I hope this post finds you well. I’m reaching out because I’ve encountered a persistent issue with my Framework laptop, and despite my efforts to troubleshoot, the problem persists. I’m hoping that the collective wisdom of this community might shed some light on a solution.
Problem Description: My Framework laptop is experiencing frequent hard freezes, where everything locks up, and the only remedy is a long press on the power button. Notably, during these freezes, the caps lock light doesn’t toggle, and the screen doesn’t go to sleep when closing the lid.
Troubleshooting Steps Taken: I’ve been proactive in attempting to resolve the issue, having undertaken the following steps:
Replaced fan and heatsink.
Reinstalled drivers.
Replaced RAM (currently running 32GB, upgraded from 16GB).
Changed out thermal paste.
Replaced the back cover to ensure optimal airflow.
*edit: Updated to BIOS 3.06 Beta
Current Temporary Solution: Oddly enough, I’ve found that running an intensive program seems to mitigate the freezing issue. Normally, the laptop freezes every 2-30 minutes, but with a demanding program running, it remains stable for around 7 hours. I suspect that the intensive program triggers the fan, potentially compensating for a delay in its activation during regular use.
Specifications:
OS: Windows 11 Home
Processor: 12th gen Intel
RAM: 32GB
Additional Information: The laptop worked flawlessly for several months before this issue arose. The first occurrence was during video playback, where the playback not only stopped but I suspect the Bluetooth connection also dropped.
I’m reaching out to the community in the hope that someone might have encountered a similar problem or has insights into potential solutions. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Couple of questions: 1) Have you observed the temperatures with a system monitoring tool? 2) Are all of the needed drivers installed? 3) What BIOS are you on? 4) Is the OS completely updated and current? 5) Event though you replaced the RAM have you memtested either? 6) Why not open a support ticket before the mobo is out of warranty?
I have not used a temp monitoring tool but I have given it to Geek Squad (they weren’t able to fix it) And they also said that it had high temps. I am on the default bios… I have already checked: Framework Laptop BIOS and Driver Releases (12th Gen Intel® Core™) to see if I could find an update. The OS is completely up to date. I have not memtested it but replacing ram stick did seem to completely clear ram. I still have several months until the warranty expires and I would prefer to make sure this isn’t an issue that I somehow caused before opening a ticket.
I would highly recommend using a temperature monitoring tool such as HWinfo. Having previously worked at Bestbuy, I can say Geeksquad can be shoddy. Your issue is very odd as if it was truly overheating, the fans should still turn on regardless of what applications are being run unless there’s an issue with a temperature sensor or the fan. And have you considered a fresh Windows install?
Definitely some type of software issue. You would only ever see it crash if it exceeded 100 C for a period of time and even that is rare. This is because the CPU will throttle itself at 100 C.
I think you are probably best off resinstalling WIndows just to eliminate that as an issue. If it is not firmware, or the OS then you are likely looking at a hardware issue.
My computer takes longer to hard freeze if powered off for a while compared to after a quick hard restart.
Running graphics-intensive programs seems to prevent or reduce the issue.
The computer worked fine for months before this issue started.
External cooling prevents the issue.
The problem is likely with the graphics card or CPU.
The issue persists without the graphics card driver.
The issue did not occur without the CPU driver, but the test duration was short.
My thoughts on the information gathered:
The issue is likely related to overheating, as external cooling resolves it.
Since the computer worked fine for a long time and a complete Windows reinstall didn’t fix it, the root cause is probably hardware or firmware-related.
A potential temporary fix could be a BIOS setting to run the fans continuously at a set speed.
Another software fix might involve enabling thermal throttling sooner.
A permanent fix might involve addressing a possible failsafe that causes the computer to hard freeze at a certain temperature and doesn’t resume normal function when cooled.
My current solution:
Using an ice pack under my computer completely resolves the issue.
Alternatively, running a program to keep the fans running fast enough helps.
What did not work when trying to fix this:
Replacing fans, heatsink, and thermal paste
Replacing SSD
Replacing RAM
Unplugging expansion slots
Replacing back cover
Updating BIOS to 3.06 Beta
Disabling Bluetooth and WiFi (not at the hardware level)
Running the computer after a Windows wipe without most drivers, except for the CPU driver
