BIOS guide

[Andrew_Wilcox]

@RandomUser

(Fn + Esc)? It’s a persistent function lock.

That’s good to know as well!

[ImaxinarDM]

@Andrew_Wilcox

Re F2 to enter the BIOS and F12 to enter the one-time boot override, I’ve only gotten it to work if I also press the Fn key:

Fn-F2
Fn-F12

Which might be obvious since that’s how you get the function keys, but might be worth mentioning for those of us who don’t know

This may be a good thing to point out in the guide for 1st time use if it isn’t already. Folks are giddy & excited to get it going and may not realize that Fn key is part of the equation.

@nrp

[jeshikat]

3.03 Beta is now available: Public Beta Test: BIOS v3.03 + Driver Bundle 2021_08_31

3.03 Beta changelog (as of 2021-09-03): Framework Laptop BIOS and Driver Releases

New Features

• Added Chassis Intrusion Detection Setup on BIOS setup advanced settings page.

Fixes

• Solve issue where user cannot enter the BIOS menus after rebooting from Linux.
• Increase switching frequency of side LEDs and keyboard backlight to reduce flicker.
• Improve power button behavior to detect short press to power on.

Known Issues

• System will not power on without battery present.
• System cannot recognize Thunderbolt 3 devices after resuming from S4.

---

@ImaxinarDM the guide is a wiki so anyone can edit it, that said I’ve already added a note about the function lock.

[Richard47]

Anybody know how to send feedback about this community system? This thread has numerous references to “EC” but I have no idea what that refers to. I tried to search using Ctrl-F to use the browser’s search facility but they have trapped that key combination and launch their own search which won’t let me search for “ec” – they say it is too short. They assume too much.

[junaruga]

@Richard47

This thread has numerous references to “EC” but I have no idea what that refers to.

Maybe EC = Embedded controller - Wikipedia ?

Anybody know how to send feedback about this community system?

Do you want to send a feedback to the system (Discourse)? That is maybe https://meta.discourse.org/ at https://www.discourse.org/ . You can post with category: feature or bug.

[GhostLegion]

@Richard47

This thread has numerous references to “EC”

It does in fact reference embedded controller

[RESPONDED] Coreboot on the Framework Laptop

This thread is a wiki. Anyone who has the permission to edit the wiki can edit the first comment. Context This thread started with a topic to ask to open EC firmware and also to use open BIOS firmware, coreboot (Wikipedia). In January 2022, Framework open-sourced their EC firmware (blog). Then this thread became the main thread of the coreboot. Challenges and actions Here is a summary mainly from a coreboot issue ticket to port coreboot to Framework Laptop below. Notes to collaborate with…

See the above thread for some more context on this discussion

[jeshikat]

Beta BIOS v3.06 is now available:

Public Beta Test: 11th Gen BIOS v3.06 + Driver Bundle 2021_10_29

Its time for another BIOS update. This BIOS has a number of fixes and a few new features and is required to use the new mainboard with the Tempo audio codec. The Driver bundle keeps the same set of driver versions as the previous driver bundle, but fixes some issues around detection of the audio codec, and allows migrating an existing OS from the Realtek codec to Tempo codec mainboards, This driver bundle is needed for Tempo codec mainboards. We are still working on building a process to suppo…

[mirrorslie]

After installing BIOS 3.06 on my Batch 4 laptop, the G-Sensor option disappeared from the menu.

[darthdomo]

They also stated that they were removing the accelerometer from the newer batches, due to issues with component sourcing (since it had no use with the only drive being M.2). Makes sense they’d remove support in the newest BIOS.

[jeshikat]

@mirrorslie

After installing BIOS 3.06 on my Batch 4 laptop, the G-Sensor option disappeared from the menu.

Good catch, I was distracted by testing the power button dimming and completely overlooked it.

[junaruga]

Anyone, could you help me to understand a basic thing about BIOS? Is the BIOS what only Framework team is developing? Or another vendor is mainly developing with Framework? Is there the “upstream” project of the BIOS?

Who deleted “the G-Sensor option from the menu”?

[jeshikat]

@junaruga the current UEFI BIOS is a proprietary product made by Insyde Software.

The embedded controller firmware (controls stuff like battery management, power button behavior, etc) is based on Chromium OS EC.

[RESPONDED] Coreboot on the Framework Laptop

Yep, open source firmware is well aligned to our mission of building products that are better for people and the planet. Our EC firmware is based on chromium-ec, and we will be releasing source. As @Kieran_Levin noted, we’re also exploring coreboot. We’re currently focused on getting the Framework Laptop out into the world in a lower-risk path that uses an off the shelf proprietary BIOS, but we’re looking forward to replacing that with an open alternative in the future.

Removing the G-Sensor option in the BIOS would have been at the direction of Framework, presumably to maintain consistency between different production batches since they’re removing the accelerometer from the motherboard due to supply issues.

[Jonathan_Mayer]

Anyway to use the G-sensor if the laptop has it? Can’t the BIOS determine if it’s available and give those with one the option to turn it on?

[Xavier_Jiang]

@Jonathan_Mayer

Can’t the BIOS determine if it’s available and give those with one the option to turn it on?

I’m thinking that Framework decided to not include a G-sensor anymore so the majority of devices (that means the devices built in the upcoming years) will not have a G-sensor so they think they don’t need to provide any code to get it to work.
Which make sense, because there is little way a G-sensor can provide the system with any actual benefits, since you can’t fit anything physically fragile (like a hard disk) in it.

[SodaStream]

@Xavier_Jiang

Which make sense, because there is little way a G-sensor can provide the system with any actual benefits, since you can’t fit anything physically fragile (like a hard disk) in it.

I’m curious about what it means for people who may have wanted to explore throwing a tablet design together. That’s not for me, mind; I wanted a notebook PC and I got exactly what I asked for. But the seemingly mid-flight prototyping might sour some enthusiasts and be cause for concern for corporate interests who’d feel more secure in making changes to hardware that doesn’t resolve or fix a problem.

Think: do I buy the 1.0 version of the device, or wait for the 1.1 version? What if the 1.1 has a 0.9 feature set and is otherwise 1.0’s overall design without delivering functional bug fixes?

[Quinn_Dougherty]

Should we assume when we receive a shipment that there’s no possibility of a BIOS update? I sometimes like to run a BIOS update as a first step of building out an OS.

[DHowett]

@Quinn_Dougherty

no possibility of a BIOS update?

Beta BIOS updates have been released in this forum! Public Beta Test: 11th Gen BIOS v3.06 + Driver Bundle 2021_10_29

[BigT]

@Quinn_Dougherty

Should we assume when we receive a shipment that there’s no possibility of a BIOS update? I sometimes like to run a BIOS update as a first step of building out an OS.

Also, I recently received my batch 4 unit and it had the latest BIOS when it arrived (3.06).

[Quinn_Dougherty]

Should I be able to view SSD information from BIOS? I can’t and I’m wondering if it’s related to the problem of not being able to connect to SSD generally.

(I checked and it’s definitely physically snug on the insides, thanks!)

[Carlos_Fernandez_San]

@Quinn_Dougherty

Should I be able to view SSD information from BIOS?

Yes. Last time someone (here) didn’t see his SSD on the BIOS the SSD was faulty and replacing it fixed the problem.