Framework BIOS update is bricking some Ryzen 7040 laptops, company offers motherboard replacements
Framework has acknowledged reports of failed BIOS updates on the Framework Laptop 13 with AMD Ryzen 7040 processors. According to the company, a small percentage of updates have resulted in motherboards that no longer boot. Framework says it is investigating the root cause.
The reports are associated with BIOS 3.20, which Framework released as a stable update in June. The firmware adds support for Framework Laptop 13 Pro components including the haptic touchpad, touch panel and larger battery. It also updates AMD PhoenixPI and includes several fixes and security updates. Framework still lists BIOS 3.20 as the latest release for Ryzen 7040 systems.
In a company statement, Framework said it has “ received reports of a small percentage of Framework Laptop 13 7040 Series BIOS updates resulting in non-bootable boards.” Framework is investigating the root cause of the issue, the statement said.
Framework’s statement to Ars says “ … in addition to replacing in-warranty Mainboards, we are making exceptions for out-of-warranty replacements where we can confirm a stable-release BIOS update caused the board to become non-bootable.”
Framework is also introducing a “ Crisis Recovery Mode ” BIOS functionality to enable a path for failed updates to be directly recoverable.
— ArsTechnika
Some updates stop at the firmware progress screen
Several Framework community members have reported the update becoming stuck during installation. One Ryzen 7 7840U owner reported that an update from BIOS 3.18 to 3.20 stopped at the second progress indicator. Other users have described similar failures that left their systems unable to boot normally.
© Framework Some users have managed to recover affected boards using external programmers and direct BIOS flashing. One community member recovered a board after a failed 3.18-to-3.20 update using a hardware programmer. This is not the normal recovery procedure and requires direct access to the firmware chip.
© Framework Forums Framework says it normally replaces affected motherboards that are still under warranty. The company is also making exceptions for out-of-warranty systems when support can confirm that a stable BIOS release caused the motherboard to become non-bootable. The exact number of affected systems has not been disclosed. It only needed a bit of a push from media, I guess.
Sources: Ars Technica
