Framework is working on a BIOS update to fix issues that have rendered some older laptops unusable.

Some owners of the Framework Laptop 13 equipped with last-gen AMD processors have encountered serious issues following a recent BIOS update that has rendered their devices inoperable on both Windows and Linux. This problematic update, version 3.20 for Ryzen 7040-series motherboards, was released in July and is still available on Framework’s website. Users have reported that their laptops freeze on the update screen after attempting to install it.

On community forums, some users indicated that Framework is providing replacement motherboards under the one-year warranty, while others with out-of-warranty devices were informed they would need to purchase new ones. A few tech-savvy individuals managed to resolve the issue using external BIOS programming tools.

In response to inquiries, Framework’s founder, Nirav Patel, stated:
> We’ve received reports of a small percentage of Framework Laptop 13 7040 Series BIOS updates resulting in non-bootable boards and are investigating the root cause of the issue. In the meantime, 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.
> In parallel to this, we’re introducing “Crisis Recovery Mode” BIOS functionality to enable a path for failed updates to be directly recoverable. Our latest Framework Desktop BIOS release includes this functionality, and we are actively bringing it to Framework Laptop 12, 13, and 16 in our upcoming BIOS release cycles for each.

When asked about the percentage of affected Laptop 13s and the timeline for the Crisis Recovery Mode, Framework’s PR representative Jim Redner confirmed it is a “small percentage” and mentioned that they aim to roll out this functionality for each product line before the end of the year.