who told you that you need Windows to update that BIOS? I just grabbed the bios update from
http://support.acer-euro.com/drivers...k/as_3610.html (first link in a google search), and the BIOS updating script, although needlessly overcomplicated, claims to work in DOS. That said, there is not much in the updates - 1.08 changed the logo and the way the logo was shown, 1.09 rolls back 1.08 and just changed the logo.
As for acpi juggling: I'll leave that for someone else. I have never done much of that myself.