Nitro 5 AN515-42 : Question to Acer... driver/bios update whitepaper/timeplan?(AN515-42)

C3lv1c3
C3lv1c3 Member Posts: 48 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
edited November 2023 in 2019 Archives
Hello, I want to ask this question directly to the Acer support.
Do you have any Timeplan or overview when we get a fixed BIOS Update to get Linux working with the AN515-42 and when we can expect a update for the AMD Drivers?
I need this information as fast as possible when we can expect this 2 things... in 1 month or 6 month? Any statement?

Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    This is a peer2peer ACER users group, not ACER service representatives. We can try to help you install a Linux distro with the latest available BIOS firmware and drivers. What distro are you trying to install. Jack E/NJ 

    Jack E/NJ

  • C3lv1c3
    C3lv1c3 Member Posts: 48 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Ok than sorry for asking... I can install linux but I have to manually edit GRUB EVERYTIME because Acer Firmware Bug... extremely annoying so I wonder when they release a fixed BIOS...
  • vkk
    vkk Member Posts: 82 Fixer WiFi Icon
    edited February 2019
    JackE said:
    This is a peer2peer ACER users group, not ACER service representatives. We can try to help you install a Linux distro with the latest available BIOS firmware and drivers. What distro are you trying to install. Jack E/NJ 
    Many users like C3lv1c3 and me have have the same query about drivers and BIOS updates  . What would the best place to post this query ? Acers online customer support seems to be non existent 
  • Poull
    Poull Member Posts: 2 New User
    edited February 2019
    Who knows when will be upgrade to Adrenailne 2019 for Nitro 5 AN515-42?
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    C3lv1c3 >>>I can install linux but I have to manually edit GRUB EVERYTIME because Acer Firmware Bug>>>vkk

    Please explain. What firmware 'bug'? Was your AN515-42 a factory-delivered Win10 or Linux distro machine. If Windows, in some cases, you must actually enter, not simply try to select, grubxxx.efi into BIOS security section from the keyboard. If this is not the 'bug' that you're referring to then please describe the 'bug' in a bit more detail.

    vkk What specific questions do you have about drivers & BIOS updates? You can find the latest downloadable Windows ACER-flavored drivers and BIOS updates AN515-42 here https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7605?b=1

    Poull Like the rest of us, check https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7605?b=1 for updates on a regular basis. We have no advance knowledge of if and when AMD or ACER will release radeon updates

    Jack E/NJ






    Jack E/NJ

  • C3lv1c3
    C3lv1c3 Member Posts: 48 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    JackE said:
    C3lv1c3 >>>I can install linux but I have to manually edit GRUB EVERYTIME because Acer Firmware Bug>>>vkk

    Please explain. What firmware 'bug'? Was your AN515-42 a factory-delivered Win10 or Linux distro machine. If Windows, in some cases, you must actually enter, not simply try to select, grubxxx.efi into BIOS security section from the keyboard. If this is not the 'bug' that you're referring to then please describe the 'bug' in a bit more detail.

    vkk What specific questions do you have about drivers & BIOS updates? You can find the latest downloadable Windows ACER-flavored drivers and BIOS updates AN515-42 here https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7605?b=1

    Poull Like the rest of us, check https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7605?b=1 for updates on a regular basis. We have no advance knowledge of if and when AMD or ACER will release radeon updates

    Jack E/NJ






    This thread explains it. https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/555251/unable-to-install-ubuntu-in-my-nitro-an512-42

    ->Not only ubuntu, all linux distributions get Firmware Bug.

    "ACPI error : [MACO] namespace failure, AE_ALREADY_EXIST
    ....
    ....
    [Firmware Bug] : AMD Vi :IOAPIC [4] not in IVRIS  table
    [Firmware Bug] : AMD Vi :IOAPIC [5] not in IVRIS  table
    [Firmware Bug] : AMD Vi : No southbridge IOAPIC found
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    edited February 2019
    C3lv1c3 >>>Worked for linux mint... doesn't work on fedora. Also linux mint feels very slow, any tutorial how to install the amd-drivers on the nitro 5 (beginner friendly)? >>>

    I run Mint alongside Win10 set up with the about same look & feel  a Win7 machine only faster. If your AN515-42 was factory delivered as a Win10 machine, don't expect a firmware update to accomodate all distros. If you're having specific issues with the AMD platform and need beginner-friendly suggestions on how to speed things up in Mint, I suggest you join the Mint forums if you haven't already and try to get a fellow with the handle ALTAIR4 on your case. He seems to have about the best direct no nonsense approach to solving issues like this of any of the Mint wizards and dignitaries on those forums. I'm so impressed with Cinnamon-flavored Mint that I rarely use Win10 any more. Good luck. Jack E/NJ

    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/598047/#Comment_598047


    Jack E/NJ

  • vkk
    vkk Member Posts: 82 Fixer WiFi Icon
    JackE said:
    C3lv1c3 >>>I can install linux but I have to manually edit GRUB EVERYTIME because Acer Firmware Bug>>>vkk

    Please explain. What firmware 'bug'? Was your AN515-42 a factory-delivered Win10 or Linux distro machine. If Windows, in some cases, you must actually enter, not simply try to select, grubxxx.efi into BIOS security section from the keyboard. If this is not the 'bug' that you're referring to then please describe the 'bug' in a bit more detail.

    vkk What specific questions do you have about drivers & BIOS updates? You can find the latest downloadable Windows ACER-flavored drivers and BIOS updates AN515-42 here https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7605?b=1

    Poull Like the rest of us, check https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7605?b=1 for updates on a regular basis. We have no advance knowledge of if and when AMD or ACER will release radeon updates

    Jack E/NJ






    Hi @JackE
     This thread  https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/555251/unable-to-install-ubuntu-in-my-nitro-an512-42 does carry some useful tips, but its  not complete .In the sense power management doesn't work properly  ; so sleep &  hibernate didn't work  when I tried with a live ubuntu image .And  laptop seems to run hotter . Also getting the GPU & track pad  to work  seemed tedious . Hence  the need for fixed BIOS from Acer.

     Meanwhile since you got  Mint working may be you  could share the options you tweaked  .  I guess same  should work on other distro's 
    Cheers,VK
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    vkk

    There were no tweaks necessary with installing Mint Cinnamon alongside Windows10 on my ACER laptop. Everything works --- some devices better than Win10 and some devices not as good as Win10.
    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/598047/#Comment_598047

    But you must understand that your ACER BIOS hardware and firmware as well as its peripheral device hardware & drivers are specifically designed for the ACER-flavored version of Win10, not Linux. Accordingly, any BIOS firmware fixes necessary would be expected to specifically address fixing issues while operating under Win10, not Linux.

    Jack E/NJ




    Jack E/NJ

  • vkk
    vkk Member Posts: 82 Fixer WiFi Icon
    edited February 2019
    JackE said:
    vkk

    There were no tweaks necessary with installing Mint Cinnamon alongside Windows10 on my ACER laptop. Everything works --- some devices better than Win10 and some devices not as good as Win10. https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/598047/#Comment_598047

    But you must understand that your ACER BIOS hardware and firmware as well as its peripheral device hardware & drivers are specifically designed for the ACER-flavored version of Win10, not Linux. Accordingly, any BIOS firmware fixes necessary would be expected to specifically address fixing issues while operating under Win10, not Linux.

    Jack E/NJ




    Just to confirm do you have this model AN515-42  ? I had to modify grub with acpi=noirq pci=noacpi ivrs_ioapic[4]=00:14.0 ivrs_ioapic[5]=00:00.2 on Ubuntu live to get it just to boot(  without touchpad  working) .And since Mint is basically a Ubuntu based distro I would have assumed it needs the same treatement ?!  What version of Mint are you using ?

    Apparently DELL laptops with the same APU seem to be handle both Windows & Linux .  
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    Cinnamon 18.3. Grub bootloaders are notoriously quirky. My touchpad only moves the mouse pointer around if I moisten my fingers. Taps work only intermittently and not  reliably. Keyboard doesn't work. Only my plain vanilla Logitech mouse navigates the Mint Grub version without a problem. But once Cinnamon loads all the input devices seem to work as well as Win10. Jack E/NJ 

    Jack E/NJ

  • vkk
    vkk Member Posts: 82 Fixer WiFi Icon
    edited February 2019
    JackE said:
    Cinnamon 18.3. Grub bootloaders are notoriously quirky. My touchpad only moves the mouse pointer around if I moisten my fingers. Taps work only intermittently and not  reliably. Keyboard doesn't work. Only my plain vanilla Logitech mouse navigates the Mint Grub version without a problem. But once Cinnamon loads all the input devices seem to work as well as Win10. Jack E/NJ 
    What grub settings did you use ?  Did you change any other BIOS or Linux options  ?  Pl share as much as possible 
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,330 Trailblazer
    This link shows the entire Mint installation process. https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/598047/#Comment_598047
    Other than saving a supervisor password in order to change security settings, and actually entering the grubx64.efi from the keyboard (selecting/highlighting didn't take), it was fairly straightforward. Perhaps the Mint installers are more refined than some others. Jack E/NJ



    Jack E/NJ