Unable to save BIOS settings after disabling Secure Boot

Framework Laptop 13
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1

On my new AMD 7840U mainboard, I am unable to save my BIOS (INSYDE version JFP30.03.03) settings after disabling Secure Boot. When I press ESC to return to the main menu, all I get is an option to Exit Discarding Changes. If I try to pressing F10 (Save and Exit), nothing happens.

I am not able to install the latest BIOS because the second step is “Disable secure boot in your BIOS.”

Similarly, I am unable to save after enabling “Erase all Secure Boot Settings”.

Since AMD boards do not have a CMOS battery, resetting the mainboard is not possible that way. Instead I disconnected the Li-ion battery and waited 30 minutes before reconnecting. Nothing changed: I am still unable to save BIOS settings after disabling Secure Boot.

Interestingly, after further investigation while writing up this posting, I find that I am unable to save any changes to my BIOS.

Suggestions would be appreciated :wink:

Thanks.

2

You haven’t installed Windows?
Have you installed a Linux?

3

I would like to install Arch Linux. To do that I need to install from an Arch Linux USB install drive, but no bootable device is found. I am guessing that this is due to Secure Boot being enabled. Swapping the current empty SSD for a bootable one won’t help because of Secure Boot.

4

I’m not sure if this is on the AMD bios, but when the machine is booting if you push f12 you can select the boot device. When you do this do you see your USB drive? If so select it and see if it will boot from it.

5

I am able to bring up the BIOS configuration app, and one of the icons is “Boot Manager”. No drive is shown. So, I suspect that F12 will also not show any drive, although I have not tried it.

I’m now installing Ubuntu 24.10, since one of the Secure Boot keys is for Ubuntu. Once installed, I will try to use sbctl to disable Secure Boot. If I am successful in disabling Secure Boot, should I mark this post as solved?

1 Like
6

I would say yes, but I am curious if this is just an AMD specific thing. On the Intel side none of this is really required. You just turn off secure boot in the bios, and then spam f12 at boot to manually select the usb drive you want to boot from.

Anyway, fingers crossed that this works you!

7

Yes, I know. I’ve had two Intel-based mainboards, and I’ve never not been able to disable Secure Boot.

So far, nothing has worked. sbctl doesn’t seem to have an option to disable Secure Boot — as I had thought.

Next stop: Support@frame.work

8

If tour usb key is not showing in the bios then it is not because of secure boot but some other issue.

Usb key should show in bios boot manager menu even if secure boot is on.

9

If it helps. Someone in another thread had similar BIOS problems with a FW13.
FW replaced the mainboard.

10

@inffy I have two USB-C modules, and both work because I have used a Logitech keyboard dongle in both successfully. (Some of my FW keyboard keys don’t work, and that’s a separate problem I’m also working on.)

Since I’ve installed Ubuntu 24.10 successfully, I can no longer see if my Arch Linux USB install medium (drive) is recognized with an empty SSD. My recollection is that no drive appeared when I went to the Boot Manager screen in the BIOS. Now, with Ubuntu installed, the Boot Manager does see the USB drive. but with Secure Boot enabled, naturally doesn’t boot. I can see the drive appear and disappear when I’m in the Boot Manager screen as I insert and remove the USB drive.

@2disbetter Pressing F12 after the Framework logo appears does nothing. Pressing F2 instead does bring me into the BIOS and I can then go to the Boot Manager screen. About Intel mainboards: I’ve successfully disabled Secure Boot on both 11th gen and 12th gen boards, no problem.

FW Support, in this case and in others, has been nearly totally useless. They do not read my request emails and so suggest solutions that I’ve already tried or suggest solutions that demonstrate that they do not know what they are talking about. (E.g. I bent the rightmost battery connector pin, and they suggested using needle nose pliers or tweezers which would never work given the size of the connector body opening.)

So, since I’ve already bought a new 4TB SSD and 64GB of memory, I’m going to return this board and ask for a replacement, one which is flashed with the latest BIOS (03.05 instead of 03.03).

Thanks to all who offered suggestions; I appreciate it.

1 Like
11

I see elsewhere in this forum that the latest BIOS is 03.20, so 03.03 is a few releases old.

BTW, I’m assuming that BIOS Version JFP30.03.03 is referred to (shorthand) as 03.03. I’m not, please correct me.

12

3.20 is only for Intel. So that wont work anyway with your amd

3 Likes
13

@inffy Thanks for the correction.

14

Latest BIOS and Driver releases for each Framework Laptop:

15

@Brian_Gregory Thanks for the info. I was aware of those pages, but unfortunately Step #2 of the Linux BIOS update instructions is:
2. Disable secure boot in BIOS,
which I am unable to do.

1 Like
16

Hi,
This is just a guess.
Some BIOS store a bios log. Maybe the log is full? If it tries to write to the log and fails, it might be aborting the save-changes step.
The FW might not have a log because there does not appear to be a bios screen to view or clear it, like there is for some dell laptops.

17

My guess, and it is only a guess, would be that this is a bug in the BIOS you are on.

One way to upgrade your BIOS would be to install Windows 11 and run the BIOS updater EXE in Windows.
You wouldn’t need to pay for Windows, but it would obviously be quite a long tedious and, if you’re not used to it, error prone process.