any problem with these components. PC Probe II senses fan

rotations, CPU temperature, and system voltages, among others. Because PC

Probe II is software-based, you can start monitoring your computer the moment

you turn it on. With this utility, you are assured that your computer is always at a

healthy operating condition.

Installing PC Probe II

To install PC Probe II on your computer:

1. Place the support DVD to the optical drive. The Drivers installation tab

appears if your computer has an enabled Autorun feature.

If Autorun is not enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the support

DVD to locate the setup.exe le from the ASUS PC Probe II folder. Double-click

the setup.exe le to start installation.

2. Click the Utilities tab, then click ASUS PC Probe II.

3. Follow the screen instructions to complete installation.

Launching PC Probe II

You can launch the PC Probe II right after installation or anytime from the

®

Windows

desktop.

®

To launch the PC Probe II from the Windows

desktop, click

Start > All Programs

> ASUS > PC Probe II > PC Probe II v1.xx.xx

. The PC Probe II main window

appears.

®

After launching the application, the PC Probe II icon appears in the Windows

taskbar. Click this icon to close or restore the application.

Using PC Probe II

Main window

The PC Probe II main window allows you to view the current status of your

system and change the utility

conguration. By default, the main

window displays the Preference

section. You can close or restore

the Preference section by clicking

on the triangle on the main

window right handle.

Click to close the

Preference panel

5-12 Chapter 5: Software support

Button Function

Opens the Conguration window

Opens the Report window

Opens the Desktop Management Interface window

Opens the Peripheral Component Interconnect window

Opens the Windows Management Instrumentation window

Opens the hard disk drive, memory, CPU usage window

Shows/Hides the Preference section

Minimizes the application

Closes the application

Sensor alert

When a system sensor detects a problem, the main window right handle

turns red, as the illustrations below show.

When displayed, the monitor panel for that sensor also turns red. Refer to the

Monitor panels section for details.

Preferences

You can customize the application using the

Preference section in the main window. Click

the box before each preference to activate or

deactivate.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-13

Hardware monitor panels

The hardware monitor panels display the current value of a system sensor such as

fan rotation, CPU temperature, and voltages.

The hardware monitor panels come in two display modes: hexagonal (large) and

rectangular (small). When you check the Enable Monitoring Panel option from the

Preference section, the monitor panels appear on your computer’s desktop.

Small display

Large display

Changing the monitor panels position

To change the position of the monitor panels in the desktop,

click the arrow down button of the Scheme options, then select

another position from the list box. Click OK when nished.

Moving the monitor panels

All monitor panels move together using a magnetic effect. If

you want to detach a monitor panel from

the group, click the horseshoe magnet

icon. You can now move or reposition the

panel independently.

Adjusting the sensor threshold value

You can adjust the sensor threshold

value in the monitor panel by

clicking the or buttons. You can

Click to

increase

also adjust the threshold values

value

using the Cong window.

Click to

You cannot adjust the sensor

decrease

threshold values in a small

value

monitoring panel.

5-14 Chapter 5: Software support

Monitoring sensor alert

The monitor panel turns red when a component value exceeds or is lower

than the threshold value. Refer to the illustrations below.

Small display

Large display

WMI browser

Click to display the

WMI (Windows Management

Instrumentation) browser. This

®

browser displays various Windows

management information. Click an

item from the left panel to display on

the right panel. Click the plus sign (+)

before WMI Information to display the

available information.

You can enlarge or reduce the browser size by dragging the bottom right corner

of the browser.

DMI browser

Click to display the DMI

(Desktop Management Interface)

browser. This browser displays various

desktop and system information.

Click the plus sign (+) before DMI

Information to display the available

information.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-15

PCI browser

Click to display the PCI

(Peripheral Component Interconnect)

browser. This browser provides

information on the PCI devices installed

on your system. Click the plus sign

(+) before the PCI Information item to

display available information.

Usage

The Usage browser displays real-time information on the CPU, hard disk drive

space, and memory usage. Click to display the Usage browser.

CPU usage

The CPU tab displays real-

time CPU usage in line graph

representation. If the CPU has

an enabled Hyper-Threading,

two separate line graphs display

the operation of the two logical

processors.

Hard disk drive space usage

The Hard Disk tab displays the

used and available hard disk

drive space. The left panel of the

tab lists all logical drives. Click

a hard disk drive to display the

information on the right panel.

The pie chart at the bottom of the

window represents the used (blue)

and the available HDD space.

5-16 Chapter 5: Software support

Memory usage

The Memory tab shows both

used and available physical

memory. The pie chart at the

bottom of the window represents

the used (blue) and the available

physical memory.

Conguring PC Probe II

Click to view and adjust the sensor threshold values.

The Cong window has two tabs: Sensor/Threshold and Preference. The Sensor/

Threshold tab enables you to activate the sensors or to adjust the sensor threshold

values. The Preference tab allows you to customize sensor alerts, or change the

temperature scale.

Loads the default

threshold values for

Cancels or

Loads your saved

each sensor

ignores your

conguration

changes

Applies your

Saves your

changes

conguration

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-17

5.3.4 ASUS AI Suite

ASUS AI Suite allows you to launch AI Gear 3, AI N.O.S., AI Booster, AI Nap, and

Q-Fan 2 utilities easily.

Install the ASUS EPU + AI Gear 3 Driver before the ASUS AI Suite utility.

Otherwise, the ASUS AI Suite will not function properly.

Installing AI Suite

To install AI Suite on your computer:

1. Place the support DVD to the optical drive. The Drivers installation tab

appears if your computer has an enabled Autorun feature.

2. Click the Utilities tab, then click

AI Suite.

3. Follow the screen instructions to complete installation.

Launching AI Suite

®

You can launch AI Suite right after installation or anytime from the Windows

desktop.

®

To launch AI Suite from the Windows

desktop, click Start > All Programs >

ASUS > AI Suite > AI Suite v1.xx.xx. The AI Suite main window appears.

®

After launching the application, the AI Suite icon appears in the Windows

taskbar.

Click this icon to close or restore the application.

Using AI Suite

Click the AI Gear 3, AI Nap, AI Booster, or Q-Fan 2 icon to launch the utility, or click

the Normal icon to restore the system to normal state.

Press to restore to normal

Press to launch AI Nap

Press to launch AI Gear 3

Press to launch Q-Fan 2

Press to launch AI Booster

5-18 Chapter 5: Software support

Other feature buttons

Click on right corner of the main window to open the monitor window.

Displays the CPU/

system temperature,

CPU/memory/PCIE

voltage, and CPU/

chassis fan speed

Displays the FSB/CPU

frequency

Click on right corner of the expanded window to switch the temperature from

degrees Centigrade to degrees Fahrenheit.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-19

®

5.3.10 AI Audio 2 (SoundMAX

High Denition Audio utility)

The ADI AD1988B High Denition Audio CODEC provides 8-channel audio

®

capability through the SoundMAX

audio utility with AudioESP™ software to

deliver the ultimate audio experience on your PC. The software implements high

quality audio synthesis/rendering, 3D sound positioning, and advanced voice-input

technologies.

Follow the installation wizard to install the ADI AD1988B Audio Driver from the

®

support DVD that came with the motherboard package to activate the SoundMAX

audio utility.

You must use 4-channel, 6-channel or 8-channel speakers for this setup.

®

If the SoundMAX

audio utility is correctly installed, you

®

®

will nd the SoundMAX

/ SoundMAX

BlackHawk icon

on the taskbar.

5-26 Chapter 5: Software support

A. SoundMAX BlackHawk (AI Audio 2)

®

If you are using Windows

Vista operation system, from the taskbar, double-click

®

®

the SoundMAX

BlackHawk icon to display the SoundMAX

control panel.

Enabling AI Audio 2

Click the power button to activate digital signal processing.

AI Audio 2, with the new SoundMAX BlackHawk by Sonic Focus, brings you

more multi-media enjoyment.

Fidelity Compensation

After you click the power button, the utility would compensate for the delity

lost in the compression process and make the audio output quasi-original

when reverting the compressed audio streams back to the uncompressed

condition.

Sound Field Expansion

AI Audio 2 also expands the stereophonic sound eld to a multi-channel

one with realistic front and rear environment.

Surround Virtualization

Activating this function virtualizes surround sound with the vocal clarity

added for use with stereo speakers or headphones.

®

SoundMAX BlackHawk (AI Audio 2) is only available under the Windows

Vista™ operating system.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-27

Playback Settings

To congure the playback settings, click the

Playback

button on the control

panel. You can adjust the volume of the

Speakers

and

SPDIF

Interface

or

mute the audio.

Preset settings

Click and expand the drop-down menu

to select your preferred Digital Signal

Processing (DSP) preset. Move the

sliders to customize the values of

Voice Clarity

,

Dynamics

,

Brilliance

,

and

Deep Bass

of each preset.

Click

Save

to save the changes to

the current preset. Or, click

Reset

to

discard the changes and restore the

preset to the factory defaults.

Surround settings

Allows you to change the settings

of the stereo speakers. Move the

sliders to change the listener position

or adjust the center channel volume.

Press the

Test Speakers

button to

perform speaker test.

Port settings

Click this port settings tab to display the rear panel ports conguration for

the speakers or rear panel digital port conguration for the SPDIF interface.

5-28 Chapter 5: Software support

Recording Settings

To change the recording

settings, click the

Recording

button on the control

panel. You can adjust the speaker delay of

Microphone

or

Line In

by moving

the slider rightward or leftward.

Record testing

Port settings

Click the tab to perform test

Click the tab to display the rear

recording and play the test sample

panel ports for Microphone or

through the speakers or the SPDIF

Line In.

interface.

ANDREA settings

Allows you to select an

enhanced microphone input

features, including

No Filtering

,

Speakerphone

, V

oice Recording

,

and

Directional Beam

.

More Settings

Click for the further congurations.

Equalizer

Allows you to congure and customize all the DSP presets frequencies.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-29

Speakers

Allows you to adjust the

Speaker Trim

and

Speaker Delay

.

Bass

Allows you to do the Bass management.

Preferences

Displays the preference options for this utility, version information,

AudioESP, etc.

5-30 Chapter 5: Software support

B. SoundMAX

®

If you are using Windows

XP operating system,from the taskbar, double-click on

®

®

the SoundMAX

icon to display the SoundMAX

Control Panel.

Audio Setup Wizard

®

By clicking the icon from the SoundMAX

control panel, you can easily

congure your audio settings. Simply follow succeeding screen instructions

and begin enjoying High Denition Audio.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-31

Jack configuration

Adjust speaker volume

This screen helps you congure

This screen helps you adjust

your computer’s audio ports,

speaker volume. Click the

Test

depending on the audio devices

button to hear the changes you

you have installed.

have made.

Adjust microphone volume

This screen helps you adjust microphone volume. You will be asked to read

pre-written text to allow the AudioWizard to adjust the volume as you speak.

5-32 Chapter 5: Software support

Audio preferences

Click the icon to go to the Preferences page. This page allows you to

change various audio settings.

General options

Click the General tab to choose your playback and recording devices, enable/

disable the AudioESP™ feature, and enable/disable digital output.

Listening Environment options

Click the Listening Environment tab to set up your speaker, acoustic

environment, and enable/disable the Virtual Theater Surround function.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-33

Microphone options

Click the Microphone tab to optimize your microphone input settings.

Enhanced Microphone Features

Voice recording

Enables Noise Filter function. Detects repetitive and stationary noises

like computer fans, air conditioners, and other background noises then

eliminates it in the incoming audio stream while recording. You can enable

it for a better recording quality.

Directional Array

Receives only the sound coming from the reception cone and eliminates

interferences including neighboring speakers and reverberations. You can

enable it to transit clearer sound during on-line games, MSN, or Skype.

Speaker Phone

Advanced de-reverberation techniques can help to reduce echo and

minimize its effect on the speech engine. You can enable it when you have

conference call to reduce echoes in the other side.

• The Directional Array and Speaker

Phonefunction only when working with the

ASUS Array Mic.

• The ASUS Array Mic is purchased

separately.

• If you are using Windows Vista, you have to

manually enable the directional Array and

Speaker Phone function. Go to

Control

panel

>

Sound

. Click the

Recording

tab on

the top and select

Microphone

. Click the

Microphone Enhancement

tab and check

Array Mic

.

5-34 Chapter 5: Software support

5.3.11 ASUS Express Gate

ASUS Express Gate is an instant-on environment that gives you quick access to

web and Skype. 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 applications.

Express Gate is entirely self-contained on the motherboard, so you can use it at

any time, even without a hard drive attached!

The First Screen

Express Gate’s rst screen appears within a few seconds after you power on. 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, which can be adjusted in the

BIOS. Refer to page 5-40 for more details. 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.

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 applications. 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 application icon. Re-size a

window by dragging any of its four corners. Move a window by dragging its title bar.

ASUS P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP @n 5-35