Acer Aspire One BIOS Update

[Keith Wapshott]

Hi,

I have an Acer Aspire One netbook with Ubuntu netbook remix as the OS

The problem I have is that my battery will not charge, Acers response to this is that I need a BIOS update which rectifies this problem

The problem I have is that the BIOS updates that are available only seem to be for windows os

My Acer Aspire One originally had linpus as its OS

I am not sure how to proceed from here, I need a BIOS update but I can not find any for linux/ubuntu on the Acer website.

Any help or guidance will be gratefully received.

Regards,

Keith

[coldReactive]

You'll have to install windows onto your aspire one to do a BIOS update. It is extremely unrecommended for you to use WINE to perform a BIOS Update.

Honestly, I can't see why computer companies dropped support for flashing a new BIOS from a floppy disk.

[warreno]

With the Aspire One, there is no floppy at all; you'd have to use a USB floppy drive to flash the BIOS. The drive would probably cost at least twice what the netbook did. That said, USB thumb drive support would be a nice addition.

There might be a workaround to this problem, though: Discharge the battery completely, if you haven't, Keith. Run it flat into the ground. I mean every time the system goes into suspend, hit the power button again to force every last erg of juice out of the battery until nothing happens at all. Then try charging it again.

I don't think there's a LiveCD of Windows XP out there, so using that to flash your BIOS may not be possible either.

I have an Aspire One myself, FWIW, but this issue hasn't come up for me … yet.

[coldReactive]

The drive would probably cost at least twice what the netbook did.

Netbooks are a little over 200 USD around here (alone, I don't like getting them with network plans). You can't expect a USB floppy drive to get even over 20 USD (I paid 15 USD for mine.)

[Keith Wapshott]

The battery is as flat as a pancake

It just will not charge

Acer issued a BIOS upgrade that supposedly address this problem, the only problem is that it is in windows format only.

And that is a real PITA, they supply this netbook with a Linux OS as well so why do they only provide a windows based BIOS update?

[warreno]

<snip>
That was a reply to my suggestion about forcing the battery to discharge totally.

Keith, I just Googled this page that seems to talk about your very problem and seems to present a fix, albeit a sort of bass-ackward workaround kind of fix. But it seems to be targeted specifically at Linux users.

Hope this helps; do let us know.

[warreno]

Netbooks are a little over 200 USD around here (alone, I don't like getting them with network plans). You can't expect a USB floppy drive to get even over 20 USD (I paid 15 USD for mine.)

Wow, you got a bargain on the drive, but not on the netbook. Still, good to know.

[kixome]

there is an xp live cd, though I don't know if it loads all dlls and such, dont know if it would work but I do have it (its called super pe) if you need a copy then msg me

[Aearenda]

The Linux BIOS upgrade method shown here has always worked for me.

[warreno]

The Linux BIOS upgrade method shown here has always worked for me.

Huh, that seems a lot like the other one I found, though a bit less slangy and from-the-hip. Nice.

Keith, any luck with this other method?