In 2023, I was in need of a new laptop that should hopefully last me for a
while. While looking at my options, I was seduced by Framework’s promise of a
repairable and upgradable laptop that supports Linux out-of-the-box without
weird driver issues, as well as the option to assemble the laptop
myself1and buy the RAM and SSD I want separately2, back when
they were cheap.
For three years, the laptop has served me well, until Framework suggested via
newsletter to install the latest BIOS3update, version 3.20, with a bunch
of security fixes. Unfortunately, the system hung and displayed a corrupt image
on the screen, signifying a failed BIOS flash.
Naturally, I reached out to Framework support, who told me to unplug the laptop,
let the battery drain, and power it back on again afterwards, hoping the laptop
would recover by itself. Unfortunately, it never did, and after giving Framework
a bunch of information, they informed me that since my 1-year warranty has
expired, I have no option but to purchase a new Framework motherboard, which
will cost at least CA$500.
A quick search revealed that many people had issues with BIOS flashes with this
specific BIOS update onthe Framework forums, even those in
warranty, and ona different thread, people have been having
similar issues with BIOS flashing in general on this model since at least March
of 2025. To my knowledge, Framework has never acknowledged the issue or offered
any indication that the problem was fixed, so buying a new motherboard would
simply be playing Russian roulette if I ever wanted to update the BIOS again, on
top of spending CA$500+ through no fault of my own.
Thus, I opted against buying a new motherboard and embarked upon a journey to
flash the BIOS myself. I documented this journey in excruciating detail so that
hopefully, by following along, you’ll understand exactly how you might fix
similar problems.
In 2023, my basic requirement for a laptop was as follows:
As such, my options are effectively limited to the 13” thin-and-light laptops
without a discrete GPU. At the time, AMD Ryzen was ahead of Intel in the
performance department, so I decided to go for an AMD CPU.
There were a plethora of 13” thin-and-light AMD Ryzen laptops that fit the bill,
but since I didn’t need the new laptop right away, I figured I might as well try
something new.
At the time, Framework was a relative newcomer on the laptop scene, promising a
repairable and upgradable experience, along with swappable ports. I rather liked
the idea of not being locked to the ports that the manufacturer decided to put
onto the laptop, and I wanted more upgradability also. It definitely helped that
Linux came with full first-party support and no requirement to run patched
kernels or anything crazy like that.
Furthermore, Framework was a very big proponent of theright to repair
movement, and I strongly believe that laptops should be repairable, like
desktops, and not just thrown away after a minor problem, so I also wanted to
support them on that front.
So I looked at the price premium for Framework, and it wasn’t actually that much
more expensive once I opted for the DIY edition, sourced my own RAM and SSD, and
skipped the pointless Windows licence. With another laptop brand, I would have
to either buy the model with the lowest RAM and SSD and upgrade it to the
32 GiB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD that I wanted, or pay a premium for the
manufacturer to put those in.
So I decided to just go for it and pre-ordered a Framework laptop, and it
finally arrived a few months later to much anticipation. I simply slotted in the
RAM and SSD, connected the input cover, screwed it in, installed the bezels, and
that was it. It honestly felt a bit anti-climactic for a DIY laptop. I then put
in a Debian netinst USB drive, and I was off to the races.