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Hyperlink Update

Minor Versionm

by Iroh

Introduction

How exciting, you got your hands on a Framework Laptop 13 DIY Edition! This guide will walk you through each step from unboxing to powering on your laptop so you can start using it right away. As with all of our guides, make sure you read the directions in each step and view each image first.

Please note this guide is for the Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series) only, if you are setting up one our Intel Core Laptops please refer to the appropriate guide here.

After finishing the Quick Start Guide, if you’re installing Windows, check out our Windows 11 Installation Guide and don’t forget to install the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle. You can also check out our Linux compatibility page for the distros that work great on the Framework Laptop.

If you have questions or run into any issues, check out the Support pages.

Parts

No parts specified.

  1. The first step is to open the box and identify the contents, the exact contents will vary depending on how you configured your Laptop, but inside the box you will find: Bezel Input Cover
    • The first step is to open the box and identify the contents, the exact contents will vary depending on how you configured your Laptop, but inside the box you will find:

    • Bezel

    • Input Cover

    • Framework Laptop 13

    • Power Adapter

    • Expansion Cards

    • Storage, Memory, any additional Expansion Cards and importantly the Framework Screwdriver!

    • Note that depending on the retail packaging for Memory , this may be located underneath the Power Adapter instead.

    Double check that note about the RAM being under the power supply. Wish they would put a note in the box about it...

    Tanner Davis - Reply

    Note to Framework & users just beginning this set-up adventure:

    If you’re like me, and you don’t do this sort of thing frequently, then you don’t have USB drives laying around just waiting to be used. Before you get started, make sure you purchase a USB drive that has at least 8 GB of free space. It will be important to have one the laptop is assembled and you get to the part of installing your OS.

    Eclectic - Reply

  2. Start by unpacking the box containing your Framework Screwdriver, Memory and Storage, these are all together in the box found underneath the Laptop.
    • Start by unpacking the box containing your Framework Screwdriver, Memory and Storage, these are all together in the box found underneath the Laptop.

    • You may also want to remove the Expansion Cards from their boxes at this stage too!

    Note to Framework & users just beginning this set-up adventure:

    If you’re like me, and you don’t do this sort of thing frequently, then you don’t have USB drives laying around just waiting to be used. Before you get started, make sure you purchase a USB drive that has at least 8 GB of free space. It will be important to have one the laptop is assembled and you get to the part of installing your OS.

    Eclectic - Reply

  3. Open the Laptop as pictured and you will find a clear protective cover as pictured, this can simply be lifted off and set aside.
    • Open the Laptop as pictured and you will find a clear protective cover as pictured, this can simply be lifted off and set aside.

    • This protective cover is made of post-consumer recycled PET and is highly recyclable. We recommend this can be disposed of with other household plastic recycling.

    • Please make sure you are using DDR5 Memory as DDR4 Memory is not compatible with this Mainboard.

    • There are black mylar sheets covering the memory slots. These can be gently bent up to insert your memory modules.

    • Insert the Memory module into the Mainboard by aligning the notch on the Memory module with the notch on the socket. Note that for Channel 1 the notch is reversed so the Memory stick may need to be inserted "upside down" with the chips facing down depending on the brand used.

    • Make sure that the memory is fully inserted before proceeding.

    • Once the module is fully inserted, it will rise up at a 20-degree angle. Gently press it down towards the Mainboard until the clips located at the top and bottom of the receptacle snap into place.

    • The first boot after installing a new Memory module will take longer than normal, as the system prepares itself for the new module.

    I had a hard time installing the memory because I didn't know I was supposed to push it into the slot first before pushing it down on the receptacle. so be sure it's pushed into the slot! I had to push it in with a bit of force but not enough to feel like I was gonna break it.

    Robin Dalmy - Reply

    For me it refused to power on with the memory in channel 1, even upon repeating. Switching to channel 0 immediately solved the issue.

    Pieter Kooijman - Reply

    I ordered a single 16GB RAM module, and my laptop would not boot with the RAM in channel 0. I would get 40 seconds of nothing, then the side LEDs would flash white, 12 green flashes of diagnostics, then orange to indicate the post code flashing. Post code 0 and 2 (flash 1 and 3) would be blue while the rest were green.

    Installing the RAM in channel 1 resolved the issue. I don't know if this is by design, or if channel 0 is damaged on mine, but it was definitely confusing for a bit!

    SuperSluether - Reply

    It might be trivial, but it'd be nice to have unboxing instruction as well:

    Flip the plastic tray over, bend it by holding the extra extension part, the memory module should fall out easily.

    Before I figured it out, I tried prying the module out with my finger and pushing it from behind, it flew out and landed hard 💔

    cyan - Reply

    Make sure your RAM is 5600MHz if using AMD!

    deSuperNoodle - Reply

    Thks for that!

    Xavier -

    • Using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver, unscrew the fastener that is used to secure the Storage module.

    • Align the notch on the Storage module with the notch on the socket and slide the module into the Mainboard.

    • Once properly inserted the module will rise up at a 20-degree angle.

    • Using one finger gently hold the Storage module down to the Mainboard and use your other hand to screw in the fastener using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver.

    • Be sure to not over-tighten the fastener.

    I did not see, and the video does not show, the module rising up at a 20 degree angle.

    George Pearson - Reply

    If you haven't yet, and especially if you aren't so familiar with tools, scroll back up to the Tools section and click on the View button to the right of the Framework Screwdriver rectangle. Notice that the Screwdriver has at one end a spudge (smooth pry device) and a double-ended screwdriver bit at the other. The T5 bit is the tiny bit with 6 metal ribs on the end; the other end with 4 metal ribs is a Phillips head bit. If you don't see the T5 bit sticking out of the Screwdriver, pull the bit out, reverse it, and put the end of the bit you were first looking at into the handle. Trying to loosen the Torx screw for the SSD in this step will work if you ensure your screwdriver has the T5 end ready to use.

    The instruction "Using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver" in this step doesn't mean whatever is showing on the other end of the Screwdriver from the spudge. Knowing that the Screwdriver has a two-sided bit helps you find and use the right tool for the job.

    Curious George - Reply

    Not sure if it's my particular unit, but SSD does not "slide" in like the video, it had to be wiggled in even at the correct angle. The memory in comparison, slides smoothly.

    cyan - Reply

    Thanks for this comment--I had the same problem and only figured it out because of the info you provided. To the copywriters maintaining this guide, I'd recommend updating the video to show what the process might look like if you need to wiggle the SSD into the slot.

    Shannon -

    The already mounted screw in the delivered laptop was much too tight to loose with the given Framework screwdriver. I got it out using a high-quality Wera TX6 screwdriver, which had a much tighter/better fit than a TX5 bit.

    Jonathan Haas - Reply

  4. Gently place the Input Cover keyboard side down on the Bottom Cover as indicated on the image. The cover should be about an inch and a half away from the bottom of the Mainboard so that you can comfortably install the Touchpad Cable. Note: The orientation of the Input Cover matters. Study the first image in this step to ensure you are properly attaching the cover. Locate the loop on the end of the Touchpad Cable and insert your finger into it.
    • Gently place the Input Cover keyboard side down on the Bottom Cover as indicated on the image. The cover should be about an inch and a half away from the bottom of the Mainboard so that you can comfortably install the Touchpad Cable.

    • Note: The orientation of the Input Cover matters. Study the first image in this step to ensure you are properly attaching the cover.

    • Locate the loop on the end of the Touchpad Cable and insert your finger into it.

    It means that instead of "lining it up" to the bottom of the frame it needs to be overlapping (at least) 1,5 inch above the mainboard. Otherwise you will not be able to assemble the touchpad cable.

    5tephan - Reply

    "The cover should be about an inch and a half away from the bottom of the Mainboard"... what does this mean?

    abc - Reply

  5. Using slight force, connect the Touchpad Cable by aligning it to the socket on Mainboard. You should hear it click into place once properly connected. Using slight force, connect the Touchpad Cable by aligning it to the socket on Mainboard. You should hear it click into place once properly connected. Using slight force, connect the Touchpad Cable by aligning it to the socket on Mainboard. You should hear it click into place once properly connected.
    • Using slight force, connect the Touchpad Cable by aligning it to the socket on Mainboard. You should hear it click into place once properly connected.

    at best there is a very soft noise when fully inserted (?), certainly not a click

    Robert - Reply

    Will it stay there when it's clicked into place? I've never done anything remotely like this before so I'm afraid I'm going to break something if I'm too rough with it.

    Courtney - Reply

    Yes, it will stay pretty firmly.

    Keith -

  6. Before closing up the laptop, make sure that the Touchpad end of the Touchpad Cable is fully seated in the receptacle. The cable should be inserted far enough that the white line almost touches the receptacle.
    • Before closing up the laptop, make sure that the Touchpad end of the Touchpad Cable is fully seated in the receptacle.

    • The cable should be inserted far enough that the white line almost touches the receptacle.

    • If it is not inserted far enough, you'll need to flip up the black latch on the other side of the connector, slide the cable in further, and then close the black latch again.

    They are talking about the connector on the bottom of the keyboard, not the mainboard. Follow the cable you connected in the mainboard to the otherside of the cable. Check if that's still connected properly. Should be good, was good with me, but shipping

    Ramon - Reply

    This step was confusing. I couldn't figure out how I could possibly check this, so I ignored it and it worked fine.

    Shannon - Reply

    @abc the green arrow indicates the direction (misleadingly) to open the black latch towards left. I think framework meant to show the "force" from right to left but from underneath the latch. The arrow should rather point upwards imho.

    @pyoorkate the dsign hasn´t changed. You`re confusing the touch pad SIDE with the touchpad CABLE ends.

    The touchpad side (end) came already assembled so no need to do anything. The white line is there just hard to spot when the side is already properly fitted :)

    5tephan - Reply

    Confusing images as of this writing. What does the green arrow stand for and point to?

    Provide images /photos with one image showing the cable not far enough in, and one image showing the cable properly fitting. And indicate with symbols inside the images which state is which

    abc - Reply

    yes, this^

    came here to say the same thing

    Senior Jeff -

    It appears the design of this component has changed, there's now a mylar sheet over the top, and no white line to check.

    flickr image

    Kate - Reply

    Your photo is showing the wrong end of the cable. You photographed the end of the cable that you just attached to the computer. This step is referring to the other side. Follow the 6 inch cable with your finger and you'll be at the side of the cable which connects to the underside of the keyboard.

    Keith -

    I didn't see the latch mentioned during my installation. I skipped this step and the touchpad worked just fine for me.

    Nick - Reply

  7. Once the Touchpad cable is secured to the Mainboard, flip the Input Cover over the Bottom Cover so that the keyboard is facing up and attach it to the Bottom Cover by aligning the top and bottom edges of both covers. Tip: The covers are magnetic and should fit into one another easily. If you feel any resistance simply lift the Input Cover up and try again. Note that the Input Cover will not sit entirely flat until the bottom fasteners are tightened. The bottom right corner is slightly lifted to make it easy to remove the Input Cover.
    • Once the Touchpad cable is secured to the Mainboard, flip the Input Cover over the Bottom Cover so that the keyboard is facing up and attach it to the Bottom Cover by aligning the top and bottom edges of both covers.

    • Tip: The covers are magnetic and should fit into one another easily. If you feel any resistance simply lift the Input Cover up and try again.

    • Note that the Input Cover will not sit entirely flat until the bottom fasteners are tightened. The bottom right corner is slightly lifted to make it easy to remove the Input Cover.

    Going off Emir's comment: Ensure the antenna are running beside each other, parallel, and laying as flat as possible against the bottom case.

    If the top right corner still isn't sitting flush, try lifting your webcam cable connector up and over the righthand hinge, like this.

    I spent more time I'd like to admit battling the bezel and input cover, making sure they sit flush. Once I lifted the webcam cable over the hinge, everything sit flush on the first try.

    Dalton Wood - Reply

    The top right corner right below the fingerprint reader sometimes doesn't go flush. Don't force it, your antenna cable are probably mis-routed. It's annoying but just route them again paying attention not to cross them.

    Emir - Reply

    The top left corner of my cover plate annoys me a bit, since it is still slightly lifted even after tightening the festeners (only the part close to the hinge, where a cable goes to the monitor). I double checked that the cable was not in the way, but it is thick and has to go on to of the hinge. The other side is perfectly fit.

    Pascal Belin - Reply

    If the keyboard seems a bit loose, don't worry; it will be tightened to the laptop in the next step.

    Brett Cannon - Reply

  8. If installing a new Bezel, remove the liner pieces on the bottom of the Bezel to expose the adhesive.
    • If installing a new Bezel, remove the liner pieces on the bottom of the Bezel to expose the adhesive.

    It seems almost all of the comments here belong in the next section about actually installing the bezel - only a few of them (if any?) are pertinent to removing the liner pieces to expose the adhesive on the bezel, which is the only action taken here. It's a bit bonkers there's 17 comments before mine in this section about removing liner pieces and only 4 comments at the time of writing in the next section about bezel installation, the latter of which is clearly an order of magnitude more difficult it seems.

    Richard Lloyd - Reply

    There should be some mention of the removable plastic on the switches at the top of the input cover for (en/dis)abling the camera and microphone.

    David P - Reply

    My bezel seemed to install well but the lower left hand corner ended up becoming quite stuck and warped for some reason (perhaps how a particular cable was positioned near the microphone).

    It jammed and was almost impossible to open. I have had to detach the lower hinge of the bezel for now and will need a replacement.

    Not the best experience.

    Nicholas - Reply

    Also had issues with the left corner of the bezel. What happened was I was trying to route the left corner cable below the hinge! That was stupid of me, but it seemed like the appropriate place for the cable to go without much knowledge of laptop bezels. I did fully read and follow the guide, and had the right cable properly fitted; but for some reason it seemed the left cable was supposed to fit under the hinge.

    For anyone who might run into the same problem like I did, here is a picture of how the left cable is supposed to be properly seated:

    https://imgur.com/a/3JcA0xh

    Also, to be fair, the cable was already a bit seated under the hinge when I first opened the laptop, which led me to assume that was how it was supposed to be.

    Ciaran Sanders - Reply

    the guide says "the ezel" instead of "the bezel" at the end of the 4th bullet point.

    Chickenman - Reply

    For me this was really simple and took about 30 seconds.

    Richard Tango-Lowy - Reply

    installed the bezel carefully, or so i thought, when i was finished closed the lid (top cover still off) and the captive screws levered the screen which caused the hinge cover at the bottom of the bezel to just shear off - awesome...i had to re-separate the bezel completely and install from the hinge cover first and then tip the laptop so the captive screws didn't catch in order to check the function again, working now but i've also got half a hinge cover separated from the bezel. Kind of took the shine off my laptop i've been waiting 4 months for

    RJ P - Reply

    Surprisingly, the bezel was by far the hardest item to install for me. I found that it's easier if done without the top cover, however, be very careful to keep the screws fully seated in when moving the hinge - they can lodge themselves in the wrong spot and cause damage otherwise. This was also pointed out in a comment below, but it should really be a warning at the top of each guide.

    As many have noted, the difficult part is getting the lower corners to sit flush. After a lot of tries the best technique I found is:

    - release tension from the cables by taking them out from some of their holding brackets

    - route them so that, with the laptop sitting flat and horizontal, their highest point is no higher than the hinge's. The picture in the guide shows how to do that - the hinge edges are skinnier than the rest, and you're trying to wrap around that tiny bit of space that they leave.

    Even then it's not perfect and my bottom right corner wants to sit a hair higher than the others.

    Demetrio Girardi - Reply

    I also had an issue when placing the bottom left of the bezel onto the screen. A cable connecting to the display was causing the the bezel to just not sit flush once it was closed. If you opened it with the cable misaligned it would cause the bottom left side of the bezel to jut out and really look like it would snap. If this guide could provide a picture on how the wiring of the bottom left should look it would be super helpful.

    I managed to figure out how to position it after some troubleshooting, I just removed the bezel and kept closing the lid with the cable in a new spot. When the cable didn't pop out the back I tried it with the bezel installed, then closed the lid, then checked the back of the casing. I still noticed the bezel wasn't flush but after just pushing it up against the case it managed to snap into position and now seems to work fine after opening/closing the lid.

    Vincent Becerra - Reply

    I had problems with the cable on the left side which caused the lower left corner of the bezel to slightly stick out. You should definitely show a picture of how the left cable should be aligned. Similar to the picture for the Antenna and Camera.

    gbid - Reply

    If the corners are not aligned. carefully lift up the part of the ezel and guide it into place.

    Can I get a comma and a "b" please... ;)

    Todd - Reply

    If the new bezel being aligned was not black it would more clearly demonstrate how to attach the new bezel.

    I incurred two problems.

    When installing my new purple bezel, I removed the left adhesive completely from the bottom of the Bezel when removing the liner piece. I was able to REapply it as it was sticky both sides.

    I had more issues with the left hinge, in fact it snapped when I initially closed it. I was terrified but was thankfully able to dislodge it. I bloody well hope this will not effect the performance.

    Very poor quality indeed, cheap flimsy plastic.

    I did not trust myself to continue setting up my Framework Laptop 13 (13th Gen Intel Core) and put it away until I had more confidence.

    Loretta Bozelle - Reply

    The bezel is cheap plastic and will break easy… if it happens to break it will start to cause issues. Will update with a pic, bezel definitely needs to be redesigned or done already assembled.

    Cameron W Downie - Reply

    Two captive screws on the bottom of the laptop, near hinges, can mess with opening the screen fully if they are extended too far. Try to push them up (towards the motherboard) to avoid interference. In my case they even left a dent on the inner edge of the screen metal lid.

    https://imgur.com/a/IoeMZeK

    Andrew Bond - Reply

    On your picture, you already have installed the keyboard, which would be the next step in the process. Do the screws still stick out without the keyboard installed?

    Jonathan Haas -

    Same issue here, it somehow fixed itself after pressing the bezel a bit. It does click when I open the lid, though. I think the wire might need some tape?

    Yochai Gal - Reply

    I was having issues as well. Check the wires that are tucked in on each side and make sure they are flush with the hinge. There was some tension with the wires and you can use the flat chisel side of the screwdriver tool to gently press the wires down into the chassis grooves.

    Dwalla - Reply

    The bottom right corner of my bezel is not fully pressed down along the display. It's only 1 or 2 mm raised, but it is noticeable when looking at the display from a side view.

    Do not be alarmed if this happens to you as it seems others have experienced something similar based on posts in the community. I spent way too long repeatedly taking off and placing off the bezel to try and resolve it. All other edges of the bezel lay perfectly.

    Sam Mikell - Reply

    • Open the Framework Laptop 180 degrees to attach the Bezel.

    • Starting with the bottom of the Bezel which covers the hinges and cables, align the corners of the Bezel to the display and place it down. The Bezel is attached by magnets and should easily click into place.

    • We recommend feeling along each edge of the Bezel to make sure it is seated correctly before proceeding, if it doesn't seem to be sitting flush, lift it back up and try lowering it into place again.

    • Do not try to install the Bezel without first opening the Laptop fully, doing so could damage the Bezel and potentially the Display.

    • If the bottom of the Bezel doesn't seem to fit, lift it back off and check that the cables are seated correctly on both sides. If the Bezel doesn't seem to fit at all, please contact support and do not force it into place.

    If the bottom right corner of the bezel won't click into place for you, or pops out of place when you open/close the lid, use the spudger end of your FW screwdriver to lift the webcam cable connecter over the righthand hinge, like this image. Don't worry about damaging the webcam cable, it's flexible, just be gentle.

    Dalton Wood - Reply

    Just echoing the comments of David P and others below that a diagram and checkpoint on the display cable routing would be helpful here, as the cable routing arriving neat but passing the wrong side of the left hinge (ie on the input side of the hinge instead of the display side) ended up splitting the bezel on trying to close the laptop lid.

    Luke Rule - Reply

    Second the cable routing check. Ours came with a bit of adhesive sticker on it, we removed and stuck it down behind the hinge.

    Harry Hart - Reply

    If you have trouble getting the bezel to fit flush all the way around:

    If there's a consistent place the bezel is usually unable to sit flush, try seating that point first and working your way around the rest of the bezel. Be gentle, but don't be afraid to take the bezel off and try again (it took a good number of attempts for mine to seat nicely). Gentle force is okay, but if it's not seating take it off and try again

    Cris E - Reply

    NOTE regarding clicking while closing:

    if the screws on the underside of the laptop, closest to the hinge, are held captive by the laptop body but dangling loose, when you try to close the laptop you may hear a crunchy click sort of sound as the bottom edge face of the bezel interferes with the screws. For me, picking up the laptop and orienting it so that the screws weren't dangling and sat more flush allowed me to close the laptop without issue, confirming this seemed to be my issue. You may also be able to screw in those screws ever so slightly so they're held more flush with the laptop body before putting the bezel on, but inspect the laptop and make sure you're not causing any problems before attempting, as this is not the recommend order of operations in the guide. You may not want to close the laptop all the way if you do this as the bezel may help to protect the screen

    Cris E - Reply

    I think adding a clear picture of how the bottom cables should be dressed, or a diagram, would be helpful. With black cables on a black frame, it's hard to see what is supposed to happen and you can break your bezel easily.

    Scott Thomphson - Reply

    Before installing the bezel, check the display cable is routed correctly as per this picture.

    Lima Yankee - Reply

    At the left hinge, the cable seems to belong on the side closer to the display. Mine was on the opposite side, causing the bezel not to fit well, and after closing and reopening the lid, the bezel tore in this corner. It took a lot of wiggling and adjusting to free the bezel and move the cable to its correct position before the lid could be closed and opened easily.

    David P - Reply

    I feel it's easier to start with the top of the bezel. It's easier to feel the corner with fingers and let the bezel snap into place, than having it taped to bottom first and potentially having misalignment at the top later.

    cyan - Reply

    "Starting with the bottom of the Bezel which covers the hinges and cables, align the corners of the Bezel to the display and place it down. The Bezel is attached by magnets and should easily click into place."

    But the "bottom of the Bezel which covers the hinges and cables" is the bent/angled, part with the "framework" logo on it, no?

    abc - Reply

    • Close the Framework Laptop and place it upside down to reveal the fasteners on the Bottom Cover.

    • Using the T5 bit in the Framework Screwdriver, screw all 5 fasteners back into the Bottom Cover.

    • Be sure to not over-tighten the fasteners.

    Once I got the Input Cover and Bezel mounted and fastened the screws, I neither felt nor heard any clicking when closing my laptop. Opening and closing the laptop was smooth and noiseless. I didn't get it right the first time, so I had to disassemble in reverse order and ensure the end of the Bezel near the hinge was fully seated, maybe to get out of the way of the display cable.

    Curious George - Reply

    Should I hear clicking when closing the laptop?

    Ramon - Reply

  9. Insert the Expansion Cards of your choice. With keyboard face up, this configuration supports USB4/DP for the upper left and right slots, USB 3.2 only for the lower left slot and USB 3.2/DP for the lower right slot. All ports can be used for charging via USB. A diagram of Expansion Card compatibility can be found here. Note that USB-A Expansion Cards when placed in the back two slots will result in higher power consumption.  Check the KB article for more detail on this. The text, logo, and QR code on the Expansion Card must be facing down (facing the laptop). Slide the Expansion card into the bay. Using two or more fingers push the card until into the bay until it clicks.
    • Insert the Expansion Cards of your choice. With keyboard face up, this configuration supports USB4/DP for the upper left and right slots, USB 3.2 only for the lower left slot and USB 3.2/DP for the lower right slot. All ports can be used for charging via USB. A diagram of Expansion Card compatibility can be found here.

    • Note that USB-A Expansion Cards when placed in the back two slots will result in higher power consumption. Check the KB article for more detail on this.

    • The text, logo, and QR code on the Expansion Card must be facing down (facing the laptop). Slide the Expansion card into the bay. Using two or more fingers push the card until into the bay until it clicks.

    • You will have to use a slight amount of force to ensure proper installation of the Expansion Cards.

    • Plug your power cable into the USB-C Expansion Card.

    • Open the lid on your Framework Laptop and press the power button.

    • Note that your first boot will take a while before the logo comes up on screen as the system does memory training. The more memory you've installed, the longer this could take (on the order of a minute or two with 64GB!)

    I got the same behaviour, waited about 10 minutes with a blank screen (but power button illuminated) before long-pressing the power button. After turning it back on, I got the expected ~minute or two delay before the logo came up. Then all good! This is with single stick 16gb.

    Casey Matson-deKay - Reply

    This step should stop prior to plugging in the power and turning on the laptop because you have no USB stick set up yet with an OS installer to boot from - duh! A step needs to be inserted about creating the OS installation USB stick and the user told to insert it in the appropriate expansion slot (slots 2 or 4 if USB-A to get them used to avoiding the higher power consumption of slots 1 and 3) prior to the power on steps (I'm assuming the BIOS is set to boot from USB by default on shipping - it would be very unfriendly if it wasn't!).

    Of course, if you've pre-installed an OS on the SSD you installed into the laptop, then you wouldn't need the USB stick, but I suspect the vast majority of people wouldn't do that.

    Richard Lloyd - Reply

    My first time pressing the power button I also saw nothing. I waited 3 minutes. Then I pressed the button once. Nothing happened. Then I held it for > 10 seconds or so; the Framework went off. Then I pressed the power button again to start it again. Then it took 55 seconds till I could saw the Framework logo.

    Manuel Senfft - Reply

    My experience - I tried to power on and saw a blank screen 20+mins.

    I decided to reseat the memory, but when unscrewing, the screen came on! I am reasonably sure that I didn't fit the Keyboard properly. The power button should "click". When I tried to press it, nothing was responding, but reseating the laptop fixed that.

    Otherwise, painless installation.

    Paul Donnelly - Reply

    You need to add which slots are compatible with the other expansion cards, i.e. ethernet, HDMI, etc.

    Also, I turned my computer on and it says "default boot device missing or boot failed. Insert Recovery Media and Hit any key. Then select 'Boot manager' to choose a new Boot Device or to Boot Recovery Media". I never had a logo pop up.

    Ok, I just read the warning ahead but I didn't have a logo pop up at all so I don't know if I'm just running into the error mentioned below or if this is something else on top of that...

    Well, since my touchpad doesn't seem to be working maybe it's that...

    Pressed "enter" and everything is fine.... why isn't that in the instructions????

    Courtney - Reply

    You need to add which slots are compatible with the other expansion cards, i.e. ethernet, HDMI, etc.

    Courtney - Reply

    The diagram of Expansion Card compatibility does not show where we can plug the Ethernet expansion card :-(

    Xavier - Reply

    First power-on I saw a blank screen for a couple minutes and decided to short-press and then long-press (hold for 15 seconds) the power button to shut completely off since I wasn't seeing any BIOS or startup diagnostics. After coming back and reading the note in this step, I became concerned that I shut it down prematurely so the next time I started it, I waited...and waited... after a couple hours, I decided to go to bed and it still hadn't come up with anything on the display after over 8 hours. Power showed on the power switch, and the CPU fan was doing PWM cycles up and down.

    I decided to shut down and re-seat the memory. That did it!

    After re-seating the memory and powering on, I got a screen flicker in a few seconds, a blank screen for ~2 minutes, and then a "framework" splash and diagnostics.

    Benjamin - Reply

    my experience:

    I plugged in USB-C PD in the upper left slot, then pressed the power button immediately. I waited some time, complete silence, nothing happened. In hindsight I now know that the startup hadn't started at all because the power button light did not light up at all.

    Turns out that if you plug in power and press the power button too fast, the system will not have yet reached a state to actually register the power button pressing.

    You will know the laptop is ready for power button pressing once the LED next to the USB-C slot is lit up (orange in my case). Then you can press the power button. The laptop will indicate that it is starting up by turning on the light of the power button immediately (white light edges around the power button).

    abc - Reply

    When I first plugged in my machine I didin't know about this step and started pressing the power button & unplugging the power to trigger a power cycle. I must have inturrupted the RAM process doing this because I ended up waiting with a blank screen for about 15 minutes. I saw somewhere else that it shouldn't take more than a minute or two so unplugged the machine and held down the power button for 10 seconds which restarted the machine. After I plugged it back in and turning it on, I could hear the fans whirring within 10 seconds or so, shortly after that I got a prompt asking for boot media.

    Luke Wilde - Reply

    I installed one 16GB memory module, booted the laptop for the very first time with a bootable usb-stick and had a Debian install menu in less than a minute.

    Paul - Reply

    Memory training seems to be taking far longer than "on the order of a minute or two", even with only 16 GB. @squid @matthartley What is the maximum duration here?

    goldenspinach - Reply

    What is the maximum boot time that should be expected with 64Gb of memory?

    A maximum is needed to understand when additional troubleshooting is needed.

    doug hines - Reply

  10. As the Windows 11 Installer does not include the necessary drivers for the AMD RZ616 Wi-Fi card, you will need to create install media which removes the requirement for an online Microsoft Account during set up by following this guide.
    • As the Windows 11 Installer does not include the necessary drivers for the AMD RZ616 Wi-Fi card, you will need to create install media which removes the requirement for an online Microsoft Account during set up by following this guide.

    • Installing Linux: Check the links below for recommended Linux distros and installation instructions:

    • Ubuntu LTS installation instructions.

    • Fedora installation instructions.

    I find myself navigating through the Boot Manager, specifically within the Boot Options Menu. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of selectable choices available. As a newcomer to Linux, I would greatly appreciate any guidance you could offer

    John Luc Archer - Reply

    I find myself navigating through the Boot Manager, specifically within the Boot Options Menu. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of selectable choices available. As a newcomer to Linux, One would greatly appreciate any guidance you could offer.

    John Luc Archer - Reply

    Ok, what the !&&* did I do wrong -- The screen I'm seeing isn't in your How-to guide at all. There's nothing directing me, telling me what to do next now that I'm at the "insyde"/framework booting page. I selected "boot manager" as I was prompted to do earlier and inside there are no options... I don't know if this is because I haven't inserted the USB I should apparently have already put together or if I'm missing something.

    Ok, I get that your typical customer would know stuff about computers but there's literally no note, warning, or anything on the configuration/shop page to indicate I need any particular level of knowledge in order to participate in the DIY experience. If you guys plan on growing your consumer base, you're going to get more people like me, who don't know anything and assume your guides are good enough for a true beginner, no previous experience required.

    Courtney - Reply

    Hi Courtney - You're right that this step is lacking in key details, but you didn't really do anything wrong. You need to turn the computer back off, then insert your USB, then turn the computer back on with it already inserted, and it should go directly to the windows installer. (don't be discouraged - this is also my first time so it took me some time to figure out!)

    Shannon -

    just found in the community forum two other people who did exactly what I did, all because you instructed us to press the power button before installing Windows (I think?? I'm still trying to find the how-to guide or point at which I was supposed to do that before turning the computer on)

    Courtney -

    I used the Microsoft steps here to Shift F10 and install the entire Framework Driver package: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/wind...

    To get the drivers, I ran the Framework Driver package on the machine I built the Windows installation media from, which decompresses all drivers while it’s running, grabbed that directory and copied that to the installation media to <media drive letter>:\frame.work then ran pnputil /add-driver <USBDriveLetter>:\frame.work\*.inf /subdirs

    /subdirs isn’t in the Microsoft doc, but it enumerates all sub folders and adds all the drivers as OEM drivers to Windows.

    The small benefit of this approach is if you want to use your Microsoft account, you get everything setup from right from OOBE.

    Sam - Reply

  11. After installing your Operating System you will also need to install the latest Framework Laptop Driver Bundle.
    • After installing your Operating System you will also need to install the latest Framework Laptop Driver Bundle.

    • We recommend checking that you are running the latest Framework Laptop BIOS too.

    Whoops, didn't realise the first bullet point link is the same as mine - very confusing, because if you're a Linux user like I am, the "bundle" is irrelevant, but the BIOS is important. Maybe the words "Framework Laptop BIOS" should have the same link too?

    It should be noted that if you run fwupd on Linux and the appropriate GUI components are installed, it's likely you'll get a notification that a firmware update is available and you'll be able to do the BIOS update via the desktop. This is something not actually mentioned in the BIOS download page (they give Linux command line instructions only). I actually did an SSD firmware update on my 64GB Steam Deck this way graphically in desktop mode by installing and running fwupd after I replaced the internal eMMC card with an SK Hynix SSD.

    Richard Lloyd - Reply

    Second bullet point sadly fails to link to the actual BIOS downloads, installation instructions (for Linux, you just run the downloaded .exe for Windows) and release notes at https://knowledgebase.frame.work/en_us/f...

    Richard Lloyd - Reply

    Why isn't this and the previous step before the step to turn on the computer?? How was I supposed to know I would already need things installed on my own before this setup without you telling me so??

    I don't mean that I didn't know I was going to have to install Windows, but you never told me how to actually do the installation onto the computer I'm purchasing.

    Courtney - Reply

    Are we missing some commas?

    After installing your Operating System you, will also need to install the latest Framework Laptop Driver Bundle.

    We recommend checking that you are running the latest Framework Laptop BIOS, too.

    Thank you for creating the guide!

    Todd - Reply

Finish Line

54 other people completed this guide.

Sandy Qualey-Dobson

Member since: 07/19/2022

58 Guides authored

Team

Framework Member of Framework

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4 Comments

Power button lit up, and screen backlight, but nothing else for 10 minutes. I shifted the 32gb memory stick to the other slot and re-seated the storage... Again, lights on but no one is home. What can I try next?

P Wolf - Reply

I am getting this exact behavior, how did you fix it?

lbp -

Fantastic! I've built 3D printers before with DIY kits such as the Prusa i3 Mk3 and compared to that, this was very easy and fast.

Fifthdread - Reply

Tooooo easy!

Nolan - Reply

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