I think the issue is going to be related to power negotiations and it is failing or the cable you are using is doing something non-standard. What you could try doing is plugging a USB hub (3.0 or PD based) into your Framework, (it would be best if the hub was independently powered so as to cross that out as a potential problem source) and then plugging the cable for your game into the USB hub. This would hopefully act as a buffer and you should see different behavior.
If this works, then the issue is the cable and the way it handles power.
I was having the issue when the only external peripheral connected was via HDMI as well, so it’s definitely not just a USB cable issue. With that said, I’ve since tried switching the location of my extension cards around a bit and tested with a powered USB hub, and the issues persist.
However, I suppose it’s not quite the same issue as OP was having: my laptop does actually shut down or reboot as requested via the power menu, but it takes up to ten minutes for it to do so. That is, it shows the “Shutting down / rebooting” screen, then the display goes dark and the power button stays lit as it fails to continue the shutdown process for several minutes. Eventually it manages it, then booting back up is usually as quick as expected.
This happens in Windows with any peripheral at all connected. I’ve systematically unplugged everything and plugged in one thing at a time and it happens no matter what’s connected in addition to power. I’ve tried USB-A, HDMI and even headphones with nothing else connected at the same time and they all cause the same behavior.
Relatedly, connecting a Bluetooth headset causes Windows Explorer to crash irretrievably, and rebooting with the Bluetooth device on so it autoconnects on login leads to any attempt at opening audio settings crashing Explorer again.
I appreciate your attempt to help, but I’ve now spent several days troubleshooting all this, including a reinstall of Windows, and I think I’m going to email Framework support to request a return. This machine is a disaster.
I want to clarify and say that my symptoms are the same - Since making the post I’ve noticed that the machine does eventually turn off/reboot, but it takes many minutes (more than 5) of a blank screen (keyboard and power button still illuminated) before it happens.
I’ve ordered a powered USB 2.0 hub to see if it makes a difference and will be raising a support ticket afterwards if not.
If you’re able to, maybe try with just an external display connected but no USB devices and see if it malfunctions the same way. It might not help solve the problem to know that, but might be interesting to Framework support? Also it could eliminate the powered USB hub as a possible solution.
What I find most interesting about this is that I’m only experiencing it in Windows - in Fedora, having peripherals plugged in has no impact on shutdown/reboot, so I’m unsure if it’s a hardware or software issue. Unfortunately in Fedora I’ve been unable to connect my bluetooth headset though, so it hasn’t been a viable alternative for things like work meetings.
No issues with only an HDMI monitor (via USB C adapter) connected, which is interesting in relation to your machine.
I’ve also just tested with a powered USB 3.0 hub which behaves exactly the same as if I plug in the problematic device directly. I’m not expecting the 2.0 hub to work when it arrives but it would be good to rule it out.
I had the same thought. I wouldn’t expect the OS to influence the power negotiation but I’m completely uneducated in the matter.
I’ve found a few more threads (1, 2) with similar issues, interestingly they all have an AMD processor and Windows and I can only find examples within the past month.
I’ve just tried reinstalling the driver bundle, as well as installing the 2024-11 Windows CU (I did check for updates yesterday but this didn’t appear), however the issue is still occuring.
I’m the one experiencing the same behavior (threads 1 you mentionned).
I have contacted the support aaaaaaaaaaaand… no answer…
I tried to unplug everything, reinstall windows, update drivers with and without Framework bundled ones. This is a disaster.
I bought another dock and even if it’s a little bit better, if I plug an usb A or C device in the dock OR in the laptop directly, it crashes and can’t reboot properly.
Appreciate the thought, but disabling fast startup was one of the first things I did and I’ve also done the sfc /scannow song and dance, both to no avail. I won’t be doing any more deeply involved troubleshooting at this point as it’s a waste of work hours, as soon as support gets their ducks in a row for a return I’m replacing this computer with something else.
It seems like a Windows Update is probably to blame. Getting this sorted will be very important so that if a BIOS or driver update is necessary that they are able to work on it. Working with support is going to be the best way to facilitate that.
Understand that if a Windows Update is to blame this means MS changed something and it broke current drivers or BIOS functionality. It isn’t really fair to blame Framework for something MS did.
Of course this isn’t proven here, and we are just trying to drive down to the root issue. But just throwing that out there for what it is worth.
I didn’t find much to indicate that people were havin this same issue outside of Framework users when I looked around initially, but you may be right. Personally I’m not very interested in assigning blame, I just need a computer that functions properly for work - I’ll probably replace this machine with some MacBook variant as Windows 11 seems outright hostile to its users even when it “works”.
I would encourage you to do what works for you. Understanding why things don’t work help you to make informed purchases. For example is it Windows that is the problem or perhaps the maker of your audio cable that you are trying to plug in? Have you checked that it supports Windows 11 by any chance?
I totally understand your reasoning and would do the same given you’re unable to connect literally any external device to your machine.
That said, I would encourage you to detail as much of the issue in your return request (or even better, an initial support ticket if you haven’t already) to try and help Framework avoid losing any other customers. I will do the same once I’ve tested the USB 2.0 hub.
As AltCoyne mentioned, I’m not just having trouble with any one cable or device. Audio, HDMI, USB (with or without powered hub), even bluetooth, it doesn’t matter what I connect. I can see that there are a lot of issues in Windows 11 that’d bother me as well - the constant push to put “AI” in everything, the slow and crash-prone UI, the inability to fully disable Edge as a browser option, and so on - but this particular problem seems to run deeper than that. Plus that even when I boot into Fedora I’m unable to use my bluetooth peripherals.
So yeah, the breaking issues are the reason that I’m returning the computer, and the things I dislike about Windows 11 (which I’ve never used before now, I was on Windows 10 which I find tolerable) are the reason that I’m switching to Mac for work.
I included a link to this very forum thread in my return request, which is part of why I keep describing my issues in detail even though I’ve given up on solving them hopefully you and others can get your Framework machines working as intended, I really do like them conceptually and might get one for personal use in the future. But for a work tool that needs to be stable and reliable I think it requires too much tinkering.
Not that you want to be a test subject any longer; I am curious if the same issues happen with the Intel Core Ultra 1 Framework Laptop 13. If you were willing to return your AMD model at least the memory and SSD works between the two mainboards if you bought the DIY setup. I suspect the issue may not persist with the Intel chipset. There have been a number of oddities that only get brought up on AMD systems.
The latest consumer updates or whatever it is being called in Windows Update (The optional one that is not installed by default and you have to click on it for the “latest experience”) is not a final release; installing those gives users the false sense that it is fully tested and it is NOT. It is being used to expand their testbed before they push it as a full release.
Not saying that is the cause here, though with all the complexities of modern operating systems; sometimes less complication is more beneficial. I do not want extra features if it means having buggy symptoms of the core functionality of a device.
I suspect the issue may not persist with the Intel chipset.
I strongly suspect the same, however I’ve had the laptop since March so I won’t be switching
The latest consumer updates or whatever it is being called in Windows Update
They’re called “Preview” - Stupidly that’s the only difference in the name so they’re easy to mistake for an update you actually want and are displayed even when you’re on the General Availability update channel. That said, I’m on the latest GA (non-preview) update.
hopefully you and others can get your Framework machines working as intended, I really do like them conceptually and might get one for personal use in the future. But for a work tool that needs to be stable and reliable I think it requires too much tinkering.
