Framework BIOS Update Turns AMD-Chip Laptops into Bricks

Some owners of Framework Laptop 13 units with last-generation AMD processors have found that a recent BIOS update knocks their laptops out of commission — on both Windows and Linux. The version in question is 3.20 for the Ryzen 7040-series mainboards, released back in July and, as of publication, still available for download on the company's site. According to those affected, installing the update leaves the device permanently hung on the firmware screen.

On the Framework community forums, users describe an uneven response from the manufacturer. Those whose one-year warranty was still in effect were sent new replacement boards. Owners of boards with expired warranties, however, were initially told simply to buy a new one. The most technically adept solved the problem themselves — using an external programmer to reflash the BIOS.

What Framework promises

Company founder Nirav Patel confirmed to The Verge that a “small percentage” of updates on the 7040-series boards result in an inability to boot, and that the cause is currently being investigated. According to him, beyond replacing boards under warranty, Framework is prepared to make exceptions for out-of-warranty devices too — in cases where it can be confirmed that a board was “killed” specifically by the official stable BIOS update.

At the same time, the company is introducing a feature called Crisis Recovery Mode — an emergency recovery mode that will make it possible to roll back failed updates directly. It is already present in the latest BIOS for the Framework Desktop, and in upcoming update cycles the plan is to add it to the Framework Laptop 12, 13, and 16 as well.

Asked by The Verge exactly what share of Laptop 13 units were affected and when to expect the recovery mode, Framework PR representative Jim Redner again repeated the “small percentage” phrasing and clarified that the company hopes to have the new feature available for each product line by the end of the year.

For a brand that built its reputation on repairability and openness, the episode sounds especially awkward: a device the user is supposedly meant to be able to fix themselves ends up bricked after a routine update. That said, the willingness to replace even out-of-warranty boards and the plans for emergency recovery show that the company is trying to draw lessons from the incident.

Source: The Verge