Take the 2-minute tour ×

The BIOS update for the Acer Aspire 4820TG is distributed as a zip file, containing a Windows executable and a DOS executable.

How do I get this installed under Ubuntu without resorting to installing Windows?

The files I intend to install are located on thispage.

share|improve this question
a windows driver on linux? , nope..never and what does this firmware do? what is suppose to update? –  Uri Herrera May 25 '11 at 21:27
I've just clarified the question. I want to update the BIOS of the laptop from v1.15 to v1.25. –  CadentOrange May 25 '11 at 21:55
In the end, I took the easy way out of booting into Windows and running the firmware update. I just wasn't confident enough in the supplied FreeDOS method and didn't want to risk bricking my laptop. –  CadentOrange May 26 '11 at 0:03

1 Answer 1

up vote 1 down vote accepted

Yes it is possible to update the BIOS without installing windows.

UbuntuForums has an excellent tutorial which you should consult.

Since it looks like Acer does not have a linux friendly way of updating the BIOS, then use the FreeDOS method described in the tutorial together with the DOS BIOS exe that Acer supply.

share|improve this answer
Yes, you either need to use FreeDOS to run their DOS flash utility, or check and see if the bios has a built in utility to flash itself. Many motherboards these days can do that if you point them to the file on a cd or usb flash stick. –  psusi May 25 '11 at 22:59

Your Answer


