Fixing a Bricked Framework Laptop
A Framework laptop user details their experience with a bricked device following a BIOS update and the company's refusal to provide a free repair after the warranty expired. The author documents their own technical efforts to fix the motherboard.
Why it matters
This highlights the tension between the 'right to repair' movement and the practical limitations of hardware support policies.
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 myself 1 and buy the RAM and SSD I want separately 2 , back when they were cheap.
For three years, the laptop has served me well, until Framework suggested via newsletter to install the latest BIOS 3 update, 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.
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