Fixing a Bricked Framework Laptop

In 2023, I was successful request of a caller laptop that should hopefully past maine for a while. While looking astatine my options, I was seduced by Framework’s committedness of a repairable and upgradable laptop that supports Linux out-of-the-box without weird driver issues, arsenic good arsenic the action to combine the laptop myself1 and bargain the RAM and SSD I want separately2, backmost when they were cheap.

For 3 years, the laptop has served maine well, until Framework suggested via newsletter to instal the latest BIOS3 update, type 3.20, pinch a bunch of information fixes. Unfortunately, the strategy hung and displayed a corrupt image on the screen, signifying a grounded BIOS flash.

Naturally, I reached retired to Framework support, who told maine to unplug the laptop, let the artillery drain, and powerfulness it backmost connected again afterwards, hoping the laptop would retrieve by itself. Unfortunately, it ne'er did, and aft giving Framework a bunch of information, they informed maine that since my 1-year warranty has expired, I person nary action but to acquisition a caller Framework motherboard, which will costs astatine slightest CA$500.

A speedy hunt revealed that galore group had issues pinch BIOS flashes pinch this specific BIOS update connected the Framework forums, moreover those in warranty, and connected a different thread, group person been having similar issues pinch BIOS flashing successful wide connected this exemplary since astatine slightest March of 2025. To my knowledge, Framework has ne'er acknowledged the rumor aliases offered any denotation that the problem was fixed, truthful buying a caller motherboard would simply beryllium playing Russian roulette if I ever wanted to update the BIOS again, on top of spending CA$500+ done nary responsibility of my own.

Thus, I opted against buying a caller motherboard and embarked upon a travel to flash the BIOS myself. I documented this travel successful excruciating item truthful that hopefully, by pursuing along, you’ll understand precisely really you mightiness fix similar problems.

Table of Contents

1. Why Framework?
2. The fatal BIOS flash
3. Reaching retired to support
4. Troubleshooting connected my own
5. The BIOS chip
6. The flash programmer
7. Purchasing the tools
8. Response from Framework
9. The information breach
10. Extracting the BIOS image
11. Delivery of the tools
12. Connecting the chip
13. Executing the flash
14. Consequences of flashing
15. Conclusion

Why Framework?

In 2023, my basal request for a laptop was arsenic follows:

1. Compatible pinch Linux;
2. Small and ray capable for travel;
3. A modular US keyboard layout, not that horrible Canadian Multilingual Standard layout that’s someway very communal successful Canada4;
4. A modern CPU, but not needfully ace precocious halfway count, arsenic I don’t intend to do intensive compiling aliases gaming while travelling; and
5. Socketed RAM and SSD, truthful I tin upgrade those down the line, aliases bargain from a third statement if it made financial sense. I wanted to commencement it astatine 32 GiB of RAM5 and 1 TB of SSD6, since those were reasonably affordable successful 2023.

As such, my options are efficaciously constricted to the 13” thin-and-light laptops without a discrete GPU. At the time, AMD Ryzen was up of Intel successful the performance department, truthful I decided to spell for an AMD CPU.

There were a plethora of 13” thin-and-light AMD Ryzen laptops that fresh the bill, but since I didn’t request the caller laptop correct away, I figured I mightiness arsenic good try something new.

At the time, Framework was a comparative newcomer connected the laptop scene, promising a repairable and upgradable experience, on pinch swappable ports. I alternatively liked the thought of not being locked to the ports that the shaper decided to put onto the laptop, and I wanted much upgradability also. It decidedly helped that Linux came pinch afloat first-party support and nary request to tally patched kernels aliases thing crazy for illustration that.

Furthermore, Framework was a very large proponent of the right to repair movement, and I powerfully judge that laptops should beryllium repairable, like desktops, and not conscionable thrown distant aft a insignificant problem, truthful I besides wanted to support them connected that front.

So I looked astatine the value premium for Framework, and it wasn’t really that much more costly erstwhile I opted for the DIY edition, originated my ain RAM and SSD, and skipped the pointless Windows licence. With different laptop brand, I would have to either bargain the exemplary pinch the lowest RAM and SSD and upgrade it to the 32 GiB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD that I wanted, aliases salary a premium for the manufacturer to put those in.

So I decided to conscionable spell for it and pre-ordered a Framework laptop, and it finally arrived a fewer months later to overmuch anticipation. I simply slotted successful the RAM and SSD, connected the input cover, screwed it in, installed the bezels, and that was it. It honestly felt a spot anti-climactic for a DIY laptop. I past put in a Debian netinst USB drive, and I was disconnected to the races.

For the adjacent 3 years, I really had a comparatively bully experience, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7640U pinch Radeon 760M Graphics was still plentifulness accelerated for what I needed the laptop to do. There was decidedly nary request to upgrade, though I could, successful theory.

The fatal BIOS flash

For the longest time, Framework appeared to beryllium a very consumer-friendly company, providing regular BIOS updates and an easy measurement to instal them connected Linux through the Linux Vendor Firmware Service (LVFS) and fwupd. In fact, I am subscribed to Framework’s newsletter, which informs maine of immoderate updates coming out.

I’ve done galore BIOS updates connected Framework done fwupdmgr update, and prevention for the annoyance of rebooting the laptop and waiting for illustration 10 minutes for the BIOS updater to decorativeness flashing, thing bad has ever happened.

On July 7th, 2026, Framework sent maine the pursuing email:

From: Framework <[email protected]>
Subject: Software update for your Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series) - BIOS 3.20

We person a BIOS update for your Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series). We urge ever installing the latest type of BIOS and drivers to keep your strategy secure, stable, and moving astatine precocious performance.

• BIOS 3.20, pinch updaters for Windows and Linux
  • Added support for Framework Laptop 13 Pro features - Enabled compatibility for the haptic touchpad, touch panel, and 74W battery.
  • Updated the audio verb array to support the caller speakers successful the Framework Laptop 13 Pro chassis.
  • Updated AMD PhoenixPI-FP8-FP7_1.2.0.0f.
  • Fixed an rumor wherever the strategy was incapable to footwear from partially locked self-encrypting drives (SEDs).
  • Fixed an rumor wherever the Battery Extender position was reported incorrectly following a reboot, hibernation, aliases shutdown aft the timer had expired.
  • Fixed an rumor wherever the strategy boots pinch achromatic surface erstwhile a Dell U2725QE show and a rodent were connected.
  • Supported 16bits postcode.
  • Fixed an rumor wherever strategy audio measurement was little connected 3.19 beta.
  • Security fixes
    • CVE-2025-54502 - CVSS people N/A.
    • CVE-2025-29949 - CVSS people N/A.
    • CVE-2025-0040 - CVSS people N/A.
    • CVE-2024-36355 - CVSS people N/A.
    • CVE-2024-36310 - CVSS people N/A.

You tin study really to cheque your existent BIOS version, spot the afloat specifications on the updates, and ever get entree to the latest package connected the Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series) downloads page.

However, I suspected that flashing a BIOS correct distant mightiness not beryllium a bully idea, given the imaginable for bugs, truthful I decided to hold for a bit. I figured that if there were problems, either a caller update would beryllium released, aliases the update would be pulled. Seeing neither, I yet decided to do a speedy flash successful the morning of August 5th, while I cooked breakfast.

However, erstwhile I came back, I saw this screen, and instantly knew thing had gone horribly wrong:

Framework BIOS flasher showing a triangle and diagonal patterns it’s not expected to show7

Given that the BIOS flasher was stuck and astir apt rendering random worldly from memory to the screen, I person nary prime but to reason that the BIOS flash had failed.

Still, I near the laptop for a fewer hours, conscionable successful lawsuit it decided to recover. It never did.

Reaching retired to support

Naturally, I reached retired to Framework support, hoping for a speedy consequence and a solution to my problem:

Subject: Stuck connected BIOS Update
Support Request Category: Problem pinch my Framework Product
Was your Framework Product Delivered wrong the past 30 days?: No it wasn’t
Product: Framework Laptop 13
Framework Laptop 13 Generation: AMD Ryzen 7040 Series
Operating System: Linux
Linux Distribution: Debian 12 [typo, should person been 13]
BIOS: 3.20
Order number: [redacted]
Product Issue Selection: Mainboard
Description: I tried to update the BIOS pinch fwupdmgr update, and upon reboot, the strategy is stuck successful this weird authorities and not making immoderate advancement for over an hr astatine this point. It’s not displaying properly, spot picture. What do I do now?

I’ve besides attached that image of the surface above.

Support did not respond until 1 time and 8 hours later.

Troubleshooting connected my own

In the meantime, I figured that letting the machine hang indefinitely—especially pinch the CPU instrumentality spinning loudly—wasn’t the champion idea, so I decided to do immoderate research. It wasn’t very agelong earlier I came crossed this thread, pinch a bunch of group having the aforesaid problem doing the same update to BIOS 3.20 from 3.18, conscionable for illustration I did, though I saw a slightly different screen.

Users connected the thread who were nether warranty reported getting their motherboard replaced, while those retired of warranty reported Framework offering zero help. This was very concerning to me.

Seeing connected that thread that support recommended that group successful a similar situation unplug the charger and fto the artillery drain until the laptop eventually powers off, I did precisely that, while diving deeper connected the forums to see what was successful shop for my future.

I past came crossed this different thread, wherein the forum user @cesfahani, who saw the nonstop aforesaid surface I did, elaborate really they utilized their Raspberry Pi and soldering skills to flash the BIOS spot externally. While I could do immoderate basal soldering, arsenic seen when I built my stratum 1 NTP server8, I was not prepared to solder mini wires to a mini BIOS chip.

It soon became evident to maine that if BIOS flashing connected Framework fails and it doesn’t automatically retrieve by itself, location was no betterment system short of externally programming the BIOS chip. This was shocking connected a product advertised arsenic “repairable.”

I couldn’t thief but retrieve my first PC, secondhand arsenic it was, pinch the 2004-vintage P4P800 SE motherboard. I still retrieve reference the manual from beforehand to back, arsenic an excited kid pinch zero desire to break my very first PC. Even the 22-year-old motherboard had the ASUS “CrashFree BIOS 2” feature, which was advertised to hole a bad flash without resorting to specified crazy manual methods. I’d simply person to put successful a floppy disk9 aliases a CD pinch a BIOS image named P4P800SE.ROM aft a bad flash, and it would automatically recover. Yet, present I americium decades later, dealing pinch a “repairable” laptop without specified a feature.

I besides wondered whether specified a point was circumstantial to laptops, truthful I did a quick search connected whether the brands that I didn’t take backmost then, for illustration Dell and HP, supported specified betterment features. For example, Dell laptops could recover the BIOS from USB aliases the betterment partition aft holding down Ctrl+Esc while plugging successful the power, and HP laptops have a akin “HP Sure Start” characteristic that recovers the BIOS. So Framework is actually doing worse than their “not-repairable” competitors connected this front.

Fortunately, reference further down the thread offered a glimmer of hope: Instead of soldering mini wires to the spot connected a Raspberry Pi, forum user @moparisthebest revealed that I could usage thing called “pogo pins” connected to a USB flash programmer to do the occupation without immoderate soldering. Even further down the thread, users @David_Henry and @Richard6 reported success doing thing similar.

The BIOS chip

Before we spell immoderate further, it is important that we first understand the BIOS chip that we are dealing with. Otherwise, talks of flashing it would conscionable beryllium a confusing messiness of jargon, which was my acquisition erstwhile first reference the thread.

The flash spot successful mobility is located to the correct of the M.2 slot, hidden under a integrative cover, and it looks for illustration this (rotated 90° clockwise to make the label upright):

The BIOS spot successful question, pinch the M.2 slot for scale

As you tin see, this is simply a Winbond 25R256JWEQ chip. I recovered the datasheet for the W25Q256JW series, and discovered the full bid to beryllium 1.8 V, 256 M-bit (i.e. 32 MiB) SPI flash chips. It will beryllium very important to find a BIOS image for this motherboard that is precisely 32 MiB, past flash it astatine precisely 1.8 V to debar destroying it.

What’s SPI? It’s a de facto modular called the Serial Peripheral Interface, commonly utilized successful embedded systems for connection between integrated circuits. This modular is why the Raspberry Pi could talk to and flash the chip, arsenic could galore microcontrollers.

There are respective variants of the W25Q256JW chip, differentiated by shape factor:

• the P variant, which is an 8-pad, WSON 6×5 mm chip;
• the E variant, which is an 8-pad, WSON 8×6 mm chip;
• the F variant, which is simply a 16-pin SOIC 300-mil chip; and
• the B and C variants, which are shot grid array chips.

We person the E version here, which intends it’s a WSON 8×6 mm chip. From the datasheet, we tin spot its schematic:

Pinout schematic for Winbond 25R256JWEQ chip

It’s besides very important to statement the achromatic dot connected the top-left area of the chip, arsenic shown successful the image and connected the pinout schematic. That dot is placed next to pin 1 of the chip, allowing it to beryllium oriented. Very bad things will happen if you rotate the spot the different measurement and link VCC to GND instead.

Now, you mightiness wonder: what’s a WSON? It’s short for Very, Very-thin Small Outline No-lead, a shape facet for chips. I conjecture VVSON sounded silly, truthful they called it WSON. It’s beautiful overmuch the worst shape facet for outer flashing.

If Framework had utilized the SOIC (small outline integrated circuit) shape factor instead, it would person been imaginable to clamp onto the spot and flash it that way, but the WSON shape facet has fundamentally thing to clamp onto. Instead, we can either:

1. try to desolder the chip, which requires a basking aerial station, arsenic there’s a big ground pad underneath the WSON spot for which a soldering robust wouldn’t work; or
2. program it in-circuit (without desoldering) by utilizing a probe pinch “pogo pins,” which are spring-loaded pins.

A pogo pin probe consists of a portion of integrative pinch an indent precisely the size of a WSON chip. Around the indent are spring-loaded pins that spell done the plastic. To usage the pogo pin probe, the integrative should look downwards, and the chip should fresh into the indent. Then, downward unit tin beryllium applied truthful that the pins spell done the integrative and make interaction pinch the solder balls. This downward unit must beryllium maintained for the full long of the flash operation, aliases information will beryllium corrupted.

On the BIOS flashing thread, users person utilized various dense objects to maintain contact while the flash happens. Unfortunately, I don’t person random heavy ceramic objects lying astir astatine home, truthful realistically I’d person to clasp down the pogo pins manually. This makes it imperative that the flashing hap quickly, and you shall spot the consequences of that later.

Also announcement the achromatic lines astir the BIOS chip? That is called a “silkscreen” in PCB terminology, and marks positions wherever components could beryllium mounted. Judging from the shape, the motherboard could person been soldered pinch a socket for a replaceable BIOS chip, and past to hole the laptop, I could person either:

1. bought a caller spot pinch the correct BIOS from Framework; or
2. taken the spot retired and put it into a flasher without utilizing janky mechanisms like pogo pins.

However, erstwhile again, the “repairable” laptop institution has chosen to adjacent disconnected an avenue of repair.

Furthermore, location is intelligibly abstraction connected the committee for a flash header connected to the BIOS chip, and I could person simply connected to that pinch a bunch of jump wires (sometimes called “DuPont” wires) alternatively of utilizing pogo pins. There was also capable vertical clearance owed to the tallness of the M.2 slot. Again, Framework chose the user-hostile option.

The flash programmer

Now that we understand the BIOS spot and that we must link to it pinch a pogo pin probe, it’s clip to talk astir what we request to talk to the spot and program it.

Since we wanted thing bully and integrated, it makes consciousness to get a flash programmer that useful complete USB. There are respective celebrated options for this, each with their ain advantages and disadvantages. I will spell done immoderate of them here.

The CH341A mini programmer

This is astir apt the astir celebrated action and what astir group connected that Framework forum thread used. It is very inexpensive connected AliExpress and costs US$3 connected its ain at the clip of writing, truthful it’s a very affordable option. The CH341A spot itself works astatine 3.3 V and 5 V, truthful to usage it for 1.8 V devices for illustration the Winbond 25R256JWEQ, we request to usage a 1.8 V level shifter.

Unfortunately, arsenic forum personification @jim_m noted connected the thread, the inexpensive CH341A mini programmers, particularly those pinch achromatic PCBs, person issues pinch voltages connected the data pins. While they would powerfulness the spot (or the level shifter) astatine 3.3 V, the information pins stay astatine 5 V, which is not very bully for the wellness of anything connected to it. However, galore different users reported nary problems with it. To settee this statement erstwhile and for all, I decided to bid 1 for myself and trial it out, fixed really inexpensive it is.

When it arrived, I plugged it into my multimeter, pursuing the instructions from this blog, which contained instructions for fixing this issue without soldering, arsenic good arsenic checking whether the problem exists and whether it is fixed:

Multimeter measuring the voltage of MOSI and MISO pins connected the CH341A mini programmer, which are expected to beryllium 3.3 V

Well, I conjecture it is existent that the achromatic PCB variants are problematic.

It is believed that the variants of the CH341A pinch a voltage switch betwixt 5 V, 3.3 V, 2.5 V, and 1.8 V do not person this bug. The aforesaid video claims that the 1.8 V level shifter would displacement the 5 V connected information pins to 1.8 V anyway, but I don’t cognize if I spot that or whether that is bully for the wellness of the level shifter.

I opted against experimenting further owed to the different awesome disadvantage of the CH341A, that being its speed. From the datasheet of the Winbond 25R256JW series, we tin spot that it runs astatine a maximum of 133 MHz for the SPI clock. However, the CH341A, according to resources recovered online, tin only do up to 1.7 MHz, if not slower. People connected the forum thread reported that it took astir 5 minutes to read, and another 5 minutes to constitute the 32 MiB BIOS chip. I certainly have zero volition of holding down the pogo pin probe for that long.

The CH347 “high-speed” programmer

The CH347 is simply a newer programmer that’s the belief successor to the CH341A. With a 15 MHz SPI clock, it tin programme chips overmuch faster than the CH341A. The socket connected the programmer is expected to beryllium compatible pinch the CH341A and serve as a drop-in replacement. Unfortunately, archiving for it is scarce. Still, I was capable to portion together that it was a 3.3 V device.10

After it arrived, I was capable to corroborate that it was sending 3.3 V connected the data pins, dissimilar the CH341A:

Multimeter measuring MOSI and MISO connected the CH347 Programmer, showing the expected 3.3 V connected information pins

That surely inspires a batch much confidence. With its faster flash speed, I also wouldn’t person to clasp down the pogo pins for arsenic long, which is simply a triumph successful my book. This is the programmer I intended to usage for the project.

The XGecu T48

A personification connected the thread reported occurrence pinch the XGecu T48 programmer. However, after seeing the value tag of complete $100, I instantly decided it was too expensive for this repair.

Armed pinch knowledge of what I needed, and not holding my activity for Framework to hole my system, I decided to conscionable bid the parts connected AliExpress, since it’d take a while to arrive. Ultimately, I chose to bargain the pursuing parts:

• A afloat group of the CH341A programmer positive tools for illustration the 1.8 V level shifter, clips, and different devices for immoderate flashing needs I might person successful the early for US$7.59 (listing contains an action for conscionable the level shifter);
• A CH347 programmer for US$4.99;
• A WSON8 6×8mm pogo pin probe for US$7.83.

This costs a expansive full of US$20.41. Note that to execute this price, I had to buy immoderate other, unrelated items that I was readying to bargain anyway.

Also statement that I bought the CH341A to spot whether the caller achromatic ones still have the voltage bug; it’s not thing really needed for this project. I probably would person saved immoderate money by only buying the level shifter, which is the only part I really needed from the CH341A kit. It’s disposable connected the aforesaid listing for US$2.23 astatine the clip of writing. Still, I figured the remainder mightiness travel in handy immoderate different day.

Also statement that I didn’t request the laptop urgently, which was why I was consenting to save a subordinate ordering connected AliExpress, knowing it would return 1–2 weeks to deliver. If you request to hole your laptop urgently, possibly Amazon Prime same-day shipping would much tempting, though it would people costs more.

Response from Framework

After I did each this research, Framework yet responded to me, telling maine to unplug the charger and fto the artillery drain, past effort booting again—which was exactly what I did earlier, and the laptop wouldn’t move on. My laptop was officially “bricked” astatine this point—as in, it’s efficaciously a very expensive brick.

So I told Framework this, and they asked for a bunch of accusation and offered some much troubleshooting steps. Here are my responses:

Which BIOS type were you connected & which type were you updating to? (Example: Was connected BIOS 3.09 updating to BIOS 3.18)

I don’t remember, but I judge I was connected 3.18. I cognize it was updating to 3.20.

Was the BIOS type you were updating to successful Alpha, Beta, aliases Stable release? (If downloading from our Knowledgebase, it is simply a Stable release. If from our Community Forum, it should opportunity which merchandise it is successful the title)

This would beryllium the unchangeable BIOS, though it was downloaded from LVFS.

What Blink Codes is your instrumentality showing erstwhile attempting to powerfulness connected your device? (If this could beryllium video recorded and shared pinch us, it would be greatly appreciated)

A video has been attached (blink.mp4), shrunk down to 144p to prevention space. To my eyes, it’s 12 greenish flashes, 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue, 1 green, 2 blue, 8 green, 2 blue.

Can you please stock a image pinch america of the Front of the Mainboard?

See mainboard.jpg

Can you nonstop america a photograph of the laptop showing each sides while the lid is closed (left, right, top, bottom, front, and back)? See the image beneath for reference.

See different jpg attachments.

For troubleshooting:

1. Disconnect the strategy from AC power.
2. CAREFULLY disconnect the artillery and time off it disconnected for 30 minutes for the champion chance of recovery.
3. CAREFULLY reconnect the battery.
4. Reconnect AC power.
5. Attempt to footwear the system.

I did this. No change, aforesaid ray pattern.

I will not reproduce the attachments here, but suffice to say, the laptop looked fine physically.

Framework past responded connected 2026-08-07 astatine 05:49 EDT:

Thank you for your consequence and for sending the photos. We admit it.

After a thorough reappraisal of this rumor and the photos/videos submitted, we’ve come to the conclusion that location is simply a request to switch the Mainboard.

Unfortunately, we are incapable to supply a replacement arsenic your warranty has already ended.

We propose purchasing a replacement successful the Marketplace.

You tin cheque our Warranty and Terms of Sale below.

Framework Warranty - https://frame.work/warranty Framework Terms of Sale - https://frame.work/terms-of-sale

We cognize that this is simply a spot disappointing, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

If there’s thing other that we tin assistance you with, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thanks for your understanding. Have a awesome day!
Regards,
Framework Support

So basically, aft being encouraged to update the BIOS by Framework, Framework told maine that because my warranty has expired, I person nary different option but to propulsion distant the full motherboard, including the perfectly moving but soldered CPU, and bargain a replacement for complete $500 connected their store.

How does it make consciousness that immoderate bad information connected a BIOS spot that retails for US$5 should unit maine to bargain a full caller committee and CPU for $500+? Especially erstwhile this happened arsenic a consequence of Framework’s ain instruction? Especially erstwhile galore users have complained connected the Framework charismatic forums without thing being done to stop further instances of bricking?

Worst of all, Framework didn’t connection immoderate thief successful attempting a repair myself, not documentation, not a schematic, not moreover a earthy BIOS image for maine to effort to flash externally. So overmuch for correct to repair…

The information breach

To adhd reproach to injury, I besides received the pursuing email from Framework during my relationship pinch support:

Well, I conjecture Framework astatine slightest disclosed this information incident alternatively of covering it up, which is simply a bully thing? But past again, the regulators will be very upset if they recovered retired it happened and wasn’t disclosed…

Still, I was very disappointed that Framework chose to entrust sensitive information to a third-party who evidently couldn’t support the information safe. To have it hap astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic my costly laptop getting bricked is just rubbing brackish successful the wound. Words cannot picture really disappointed I americium at Framework correct now.

As a sidenote, Framework stated that costs accusation wasn’t breached. Most people mightiness respire a sigh of relief, but that shouldn’t beryllium the case. Since I paid pinch a in installments card, moreover if Framework leaked my afloat in installments card number11, my liability for immoderate fraudulent transactions that happened arsenic a result of this breach would beryllium zero. All I’d request to do was telephone the credit card company, and they’d springiness maine a caller card. The alternatively much annoying things that they breached that I couldn’t easy alteration are telephone numbers and addresses, unless I consciousness for illustration moving… To Framework’s credit, they stated it as a matter of truth and didn’t effort to dress the costs accusation not being leaked arsenic a redeeming grace, arsenic definite dishonest companies would.

Extracting the BIOS image

Anyways, now that we person the devices to flash the BIOS, and Framework is not even willing to proviso the earthy BIOS image, we person to find what to flash to resurrect the BIOS.

From the BIOS flashing thread, personification @David_Henry determined, from reference the BIOS and experimenting pinch the flashing, that the earthy BIOS image is precisely 32 MiB starting from offset 1993293 successful the .cap file in Framework’s UEFI ammunition update package, and this is identical to the output created by a third-party instrumentality called InsydeH2O-extractor-2 connected GitHub.

Since a hardcoded offset is improbable to activity for early versions, I would recommend utilizing the extractor tool. Unfortunately, the instrumentality was written for Microsoft’s C room and uses non-standard functions for illustration fopen_s, which made it not tally connected Linux. To woody pinch this, I forked the tool and made it compile connected Linux.

You tin build it and extract the .cap record thus:

In the directory, you will find BIOSFILE.FD, and that is the record to flash.

For the Framework 13” AMD Ryzen 7040 bid BIOS type 3.20, I person the image prepared already: https://dl.quantum2.xyz/firmware/framework-3.20-bios.bin

The hashes for that record are:

• MD5: 8bc4cde1b7e8413b9b405b8e7b243e1f
• SHA1: b562976496f3bafba5e07f2d96b03804a708f90d
• SHA256: a645413ee19c7cf287917a717099883ea37ed6b556c74cf31adbc5b1afcc9c05

Feel free to usage my image aft verifying its integrity. At the clip of writing, at slightest 4 users person downloaded the afloat BIOS image from my server, presumably because they besides had their laptops bricked and didn’t constitute astir it on the Framework forums.

Eight days aft placing the bid connected AliExpress, the parts yet arrived. I started by inspecting my AliExpress flash programmers, arsenic you’ve already seen. The CH341A had the voltage bug connected apical of being slow, truthful I decided that I would only effort it arsenic a past edifice aft fixing the voltage bug. Instead, the CH347 seemed promising.

I plugged the 1.8 V level shifter into my CH347 and verified that the data pins were outputting the expected 1.8 V, conscionable successful case. I besides checked the pogo pin probe pinch my multimeter for continuity, confirming each pogo pin is connected to the correctly numbered pins connected the header. While these precautions may look extreme, you ne'er cognize pinch the worldly you get connected AliExpress.

In immoderate case, I was happy pinch my tools, truthful I decided to continue.

Connecting the chip

Now, I conscionable request to link everything together truthful that my PC tin talk to the BIOS spot done the CH347 flash programmer.

Since I americium programming from a desktop PC, I opted to get a USB Type-A extension cable (i.e. a male-to-female cable), truthful that the CH347 flash programmer isn’t locked to a USB port.

Now, we request to understand the CH347’s pins. After immoderate research, it’s clear that the pin bid for type 25 SPI NOR flash is ever the same, including our W25Q256JW, and that’s what the near broadside of the CH347 is designed to accept:

A sketch of wherever each SPI NOR flash pin should spell connected the CH347 programmer

If you look cautiously astatine the bottom-right corner, you’ll spot that location is a diagram of 2 chips, 1 labelled 25 and the different 24, that describes this pinout. What it intends is that type 25 chips spell connected the left, and pin 1 is connected the right side, arsenic shown by the semicircle connected the right. Type 24 chips, i.e. I²C serial EEPROMs, spell connected the correct side, but we don’t request that for this project.

But what is that socket? That is simply a zero insertion force (ZIF) socket designed to judge a pin header. Once the pins are inserted, the lever tin be pulled to the horizontal position to fastener the pins successful place. The system is very akin to that of PGA CPU sockets, e.g. AM4.

While definite chips pinch pins tin fresh straight into the programmer, that is not the lawsuit for us. In immoderate case, we person a 3.3 V programmer and a 1.8 V chip, truthful we request to insert that level shifter into the CH347 instead:

A sketch of wherever each SPI NOR flash pin should spell connected the 1.8 V level shifter

The level shifter has a header pinch labelled pins connected the top, pinch the pins underneath. Those request to beryllium inserted into the corresponding holes successful the ZIF socket connected the CH347, arsenic described above.

The shifter provides different ZIF socket pinch 1.8 V. This time, only the right broadside of the socket is used, and pin 1 faces right. If you look astatine the shifter carefully, the pins are really labelled correct adjacent to the ZIF socket on the PCB, but it’s difficult to spot successful the picture, truthful I labelled them directly.

The adjacent measurement is plugging successful the pogo pin probe. It looks for illustration this:

A image of the WSON8 6×8mm pogo pin probe

The ribbon cablegram needs to beryllium connected to the PCB pinch a pin header connected the other side. The pins are numbered connected the broadside pinch the ribbon cables. The header needs to beryllium plugged into the ZIF socket connected the level shifter, and the ZIF socket locked.

Now, you are fresh to link the probe to the BIOS chip. Before doing that, first unfastened up the Framework laptop and region the costly RAM and SSD from the motherboard, conscionable successful lawsuit you messiness up and accidentally fry them. On that note, double cheque each the connections to make judge the pin bid is correct everywhere. One correction and the spot could beryllium fried, aliases worse, the whole motherboard.

The afloat assembly pinch the CH347, the level shifter, and the pogo pin probe should look for illustration this

Now, place the broadside of the integrative connected the pogo pin probe pinch an opaque semicircle. That’s the broadside pinch pin 1, and you request to make judge that broadside is positioned connected the aforesaid broadside arsenic the achromatic dot connected the chip. That’s the correct pin order. When flashing, spot the probe connected the spot and use unit to clasp it down:

The pogo pin probe arsenic utilized connected the BIOS chip

Executing the flash

We will execute the flashing pinch the flashrom tool from the coreboot project. Note that dissimilar connected Windows, wherever drivers for these programmers are necessary, flashrom is capable to talk to each supported USB flash programmers pinch libusb.

Double cheque that your flash programmer is supported by the type of flashrom connected your system:

We spot that some the CH341A and the CH347 are supported. If it’s not connected your system, you astir apt request a newer type of flashrom.

Also statement that you will request to usage 1 manus to clasp down the pogo pins, and with the CH347’s comparatively accelerated flashing, that’s astir apt the amended strategy than trying to usage immoderate dense entity to use the basal force. Therefore, you are highly encouraged to usage superior action connected Linux to transcript commands presented present by selecting the matter (try triple-clicking), past pasting it with middle click, which is simply a batch easier pinch 1 hand.

On a akin note, hole the BIOS record arsenic wanted.bin while you are astatine it. Then, hash it:

Now, push the pogo pin probe (remember the orientation!) onto the spot and check if it’s detected:

Good, it is. If it’s not, make judge the probe is positioned correctly and apply more unit arsenic needed. Quite a spot of unit is required for a bully connection. I would propose applying progressively much unit if you aren’t making good contact.

Now publication the existent contents of the BIOS chip. Since the relationship is somewhat sketchy, it’s rather imaginable that you’ll extremity up pinch publication errors, truthful you are encouraged to publication aggregate times until you get the aforesaid hash connected astatine slightest two reads, ideally successful a row:

In my case, I sewage the aforesaid hash connected attempts 1, 4, and 5, aft which I stopped. I kept holding the probe successful the nonstop aforesaid position, since it was making good contact and would guarantee the highest chance of occurrence for consequent steps.

If nary of your attempts resulted successful the aforesaid hash, you request to use much force on the probe and effort again. Also, while I didn’t clip the attempts, I estimate that each publication effort took little than 20 seconds pinch the CH347.

It is very important to person a bully transcript of what’s presently connected the BIOS chip, because it whitethorn incorporate accusation that could beryllium useful later. You will soon find retired what different accusation is stored successful the BIOS spot that you might want to retrieve down the line. Keep the successfully publication BIOS record safe.

Now, it’s clip to constitute to the chip. I turned disconnected verification pinch -nN owed to the jankiness of the connection, truthful I could verify later astatine my leisure instead of holding down the probe for the long of constitute and verify:

At this point, the flash is complete. For me, this flash cognition took less than a minute. The CH347 was decidedly worthy it compared to the CH341A. Given how quickly the BIOS flashed externally complete specified a janky relationship pinch a programmer that supports 11% of the maximum SPI timepiece the spot could do, I couldn’t thief but wonderment what Framework’s BIOS updater is doing that makes updating the BIOS return galore minutes normally…

Now, do the manual verification by doing the aforesaid point arsenic reading, but to different files:

Stop erstwhile you get the aforesaid hash arsenic wanted.bin from earlier. I managed to pass the verification connected the first try. If you can’t get it aft 3 attempts, attempt the constitute again until it verifies.

Consequences of flashing

With the flash complete, I put the RAM and SSD backmost successful and powered connected my Framework laptop. After a infinitesimal of first representation training (or thing like that), it yet booted. However, the saga isn’t rather over.

I went into the BIOS setup to observe that each my customizations are gone. If you made immoderate customizations, you would person to redo them. I besides noticed this in the BIOS setup:

I americium beautiful judge this wasn’t the lawsuit originally. It appears that this information is stored successful the BIOS chip. There seems to beryllium nary sick effects to leaving it for illustration this, astatine slightest connected Linux, but it is rather imaginable that you need to activate Windows again.12

The correct values should successful mentation beryllium preserved successful the original BIOS image. If I knew the offsets, I could transcript complete the accusation into the caller BIOS image and effort different flash, but unfortunately, Framework has nary archiving on the BIOS layout. Another repairability issue. Still, this is why you should keep the damaged BIOS image around.

After configuring the BIOS, I rebooted the strategy and discovered that it couldn’t find the bootloader for Debian. This accusation is stored connected the UEFI NVRAM, and clearly, that has been erased someway during this ordeal.

Fortunately, location was a “boot from file” option, and I searched my SSD for EFI/debian/shimx64.efi and selected it, aft which the GRUB paper showed up. You whitethorn request to set the way based connected your distro, and prime grubx64.efi if you don’t person unafraid boot.

The strategy booted usually aft that, but I needed to reinstall the bootloader to debar having to manually prime the record each boot. On astir distros, this can beryllium done by moving sudo grub-install /dev/nvme0n1p1, replacing /dev/nvme0n1p1 pinch your EFI strategy partition.13

Conclusion

If you find yourself successful the aforesaid business arsenic maine pinch a dormant Framework laptop due to BIOS issues and nary flashing tools, past getting the CH347 programmer is the measurement to go. It’s measurement amended than the aged CH341A successful each way, and clearly, it was capable to get the occupation done quickly. The existent flashing wasn’t that difficult erstwhile I knew what I was doing and acquired the tools, taking little than five minutes total.

As for Framework Computer Inc, I person a batch much to say…

First, it is clear that Framework’s BIOS updater is broken, astatine slightest connected the AMD 7040 series. There intelligibly is immoderate bug pinch the package that caused it to display what appears to beryllium random representation connected the screen, particularly erstwhile this has happened earlier to different group for different BIOS versions, and moreover connected the 16” laptops. At the aforesaid time, it someway flashes the BIOS slower successful regular operation than a inexpensive 15 MHz programmer complete pogo pins, which really makes you wonderment what it’s doing nether the hood.

Secondly, Framework encourages users to execute BIOS updates successful their newsletters, and yet if the update results successful bricking, Framework has thing to say isolated from that I should propulsion distant perfectly bully hardware owed to a firmware issue, simply because it’s retired of warranty. While this behaviour whitethorn beryllium legal per the warranty terms, it nevertheless is morally the incorrect measurement to dainty users. It besides goes against the full accuracy of reducing e-waste that Framework claims to judge deeply.

Thirdly, Framework claims to person made a repairable laptop, and I deliberation my experience and the hoops I had to jump done to flash the BIOS person decidedly shown this not to beryllium the case. Framework has undoubtedly created an easily serviceable laptop connected which it is trivial to switch the RAM and SSD, but it is not a repairable laptop erstwhile the shaper simply told maine to bargain a new motherboard and CPU while offering zero assistance successful the measurement of fixing it myself.

According to the Repair Association, an organization championing the correct to repair, a cardinal pillar of the correct to repair is documentation:

Provide the aforesaid repair manuals, schematic diagrams, and different documentation to facilitate complete repairs.

In this regard, Framework has utterly failed. I had to fig retired the entire flashing process myself from third-party resources. I moreover had to extract the raw flashable BIOS image myself.

Furthermore, from attempting this repair, I tin spot that Framework made many design decisions that made the repair overmuch harder than it needs to be:

1. Framework had nary BIOS betterment option;
2. While the Framework motherboard has silkscreen markings for a socketed BIOS chip, a BIOS spot was soldered instead;
3. Framework chose to usage a WSON shape facet for their BIOS chip; and
4. Framework chose to not supply a header for flashing the BIOS, which, when combined pinch rumor #3, forced the usage of pogo pins.

I deliberation it’s particularly egregious erstwhile you see that brands that specifically aren’t repairable are capable to retrieve from a bad BIOS flash, and that moreover my 2004 vintage motherboard could do so…

So really, while Framework claims to support the correct to repair, their actions have shown rather the opposite. As such, I cannot successful bully conscience recommend Framework laptops to anyone successful their existent state.

Finally, it is not clear why Framework needs a “business intelligence” provider in the first place, fto unsocial 1 that stores customer information successful an insecure fashion. It is besides not clear why this supplier needed accusation for illustration my phone number aliases thoroughfare address. In the connection I’ve received, Framework did not explain why this accusation was shared aliases what they were doing pinch this data, nor has Framework provided immoderate update connected their investigation astatine the clip of writing complete a week later.

As the proprietor of a Framework laptop who wants to use from the upgradability down the line, I would for illustration to spot Framework cleanable up their enactment and present on the committedness they made erstwhile they sold the product. As such, I telephone upon Framework to:

1. Immediately extremity encouraging immoderate users retired of warranty to update their BIOS until the updater is fixed;
2. Fix the BIOS updater arsenic soon arsenic possible;
3. Provide contiguous alleviation to immoderate out-of-warranty customers whose laptop was bricked done a BIOS update, either done motherboard replacement like warrantied customers, aliases the free transportation of a toolkit and elaborate guidance to execute the repair;
4. Provide charismatic archiving for BIOS flashing, earthy BIOS images, and instructions to reconstruct the serial numbers and UUIDs;
5. Design each early motherboards to beryllium easy recoverable from bad BIOS flashes; and
6. Immediately cease immoderate unnecessary information sharing pinch 3rd parties.

If Framework changes for the better, I mightiness see them again. Until then, I shall repetition the words that a definite Nanni wrote to Ea-nāṣir adjacent to four millennia ago:

Kīma annikīam maḫšabam la dummuqām la amaḫḫaruka talammad. U ana ša tumeišanni nasiḫtam epūška.14

The translator depends connected whom you ask, but it astir apt intends thing like:

Take cognizance that I will not judge immoderate machine from you that is not of fine quality. And because you person treated maine pinch contempt, I shall exercise against you my correct of rejection.

Notes