Framework 13 7840u hanging on POST when a mouse is plugged into a daisy-chained USB hub and an unacceptable support experience

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EDIT: The nature of the problem is different from what I originally thought: see Framework 13 7840u hanging on POST when a mouse is plugged into a daisy-chained USB hub and an unacceptable support experience - #19 by Michael_Marley

I have a Framework 13 7840u (it runs Kubuntu 25.10, but that’s irrelevant as the issue occurs before the OS boots) that I’m trying to use with a Dell U2725QE monitor as a dock with USB4. Almost everything about it works, but there is a major issue where if I have any USB pointing device (I have tried 2 mouses and combination keyboard/trackball) plugged into the monitor’s USB ports while I turn the computer on, the computer won’t POST and flashes the code ggggggggggggogbgbbggg on the status LED.

If I have no mouse connected on boot, it works fine. I can also connect the mouse after the system boots and the mouse will work properly until the next reboot, when the POST issue occurs again.

I have several other USB devices connected to the monitor (a keyboard, a webcam, and a UPS) and none of them causes any issue.

I have also tried another laptop with this setup and it has no issues POSTing while the mouse is connected, which points the finger at the Framework 13 firmware and not something with the monitor itself.

Naturally, the reason I bought a monitor with an integrated docking station is because I wanted to use it as a docking station and not need to plug and unplug multiple things when I wanted to move my computer. So, I opened a ticket with Framework support describing the issue hoping that they might be able to fix whatever is causing the firmware to hang. After some back-and-forth with me providing additional information, they said they would escalate the issue. I had expected this, considering this is obviously an issue where the firmware team would need to investigate.

However, just a couple of hours after that, I got another message saying that my problem “strongly suggests a compatibility problem between the Framework Laptop and the Dell U2725QE monitor” and that “It’s not usually advisable for the USB-C connection to have docking capability when the monitor is attached; usually, it’s just a display out.”

I was incredulous. I paid a lot of money for this computer (and this monitor) and now I’m just being told that there is a “compatibility problem” (seriously, I could have told you that myself!) without even the most cursory effort being put forth to identify what is causing the compatibility problem or to resolve it. I spent more time trying and re-trying various scenarios to track down exactly what was triggering the problem than the “escalation team” spent working on the issue before basically just telling me to pound sand.

This is an unacceptable experience, in my opinion. I’m wondering if anyone knows of any strings I might be able to pull to get this re-evaluated, because if this is how they are going to leave it, then I won’t be buying any more hardware from Framework.

Framework Laptop 13 Ryzen 7040 BIOS 3.18 Release STABLE
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You could request that the ticket be escalated to the firmware team for review. The post code indicates an issue at “USB BUS driver initial” which makes sense. I would be surprised if this is something that they expend effort chasing down, as they have limited resources and can’t chase every outlier. With that said, if they were to discover what is going on in your situation it might help them to track down any bugs they have in the firmware.

I recently added a powered usb c dock to my setup, with ethernet, multiple monitors, keyboard, and mouse connected, and fingers crossed, so far so good across multiple different framework and non-framework machines.

Unfortunately you may be out of luck with that monitor and your machine. If it’s in the return window you might look at getting a standalone dock and monitor without a built-in dock. Or you could swap out the Framework.

I accept that this likely isn’t the response that you were looking for. I sympathize with you, I’m just looking at it from what I expect to occur.

Best of luck with whatever path you take.

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Thanks for the information! I did request that it be escalated again. It is interesting to know what the POST code means. Is there a key for that somewhere? I’ve seen the one for the 12 initial red/green flashes, but never anything about the blue and green ones after the orange.

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It’s old and may or may not apply to some of the newer machines, but it seems useful as a reference: Framework Laptop port80 codes · GitHub

I’ll be following along to see where things go for you. Best of luck, I understand the frustration.

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Some suggestions from Gemini - I haven’t checked in the bios to see what options are or are not available, and feel free to pelt me with empties for posting unvetted AI slop…

—

Prompt:
Framework 13 7840u hanging on POST with Dell U2725QE monitor when mouse is connected

Response:
It sounds like you’re running into a classic “USB Handshake” or “Legacy Boot” conflict. When a Framework laptop (or most modern UEFI systems) hangs on POST with a specific USB device connected via a monitor hub, it’s usually because the BIOS is trying to poll that device as a potential boot source or is getting confused by the power delivery/data handshake.

Here is a breakdown of why this is happening and how to fix it.

Why this happens

The Dell U2725QE acts as a complex USB hub and KVM. When your mouse is plugged into the monitor, and the monitor is connected via USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode), the Framework BIOS sees a “Composite USB Device” during the initial hardware check.

  1. USB Enumeration Stall: The BIOS attempts to identify the mouse through the monitor’s hub, but the hub hasn’t fully initialized its internal controller, causing the BIOS to wait (hang).

  2. Legacy USB Support: The BIOS may be trying to treat the mouse/hub as a “Legacy” input device or even a storage device, leading to a timeout.

Potential Solutions

1. Disable “USB Boot” in BIOS

This is the most common fix. If the BIOS isn’t looking for a bootable OS on USB devices, it often skips the deeper polling that causes the hang.

  • Restart and tap F2 to enter BIOS.

  • Navigate to the Boot tab.

  • Set USB Boot to Disabled.

  • Note: You will need to re-enable this if you ever need to reinstall your OS from a thumb drive.

2. Adjust “Timeout” or “Fast Boot” Settings

  • In the BIOS, look for Fast Boot. Enabling it can sometimes bypass extended USB initialization.

  • Conversely, if it’s already on, try disabling it to give the Dell monitor more time to “wake up” before the laptop tries to talk to it.

3. Change the Expansion Card Layout

The Framework 13 (AMD 7840U) has specific capabilities for each slot.

  • Ensure your USB-C expansion card (connecting to the monitor) is in Slot 1 or 4 (the rear slots closest to the hinge). These have the most direct path for USB4/DisplayPort.

  • If you have a USB-A expansion card with nothing in it, try removing it temporarily to see if it clears the bus conflict.

4. Monitor Hub Settings (Dell OSD)

Check the settings on your Dell U2725QE using the joystick on the back:

  • USB-C Prioritization: Switch between “High Resolution” and “High Data Speed.”

  • USB Charging: Try toggling “USB-C Charging” (Power Delivery) to see if the power handshake is what’s stalling the POST.

Technical Workaround

If the BIOS tweaks don’t work, try moving the mouse to a different port on the monitor. Dell monitors often have one “Battery Charging” USB port (marked with a lightning bolt) and several standard ports. Switching to a non-charging port can sometimes change how the device is presented to the laptop at startup.

Would you like me to look up the specific BIOS menu path for the latest Framework 13.05 or 13.06 firmware to find those USB settings?

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Most of these are actually fairly decent suggestions, but I already tried all of the relevant ones. A couple of notes:

  • The 2 USB4 ports on the FW13 AMD 7040 are 1 and 3, not 1 and 4. These are indeed the ports closest to the hinge though.
  • USB-C Prioritization doesn’t affect USB4/Thunderbolt mode; it only controls whether to use both high-speed data channels on a USB C cable for DisplayPort or to use one for USB3.
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Thanks, as noted, I didn’t do even the most rudimentary vetting of the output, apologies. I find it to be a useful guide but often slightly off. I used it to help me get an audio interface working with my FW 13 amd machine yesterday, and while some suggestions were valid, others were not.

Best of luck getting things working.

1 Like
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Test Case 1:
If you only have the mouse connected to the Dell monitor (so disconnected everything else from the monitor) does the issue still happen?

Test Case 2:
Still with the above scenario (i.e. nothing but the mouse connected) does the issue happen regardless of the USB port the mouse is plugged into?

I’m assuming you are using a wired mouse plugged into one the USB A ports on the monitor.

Intel or AMD Laptop? What were the specs of the laptop?

Are you sure? Based on Framework’s own knowledge base it is 1 and 4. Look at table heading Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series) with this note at the bottom based on the asterisk: Port numbers are clockwise starting from the top-right as Port 1.

EDIT: Oddly, the link in the table to this page shows the back two labelled 1 and 3 with port 1 on the top left and the number going top to bottom from left to right. Sigh.

Might be best to just refer to the ports in use being the back 2 closest to the hinge.

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Yes

Yes

Yes

A Lenovo T14 Gen6 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor. This test was just to indicate whether the combination of monitor and mouse would cause all laptops to have issues.

Your link does indeed indicate that, but Expansion Card Functionality on Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series) shows 1 and 3. Both are correct, but the numbering is inconsistent between the sources. How confusing…

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Edit my post a bit for clarity after you had submitted your reply (doesn’t really change anything though).

That being said: Does it happen when the mouse is directly connected to the Framework laptop both with and without the Dell Monitor connected as a dock and with and without devices connected to the Dell Monitor? (sorry if you did this I couldn’t tell)

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The laptop works fine with the mouse connected directly. (If it didn’t, then I wouldn’t have put any details regarding the monitor in the report.)

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Cheers. Just wanted to check that was case.

I’m assuming you’re running the latest BIOS as well? Framework Laptop 13 BIOS and Driver Releases (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series)

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I’m actually on 3.18 beta, but yes, it is up-to-date.

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I think this might require playing around with various methods as it could all come down to Intel (Thunderbolt) vs AMD (USB4).

For example:

There are other threads that framework’s forum has suggested at the bottom of this page that might be worth looking at.

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I also had the same problem on Bios 3.18: Framework Laptop 13 Ryzen 7040 BIOS 3.18 Release STABLE - #14 by Mathias

Downgrade to 3.17 and hope it will be fixed on the next release, as Framework already changed the release of 3.18 to stable.

1 Like
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All those problems have to do with the connection between the laptop and the monitor being unstable. That isn’t my problem.

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Very interesting. I’m not sure I want to downgrade as every firmware flash carries some risk of bricking (and this firmware also contains an AMD firmware update that I suspect might be security-related), but what you’re saying still makes total sense. It would also explain why the poster in Pop!_OS AMD 7040 with 2x dell u2725qe (MST, DSC, daisy chain) didn’t experience a problem, as 3.18 was not available yet in any form then. I’m definitely going to let support know about this though.

Oh, and I actually found a workaround for the issue: If I plug the mouse into the monitor’s downstream Thunderbolt port (using a USB-C to USB-A port adapter), the mouse works and the computer doesn’t hang. That would make it appear that the problem is related to the mouse being connected to the secondary USB hub in the monitor that is internally connected to the Thunderbolt controller. Very interesting…

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It might be worth trying to downgrade to 3.17 and then upgrade to 3.18 with no devices connected. I haven’t tried that yet, I’ve only successfully downgraded so far.

Do your internal speaker and mic still work? I lost mine with 3.18

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I just made a discovery that complete changes the nature of the problem: This actually has nothing to do with the U2725QE, USB4, or Thunderbolt!

The actual problem is, the FW13 AMD 7040 will hang and not POST if you have a USB pointing device connected to a daisy-chained USB hub (that is, connected to a logical USB hub that is connected (internally or externally) to another logical USB hub that is then connected to the computer.

I proved this by plugging a mouse into a plain old USB3-A hub which I then plugged into another identical hub which I then plugged into the laptop. With this configuration, the laptop didn’t POST.

The reason people are encountering it with Thunderbolt/USB4 monitors is due to the internal architecture of the monitors. They have a Thunderbolt controller (which acts as a USB hub) which is then connected internally to another USB hub that is then used to provide the regular USB ports on the monitor. This creates a logical (but not physical) daisy chain, triggering the issue when a mouse is plugged into one of the regular USB ports on the monitor. This is also why plugging the mouse into the downstream Thunderbolt port works around the issue, since that connects the mouse directly to the first hub and not the daisy-chained one.

3 Likes
Framework Laptop 13 Ryzen 7040 BIOS 3.18 Release STABLE
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Well that’s interesting. I was going to suggest previously to try using an adapter to use one of the USB-C ports on the monitor but wasn’t sure. I should trust my insticts more!

I’m curious - will this setup POST with your other Lenovo T14 Gen6 laptop?

Because if it does it actually does make me think this still is to do with Thunderbolt 4 (using Intel) vs USB 4 (using AMD) but more around the variances between manufacturers when it comes to implementing the technology (and the BIOS Firmware that goes with it).

Additionally, I’m not sure if you have already, but it might be worth logging it in the Github (just like this one: Framework Laptop 13 Ryzen 7040 BIOS 3.18 Breaks Booting With Dock Connected · Issue #170 · FrameworkComputer/SoftwareFirmwareIssueTracker · GitHub)