Owners of AMD Ryzen 7040-based Framework Laptop 13 computers have reported problems with BIOS updates dating back to at least March 2025. In some cases, an unsuccessful BIOS upgrade has reportedly left the laptop unable to boot.
Following the latest BIOS release, some users said Framework support initially told them that they needed a replacement motherboard. One out-of-warranty customer reported that Framework would not provide a replacement free of charge.
However, Framework told Ars Technica that it may cover certain out-of-warranty repairs when a stable BIOS update is confirmed to have caused the failure:
“In addition to under-warranty mainboard replacements, we also make exceptions for out-of-warranty replacements if we can confirm that a stable release BIOS update renders the board unbootable.”
Framework is also introducing a new “Crisis Recovery Mode” BIOS feature designed to help users recover from failed firmware updates and restore affected systems without immediately replacing the motherboard.
“Our latest Framework Desktop BIOS release includes this feature, and we are actively rolling it out to Framework Laptop 12, 13, and 16 in future BIOS release cycles,” Framework said.
The exact cause of the Ryzen 7040 Framework Laptop 13 BIOS failures remains unclear. Framework has not yet provided additional technical details, but blogger Guanzhong Chen published a detailed blog post documenting the recovery process.
Chen suggested that the issue may involve a software bug that causes seemingly random memory data to appear on the display, particularly when the problem has also occurred with previous BIOS versions.
A software developer who reportedly managed to reflash the motherboard firmware after being advised by Framework support to purchase a replacement board also questioned the update process:
“At the same time, it somehow flashes the BIOS slower than a cheap 15 MHz programmer under normal operation. Pogo pin recovery really makes you wonder what it’s doing internally.”
Source: arstechnica.com