Acer Aspire One Update BIOS Using Linux

How I updated my Acer Aspire One netbook BIOS using Linux/Ubuntu 9.04.

Following these instructions could render your netbook unusable! Follow at your own risk.

Quick Summary (detailed instructions below)

1) Use Unetbootin to create a FreeDOS bootable USB stick.
2) copy the downloaded BIOS update and BAT script on to the stick (unzip the BIOS download, and then go to the sub folder BIOS_ACER_3310_Windows_AOA110 & AOA150/Dos_Flash, and copy the files 3310.BAT, 3310.fd and FLASHIT.EXE to the USB stick).
3) Boot the Aspire One from the USB stick - choose "Default" and then "Safe Mode".
4) At the Dos prompt go to the b: drive (i.e. type "b:", without quotes, and hit enter)  and run the  the 3310.BAT script (i.e. type 3319.BAT, without the quotes, and hit enter) - job done!

Required Downloads

IMPORTANT: Download the correct BIOS update for your model from the Acer website
Service and Support > Driver Download > Netbooks > Aspire One > Model - Then the BIOS tab

Download Unetbootin for Linux:  http://sourceforge.net/projects/unetbootin/files/UNetbootin/372/unetbootin-linux-372/download

Download FreeDOS image ISO: http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.0/fdbasecd.iso

Detailed Instructions

Download the FreeDOS iso file to your desktop, from the link above. We'll come back to this in a moment.

Unetbootin is a great tool for creating bootable USB sticks, we're going to use it to create a FreeDOS bootable USB stick. Download the Linux version (from the link above) on to your destop. Right click on the downloaded Unetbootin file, go to Properties > Permissions and check the "Allow executing file as program" check box. Close the properties window. Double click on the Unetbootin (you should be asked for your password), and Unetbootin should start up.

In  Unetbootin there are a number options - choose "Diskimage", next to the ISO drop down box. Next to the the Text Input bo, there is a "browse for file" button, click this and select the earlier downloaded FreeDOS iso file. Select the correct USB drive, and click "OK".

Once the bootable FreeDOS  USB stick has been created, copy the downloaded BIOS update and BAT script on to the stick. To do this, unzip the BIOS download, and then go to the sub folder BIOS_ACER_3310_Windows_AOA110 & AOA150/Dos_Flash, and copy the files 3310.BAT, 3310.fd and FLASHIT.EXE to the USB stick.

Once the USB stick in ready, insert it into one of the USB ports on the Aspire One. Turn on the Aspire One and press the f12 key. Choose to boot from the USB stick. Once booted, hit enter and then select "Safe Mode".  At the FreeDOS prompt (a:) go to the b: drive (i.e. type "b:", without quotes, and hit enter)  and run the  the 3310.BAT script (i.e. type 3319.BAT, without the quotes, and hit enter).

Wait for the BIOS to update - do not interrupt this process.

My Acer Aspire One (AOA110-Ab, Model No: ZG5) BIOS
Latest BIOS Version at time of writting: 3310 (size 2.7 MB)
Release date: 2009/08/05

Fix Network Printing Problem with Synology DS207+ and HP1018 Printer

The HP LaserJet 1018 printer would not print via the Synology DS207+ as a network printer if the printer had been turned off and on again. I found that I had to connect the printer directly to a computer running Windows (in this case Windows XP) as a USB printer,  and print something, and then reconnect the printer to the DS207+ before my Ubuntu computer computers could use the HP1018 as a network printer. It looks like this is because the printer needs firmware "uploaded" each time it is turned on and this happens via the Windows printing process. After some hunting about (and this post maybe premature as I have only just "fixed" the problem) it looks like the solution is to update the Synology so that each time the printer is plugged it uploads the firmware. Here I will outline the step that I followed to accomplish this so that the printer should always work as a network printer for computers running the GNU/Linux/Ubuntu operating system. Briefly the steps are, gaining telnet access to the DS207+, downloading and copying 2 files to the DS207+. Most of the information I found at this forum post... http://www.synology.at/enu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=12718&sid=133792242a5c43c98348c4961947d545#p54476

Telnet access

Get the telnet patch from here http://download.synology.com/download/telnet/EnableTelnet.zip and follow the sysnology instructions for installing the patch http://www.synology.com/enu/support/releaseNote/telnet.php Basically through theDS207+ management HTML interface, go to firmware and select the newly downloaded and unzipped patch file, and then wait for the DS207+ to restart.

To access the DS207+ via telnet, open up a terminal in Ubuntu - Applications>Accessories>Terminal and type

telnet [IP address of the DS207+]
(In my case this was 192.168.2.2)

Then type the user name

root

and the admin password used for accessing the management interface.

Downloading and copying the files across to the DS207+

Ok... so far so good, we have a telnet session going on the DS207+

Now, download the 2 files needed from here

http://cid-94d5e7d028973aa5.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/usb.agent
http://cid-94d5e7d028973aa5.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/sihp1018.dl

I then copied these via samba/the network/Nautilus, to a shared folder I had set-up on the DS207+ called shared

Then, back to the terminal and time to copy the files from their shared location on the DS207+ to the location that they need to be on the DS207, i.e. copying the files from where I dropped them across the network into the correct place on the DS207+ operating system.

So I needed to get root access on the DS207+, first of back in the terminal windows type...

su

then...

ls

to list all the folder. Then...

cd  volume1/shared

Then

ls

again to make sure the files I copied there, are indeed there... they were! To copy the file to where they need to be type...

cp usb.agent /usr/syno/hotplug/

and then...

cp sihp1018.dl /usr/syno/hotplug/firmware/

Now reboot the DS207+ and the printer should always work with Ubuntu as a network printer.

Who was it that said something like... "I'm sorry I have written you such a long note but I don't have time to write a short one"!!! This is just to help me remember what I have done and what resources I have used, so if you are reading this I'm, sorry if it does not makes sense...