Can you boot grub2 with it?
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Hacking Express gate (Asus Splashtop)
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Originally posted by Kano View PostCan you boot grub2 with it?
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Stboot will work with Grub2. If you already have Grub 2 installed on your machine, open up a terminal and run this command from within Linux:
Code:dd if=/dev/sdX of=/tmp/sda-mbr.bin bs=512 count=1
This command copies your current Master Boot Record (MBR).
From there, extract Stboot and open its containing folder. You should see a file called "bootsec.bin" which contains a Grub 1 installation which Stboot uses by default. Open up a file browser window and navigate to wherever you backed up your MBR (located at /tmp/sda-mbr.bin if you didn't alter the command) and copy the backup file "sda-mbr.bin" to the Stboot folder, then rename it to "bootsec.bin", replacing the original file. Then open up a terminal window and run the command:
Code:yasm -o CEFULL stboot.S
If all goes as planned Yasm will give you a new CEFULL file, which you then need to put into a new folder called "stboot", and then put that folder onto your hidden ASUS partition (might be different depending on your laptop model/manufacturer). To gain access to the hidden the partition where Splashtop resides run:
Code:sudo fdisk -l
First make a new directory where the drive will be mounted:
Code:sudo mkdir /mnt/HiddenPartition
Code:sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/HiddenPartition
Copy the "splash.idx" file (included inside the Stboot folder) & the stboot folder with the new CEFULL file inside onto the newly mounted partition. With any luck you should now be greeted with Grub 2 when you press your Quickboot button to start up your computer. :-)
In my tinkering with it, I could not however configure Grub 2 to start up correctly. I had to resort to using the default loader, Grub4Dos, to boot up Linux. It took a while to figure out but I got it to work by configuring the menu.lst file to be this:
Code:default 0 timeout 0 color black/black black/black title Ubuntu insmod part_msdos insmod ext2 set root=(hd1,msdos7) search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set c862fc36-83a2-4a61-862a-e3fe00dd25c1 kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-28-generic root=UUID=c862fc36-83a2-4a61-862a-e3fe00dd25c1 ro initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-28-generic
(Notice I used all black as the color scheme to avoid grub popping up at all while booting up.)
It was odd to see hd1 would work as a location for Grub4Dos to look, seeing as how I only have one hard drive and Grub4Dos is based on Legacy Grub which uses a numbering system that begins with 0 where Grub2 begins numbering at 1. I guess Grub4Dos is just weird like that.
Hope this post helps.
-DreadHawk
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First thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread... great info and nice tools here.
I just wanted to share what I do to edit files on my p6x58d's 512MB ssd.
At first I was starting ExpressGateUpdater.exe in windows and begin to update. Once it got to 100% backing up user data I would mount the drive in my VM of Ubuntu.
After a bit of that I decided it wasn't always fool proof enough. So I made a little .bat to start the updater pause long enough to let the ssd get mounted then force close the updater before it ejects the device.
Code:START ExpressGateUpdater.exe dir ping 127.0.0.1 -n 5 > nul taskkill /im ExpressGateUpdater.exe /f /fi "WINDOWTITLE eq Express Gate Updater"
My hdd is slow so I need to wait about 5 seconds.
After that I just go to disk management and assign it a drive letter. This way instead of flashing it with a new .DFI for one little change I can just have it mounted in windows in about 10 seconds and just drag/drop my changed files and reboot.
Thanks again for the great thread/info guys.
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Hi everyone!
I'm also using a Asus Express Gate on Asus N52-DA (N61 MoBo),but in versions lower than 2.0 (so without "Cloud"). I can't using Express Gate Cloud, because it dosent't install (it shows install manager and "install" but, there is no files on a hide partition). I've got this log from an installation:================================================
OnBegin: Begin
Installation Version is 2.6.32.207
OnBegin: Date = 7-7-2012, Time = 13:57:38
getBootWay: Begin
getBootWay: Boot by BIOS
CheckDVMEG1: Begin
CheckDVMEG1: check key SoftwareASUS ExpressGate
CheckDVMEG1: check DVM EG1 PROD_GUID
CheckDVMEG1: check ASUS.SYS
CheckDir: Begin
CheckDir: ASUS.SYS
CheckDir: szCkDirCMD is --drive 0 --partition 1 --checkfile ASUS.SYS
CheckDir: The ASUS.SYS dir isn't found!
CheckDir: End
CheckDVMEG1: check ASUS.000
CheckDir: Begin
CheckDir: ASUS.000
CheckDir: szCkDirCMD is --drive 0 --partition 1 --checkfile ASUS.000
CheckDir: The ASUS.000 dir isn't found!
CheckDir: End
CheckDVMEG1: End
RemoveASUSV1: Begin
RemoveASUSV1: No exist ASUS V1.0!
RemoveASUSV1: End
OnBegin: End
OnFirstUIBefore: Begin
OnFirstUIBefore : Normal Install
Initialization: Begin
CheckDiskRemainSize: Begin
CheckDiskRemainSize: Drive Letter is C:\
CheckDiskRemainSize: Drive free space kilobytes = 40071012
CheckDiskRemainSize: Disk Drive free size : 40071012 KB more then default 3145728 KB.
CheckDiskRemainSize: End
InitMapOfProductToVGA
InitMapOfProductToVGA : End
DMI_check: Check GetManufacturerInfo tool if exists
DMI_check: Launch GetManufacturerInfo tool
DMI_check: BIOS.INFO is Found.
DMI_check: Manufacturer Name = ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
DMI_check: Product Name = N61Da
TargetMatch: Begin
TargetMatch: Match ASUS!
TargetMatchASUS: Begin
RecoveryPartition: Begin
RecoveryPartition: End
SearchTargetPartition: Search all Type options is 1C,17. Now, the TYPE Partition is 1C
CheckPartition_All: 1C
CheckPartition_All: Select Disk 0
CheckPartition: 1C
CheckPartition: Disk Number = 0
CheckPartition: Success to get Partition List
CheckPartition: Success to open Partition List
CheckPartition: svLine =
CheckPartition: svLine = Microsoft DiskPart wersja 6.1.7601
CheckPartition: svLine = Copyright (C) 1999-2008 Microsoft Corporation.
CheckPartition: svLine = Na komputerze: ASUS-N52DA
CheckPartition: svLine =
CheckPartition: svLine = Obecnie wybranym dyskiem jest dysk 0.
CheckPartition: svLine =
CheckPartition: svLine = Partycja ### Typ Rozmiar Przesuni?cie
CheckPartition: svLine = ------------- ---------------- ------- ------------
CheckPartition: svLine = Partycja 1 Podstawowy 19 GB 31 KB
CheckPartition: ListGetFirstString : svToken = Partycja
CheckPartition: ListGetNextString : svToken = 1
CheckPartition: Success to open ckHidePartition.Exist
CheckPartition: svLine = Typ : 1C
svToken = Typ
svToken = :
svToken = 1C
CheckPartition: Check old EGC on hidden partition
CleanDir: Begin
CleanDir: ExpressGate
CheckDir: Begin
CheckDir: ExpressGate
CheckDir: szCkDirCMD is --drive 0 --partition 1 --checkfile ExpressGate
CheckDir: The ExpressGate dir isn't found!
CheckDir: End
CleanDir: End
CleanDir: Begin
CleanDir: ExpressGateUtil
CheckDir: Begin
CheckDir: ExpressGateUtil
CheckDir: szCkDirCMD is --drive 0 --partition 1 --checkfile ExpressGateUtil
CheckDir: The ExpressGateUtil dir isn't found!
CheckDir: End
CleanDir: End
CheckPartition: Check hidden partition 1C size...
CheckPartition: Find the 1C hidden partition!!
CheckPartition_All: Disk Number is 0
CheckPartition_All: Partition type 1C is found!
SearchTargetPartition: Find the Type Partition is 1C
TargetMatchASUS: Find OEMGROUP_ASUS_NB and get the Type Partition :1C,17
TargetMatchASUS: End
TargetMatch: End
Initialization: cache_svTargDisk is 0 cache_svTargParti is 1
SelectFeature: Do nothing!
Initialization: End
OnFirstUIBefore: End
OnMoving: Begin
INSTALLDIR=C:\Windows\IVG.TMP\
OnMoving: End
OnMoved: Do nothing!
OnFirstUIAfter: Begin
OnFirstUIAfter: Install WIM files....
SetupWIM: Begin
SetupWIM: cache_svTargDisk is 0 cache_svTargParti is 1
DiskToolCopy: Begin
DiskToolCopy: szCMD is --drive 0 --partition 1 --copy C:\Windows\IVG.TMP\ExpressGate ExpressGate
DiskToolCopy: The directed dir is copyed successfully!
DiskToolCopy: End
DiskToolCopy: Begin
DiskToolCopy: szCMD is --drive 0 --partition 1 --copy C:\Windows\IVG.TMP\ExpressGateUtil ExpressGateUtil
DiskToolCopy: The directed dir is copyed successfully!
DiskToolCopy: End
SetupWIM: End
OnFirstUIAfter: Install Windows Service
SetupWindowsUtil: Now is Install Mode...
C:\ExpressGateUtil\VAWinService.exe exists...
C:\ExpressGateUtil\VAWinService.exe install success
C:\ExpressGateUtil\VAWinAgent.exe exists...
C:\ExpressGateUtil\VAWinAgent.exe install success
GetWinBootUpForSingleBtn: Begin
GetWinBootUpForSingleBtn: sCommand=/c "C:\Windows\IVG.TMP\OS Switch.exe" --getboot > C:\Users\Grisza\AppData\Local\Temp\BootUpVal.txt
GetWinBootUpForSingleBtn: Start to process BootUpVal.txt
GetWinBootUpForSingleBtn: Success to open: C:\Users\Grisza\AppData\Local\Temp\BootUpVal.txt
GetWinBootUpForSingleBtn: Get the Boot up setting is -1
GetWinBootUpForSingleBtn: End to process BootUpVal.txt
GetWinBootUpForSingleBtn: End
IsEFMBRBootType: Begin
IsEFMBRBootType: nBootType=1 && g_nBootType=-1
IsEFMBRBootType: End
IsEFMBRBootType: Begin
IsEFMBRBootType: nBootType=0 && g_nBootType=-1
IsEFMBRBootType: End
OnFirstUIAfter: Setting registry key
OnFirstUIAfter: Create Uninstall ShortCut
OnFirstUIAfter: Normal Install
Reboot if needed
OnFirstUIAfter: End
OnEnd: Begin
OnEnd: Clean installed temp folder
OnEnd: End
================================================
So I tried to update a Flash Player in Express Gate, I used a squashfs tool to do that. Simply I unpacked a .sqx file with Flash Player (version 10.x), downloaded the newest version, unpucked, copied new files, made a .sqx, putted it into proper folder (asus.sys) and it won't work. It shows me an information that inslataion is incomplete.
Please tell me what I have to do, to make it work with new Flash Player? I know that I have to install it, but how can I do on unworking system?
It would be nice if I could use a Terminal in Express Gate, but how can I turn on it, and how to start this (normally it's ctr+T).
I'm not using Ubuntu everyday, I've installed it a few days ago so I need instructions 'step by step' how to update applications on Express Gate.
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Most likely you did not cut the file with the checksums/update the checksum for that sqx. Also the squashfs version must be the same, you can check it with file. But basically the time for splashtop/expressgate is over. You do not even read one word about it on their own homepage, only splashtop2 which is now a streaming app for mobile devices and has got nothing to do with the mini linux system. Best get an ssd - then you can boot a full linux system within less than 30s from powerup - forget splashtop/express gate.
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I think you're right.
But what about Express Gate Cloud developed by VideAce? It's up to date, but it won't install on my laptop I think it is beacuse this system is for a memory chip on motherboard which I don't have.
Can you recommend a system which I could install like Express Gate to be allowed boot this from special button for Express Gate? If something like this doesn't exist, maybe there is smthg which I can install like EG and run from GRUB2?
Thanks
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I think you're right.
But what about Express Gate Cloud developed by VideAce? It's up to date, but it won't install on my laptop I think it is beacuse this system is for a memory chip on motherboard which I don't have.
Can you recommend a system which I could install like Express Gate to be allowed boot this from special button for Express Gate? If something like this doesn't exist, maybe there is smthg which I can install like EG and run from GRUB2?
Thanks
Comment
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I think you're right.
But what about Express Gate Cloud developed by VideAce? It's up to date, but it won't install on my laptop I think it is beacuse this system is for a memory chip on motherboard which I don't have.
Can you recommend a system which I could install like Express Gate to be allowed boot this from special button for Express Gate? If something like this doesn't exist, maybe there is smthg which I can install like EG and run from GRUB2?
Thanks
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