Hello.

I recently got an Acer Aspire One 150 ZG5, a simple 9" netbook.

Since the 8GB¹ SSD hard drive doesn’t work very well, I wanted to install everything on an SD card and boot from there.

While browsing the web, I found mentions suggesting to update the BIOS to the latest version, 3309 ( Drivers & Utilities).

As you might have noticed, after extracting the archive, you’re supposed to run a small program and perform the update while the system is running.

Unfortunately, this program is an executable that requires the computer to be 100% functional (naturally).

What if I have Linux or can’t boot the computer?

Well, I was already preparing to create a “Live XP” when I found a few lines explaining how to perform the update without needing to boot an operating system.

I found this mini-guide here but I’ll include it anyway (I take no responsibility for whether it works or not: I followed it and had no problems):

Updating the BIOS will require a USB flash drive to store the BIOS information on during the update. To perform the update to the BIOS:

  1. Go here and download and extract the latest BIOS for the netbook.
  2. Rename the BIOS file from 3310.fd to zg5ia32.fd.
  3. Copy zg5ia32.fd and Flashit.exe to USB flash drive
  4. Ensure that the AC adapter is plugged in.
  5. Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port.
  6. Press and Hold down the Fn and the Esc keys together and press the power button.
  7. When the unit’s power light comes on wait a few seconds and release the Fn and Esc keys.
  8. After the keys have been released the power light will start to blink.
  9. During the BIOS update process the display will be blank.
  10. Let the unit run and after approximately 1 to 7 minutes, the unit should reboot and the BIOS will be updated.

The USB flash drive used must be formatted as FAT and should not contain other files; preferably use a branded one (SanDisk, Kingston, Verbatim) with an access LED; there shouldn’t be size issues: I used a 4GB one.

Do this because in the readme I read several interesting things (like better battery management, changes in the backlight management, etc.).

I’ve read that even in case of failed updates it’s possible to repeat the operation (thus recovering the computer), but it’s always better to do everything with maximum attention.

This guide works with the AOA-110 and AOA-150 models.

Bye!

! :) !

PS: Unfortunately, despite the update, booting via SD is not possible (it’s not enabled), so it’s better to be careful with excessive use of the SSD hard drive.

¹ Intel brand and Z-P230 model.

² Having disassembled it, I found that the left USB port is on the motherboard, while the right one is on a sort of extension of the motherboard.