Visually impaired BIOS modification

Framework Laptop 16
1

The BIOS is really the only area of computer setup and maintenance that has never been usable by the blind.

I would like to ask please:

Is the default boot order suitable for booting from a micro SD card?

Is virtualisation turned on by default?

Could anyone describe the key presses that would

a. restore the settings to factory defaults if ever needed

b. change the boot order and turn on virtualisation if not as above by default

c. Turn off special media keys

Does the RAM capacity need to be set explicitly in BIOS? I am thinking about getting 96GB.

Very many thanks!

4 Likes
2

The default boot order should prioritize internal drives before any external drives. If you want to boot from a micro-sd card, You probably need to disconnect all your internal drives for it to boot from a micro sd card automatically.

Virtualization should be turned on by default.

Unfortunately, I know of specific macros/shortcuts to change boot order, turn on virtualization, or turn off media keys.

As for the RAM amount, the computer should automatically be able to detect how much memory you have and boot without going into the bios and changing settings.

Hope this helps!

3

Thanks Eliot.
I’m hoping that the first time someone with an f16 goes into their BIOS they might make a careful note of the key presses they use to adjust the boot order and disable the media keys, even if it’s quite a few keys. Quite an ask really but it would really help, or I can’t do anything with it till I find someone to come around the house and have a go at it and that may not be a very techy person.

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I’ll be getting mine in probably a week or week and a half or so, I’ll do my best to remember.

However, I think this is something Framework could have someone do and document, officially, in their wiki pages for the various number of key presses/etc to get to the different options, as well as the default options.

And I agree, I think this is a badly overlooked area where accessibility could be greatly improved, especially since the newer UEFI was designed to be more powerful and extensible and flexible than the old BIOS.

5 Likes
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Thank you. That would be really cool. :slight_smile:

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Sadly because I’m in Batch 14, my Framework 16 still hasn’t arrived yet. The information I provided is standard for basically all BIOSes that I have seen so it should be no different for the Framework.

If there hasn’t been a reply from Aaron or if you have anything else you need help with, you can feel free to reply to this message that way I can see it in my notifications panel. Just make sure to check that Batch 14 has started shipping and some people have received their laptops (hopefully I will be one of them).

Glad to help.

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Thank you. I’m batch 14 as well.

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If the internal drives are prioritised but there is no bootable OS there yet then perhaps the default BIOS setup would still boot from a micro SD card?

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Not sure about sd cards but the 13 does that with usb boot if the internal drive has no bootloader.

If the boot-loader on the internal drive is present but borked that doesn’t work though.

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Its pretty rough, but i hope this helps somewhat:

to get into the BIOS in the first place you have to spam “F2” when booting. I have tried it a few times and it always took about 7 seconds from pressing the power button to entering the BIOS.

Get into BIOS:
completelly turn off Laptop – press Power Button – spam “F2” for about 8 seconds

Your are now in the Main Overview, here you have 3 options in the first row “Continue Boot”, “Boot Manager”, “Boot from File” and 2 options in the second row “Administer Secure Boot”, “Setup Utility”

When first entering this main overview your cursor is on “Continue Boot”. To select “Boot Manager” press right arrow key once. or “Boot from File” press right arrow key twice.

To get into the second row just press down arrow key once, that means to get to the “setup Utility” you have to press the arrow keys down and right each one time.

To get into the selected menue just press “Enter”.

To reset the BIOS to the default settings enter the “Setup Utility” from the Main Overview, then:
4 down, 1 right, 3 down, Enter, Enter
With that the Laptop should reboot into default settings.

After entering “Boot Manager” from the Main Overview you can select the boot media with up and down arrow keys, but i have not tried that yet, as i do not have a usb stick or sd card with me right now.

I have not found a setting to turn of special keys.

For reference, my BIOS version is IFGP6.03.02

EDIT: I’ve just tried reseting the BIOS blind, use the real Enter key, NOT the Numepad Enter key😉

3 Likes
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Thank you Felix. That’s brilliant.

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Okay… after entering the boot manager and selected the media, how do we save and exit please?
Can anyone give any information about the entries for boot selection, so for example a framework with a micro SD card for booting and either one or two SSDs installed?
Very very many thanks.

13

The boot manager isn’t something you save and exit, you just pick an option, press enter and it’ll try booting it.

Unfortunately those aren’t really

in a fixed position, depending on what is available and if the os wrote some uefi variables there can be some additional entries on top or not.

What are you booting from microsd?

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[quote="Adrian_Joachim,
The boot manager isn’t something you save and exit, you just pick an option, press enter and it’ll try booting it.
What are you booting from microsd?
[/quote]

So if you were routinely booting a live boot linux OS for example you can’t just set it to boot from USB or SD card? You have to go through the BIOS boot every time?

I was going to install windows 11 from Micro SD. I wasn’t sure how else I would do it. I need to buy a USB drive? I would have thought an SD or Micro SD card would appear to the system in the same way as any USB device would do.

15

The boot order where you set that permanently is in a different menu, the boot manager entry there is a temporary override.

Most non integrated microsd readers look like usb drives to the system anyway so that should not be an issue, it’s just oddly speciffic

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Also really not a good idea, mSD cards aren’t meant to be written so often and with random I/O like an OS would do. The fact that they’re used that way for RaspberryPi devices is mostly down to cost and form factor. But I really wouldn’t recommend it for Windows.

And I’m very curious, why install to a USB bootable drive? For a troubleshooting bootable image, fix systems, etc, it makes some sense. For the permanent OS of a laptop doesn’t make that much sense to me.

Are you trying to have a bootable image with all your settings and software that you take between machines?

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He was talking about installing FROM a microsd card not TO one, which is reasonable imo if you just happen to have one laying around.

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Ohhh, OK. I’m just up after a long and fun night, my reading comprehension is off this morning.

Thanks for clarifying.

1 Like
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Could I ask where in this procedure the long delay for memory check occurs, the first time the machine is turned on please?
Also are there any useful beeps that occur during the process of entering or exiting BIOS for orientation?
Very many thanks.

20

Yes, very first time it’s powered up the memory training occurs. This can be shortish, 30-60 seconds, or sometimes it can take several minutes. If it’s more than 10 minutes that’s probably too long, contact support.

Nope, not in my experience, if everything is going properly.