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

[nomb85]

Does anyone know why the main board was switched away from realtek?

Are us realtekers no on inferior boards?

[ImaxinarDM]

@nomb85

switched away from realtek?

Do a search on the topic. They mentioned a supply issue (no surprise these days) with the original chip. That started the process…

[lightrush]

@Kieran_Levin

Add BIOS menu option to adjust power LED brightness.

Gotta say this feature is greatly appreciated!

[Eric_Campbell]

Update - finally updated to v3.06
Thanks all!

[DHowett]

@Eric_Campbell

Update - finally updated to v3.06
Thanks all!

What ended up being the solution? I remember @Fraoch having a similar issue; perhaps it would help them!

[Fraoch]

@DHowett

What ended up being the solution? I remember @Fraoch having a similar issue; perhaps it would help them!

@Kieran_Levin may have mentioned in passing what my problem is:

@Kieran_Levin

Have you adjusted any secure boot settings in the bios? Or enrolled your own keys to enable self signed Linux kernel modules? The bios update requires a DB key from Framework to be present to validate the firmware update. If this was somehow removed then the capsule update would not be valid.

I do remember playing around with secure boot and I remember deleting EFI keys. I have a sinking feeling I may have wiped the DB key. That would explain the odd error message.

BUT I remember seeing the DB keys, not knowing what they were but observing that they looked long and complicated and thinking that I’d better not mess around with them.

You released this (thanks!) to check and recover the DB key. Looks complicated and I don’t know anything about this, but I’ll try to figure it out.

[Eric_Campbell]

For me, I feel it was pretty specific - I use a program called Rollback RX - https://horizondatasys.com/rollback-rx-time-machine/rollback-rx-home/ and have used it since… wow… 2014 and not realizing that while it has to run before the OS boots, I never put 2 and 2 together that it could basically be taking up a part of the BIOS partition. So… I had an m.2 with enclosure that I just use for data transfer, swapped out my m.2 with Rollback + OS on it, got windows 10 (at the time being at work we only use win10) on it and then ran the bios update, I was so stoked that it worked then swapped it out and I’m back in business.

[lightrush]

@Kieran_Levin

Have you adjusted any secure boot settings in the bios? Or enrolled your own keys to enable self signed Linux kernel modules? The bios update requires a DB key from Framework to be present to validate the firmware update. If this was somehow removed then the capsule update would not be valid.

If this is indeed the case, there should be some doc outlining this or even better - a message in the BIOS itself.

[lightrush]

The BIOS updater seems to work when started via command prompt from Windows USB installation media. That means theoretically the whole thing can be done using Ventoy and a single USB drive. I used a separate USB drive when I tested for holding the BIOS updater.

[ImaxinarDM]

@Eric_Campbell

Rollback RX

So there was something else still running.

[Eric_Campbell]

Yea sadly, my fault. It’s sad to say this - in all of the years that I have used it, all of 8, I’ve never had a laptop that I needed or even thought about the BIOS… yet at work (in the IT field), we run Dell BIOS updates all of the time but we don’t have something running before hand… so… definitely a n00b moment for me… ah well…

[User1209]

I hope we get LVFS up and running soon, I’m very eager to check out the new BIOS and see if it fixes the issues I’m having.

[ImaxinarDM]

@Eric_Campbell

definitely a n00b moment for me… ah well…

Grin, we all have them… Wait until you get older… They change the name to Senior moments

[Shirley_Dulcey]

Hooray for the option to turn down the brightness of the power switch! It’s much more in balance with the brightness of the keyboard now, and not blinding in a darker room.

I had already installed the 3.03 driver pack so I didn’t bother with this one, as I do not have a Framework with the new audio hardware. I keep my Intel drivers up to date with the Intel Driver and Support Assistant, which I recommend to all Framework owners who use Windows because it gets driver updates well before Windows Update does.

Holding off on Windows 11 for now; Microsoft is offering it to me. I’m hoping Microsoft relents on the taskbar changes and makes it possible to put it on the side of the screen in 11 – I want my vertical space!!

[Devyn_Cairns]

I was going to try it… but I was surprised to find that my laptop actually shipped with 3.06! I guess that means I have the new audio codec.

[Val]

If you use the driver installer, it’ll tell you if you have a Tempo. Or you could take a peek inside the laptop!

[xanekka]

I updated to 3.06 and I noted 2 things of interest to me.

1. I cannot charge from the right-hand side USB-C module that’s close to the screen.
2. Can the power LED be dimmer? Or the option to turn it off completely?

[2disbetter]

I charge almost exclusively from that USB C port on the right. Have not had any issue.

I do wonder if it could be off, but then I think it might be difficult to tell when the computer is in standby or off. Guess it would be a trade-off.

[xanekka]

I tried swapping the modules around. The right-hand side just doesn’t charge for me anymore.

[jcs]

I’m trying to update the BIOS from a Windows 10 USB installation that I’ve used for many BIOS updates on various laptops, but when I try applying the 3.06 update (from 3.02) it says Erasing and Writing, then I get an error that says “The BIOS image to be updated is invalid for Secure Flash or onboard BIOS does not support Secure Flash”. I didn’t see any settings in the firmware menu for Secure Flash, and I have Secure Boot enabled. I also tried updating to 3.03 just in case, but get the same error.