Changed from How-To to Installation

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by Sandy Qualey-Dobson

Windows 10 Installation on the Framework Laptop DIY Edition

Written By: Nirav Patel (and 5 other contributors)
  • Comments: 24
  • Favorites: 2
  • Completions: 21

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

8

Time Required

00:10:00 - 00:20:00

Sections

1

Flags

0

Introduction

We recommend installing Windows 11 for the best performance and long term support from Microsoft, but Windows 10 is also supported on Framework Laptops with 11th Gen Intel Core processors. For 12th Gen Intel Core processors, we strongly recommend using Windows 11, as that is what we’ve thoroughly tested and support. You can use Windows 10 Product Keys to activate Windows 11.

Tools

Parts

No parts specified.

  1. Before installing Windows 10 Home or Pro on your Framework Laptop DIY Edition, make sure you've installed memory, storage, and WiFi. Here is a link to the Framework Laptop DIY Edition Quick Start Guide where we go over all the steps to get started.

    • Before installing Windows 10 Home or Pro on your Framework Laptop DIY Edition, make sure you've installed memory, storage, and WiFi. Here is a link to the Framework Laptop DIY Edition Quick Start Guide where we go over all the steps to get started.

    • Product Key for Windows 10 Home or Pro

    • USB Flash Drive at least 8GB in size

    • Another computer to download the Windows 10 installer from

    • Framework Laptop Driver Bundle

    • Don't forget to install the Driver Bundle after you complete Windows 10 installation. Because the hardware in the Framework Laptop is so new, a fresh Windows install doesn't have the needed drivers.

    I thought I'd be able to use the drive for booting while keeping the existing files, I used my hard drive, and now I can't find any of the files I had on it. Is there a way I could possibly recover the original files?

    I feel that it is misleading that the instructions never mentioned that all the existing data from the drive wouldn't be able to be found. Nothing said that the existing data would be erased, or that the drive should be empty or backed up elsewhere

    Francis Flannery - Reply

    Please specify what file formats will work for the USB Flash Drive, e.g., FAT32, exFAT, etc.

    James Sowers - Reply

    The Windows Media Creation Tool will reformat the USB Flash Drive.

    Nirav Patel -

    “Don't forget to install the Driver Bundle after you complete Windows 10 installation. Because the hardware in the Framework Laptop is so new, a fresh Windows install doesn't have the needed drivers.” Is this still the case or is the hardware recognized by Windows install/update?

    Daniel - Reply

    Yes, you should always install the latest driver bundle to get full functionality and stability.

    Nirav Patel -

    Can I use the storage extension card as boot drive?

    Leonard Thao - Reply

    • If you purchased Windows 10 Home or Pro from Framework, log into your Framework account and navigate to Digital Purchases to redeem your Product Key for Windows 10 Home or Pro.

    • Once you redeem your Product Key for Windows 10 Home or Pro you will not be able to return it for a refund.

    • You can always choose to redeem your key and activate Windows after you complete the install, as the installer lets you skip the Product Key entry step.

  4. Download and launch Microsoft's Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.

    • Download and launch Microsoft's Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.

    • If you navigate to this page from a Linux or Mac system, it'll direct you to download a Windows .iso instead of the Media Creation Tool. We recommend finding a Windows machine instead to create the installer to avoid any issues.

    • On Microsoft's webpage, click on Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) to install Windows 10 on a different PC, and follow the steps listed there to complete the creation of your installation media.

  5. Power off your Framework Laptop.

    • Power off your Framework Laptop.

    • Plug your bootable USB Flash Drive into your Framework Laptop.

    • Power on your Framework Laptop. If the Storage device installed in your laptop is blank, it will boot directly into the Windows 10 Installer.

    • (Optional) If you have an existing operating system installed on the laptop, you'll need to tap F12 repeatedly while booting in order to choose your boot device.

    • That will take you to the BIOS boot selection menu shown in the screenshot. Use your arrow keys to select the boot option for your USB Flash Drive, and then press Enter.

    Is there any reason a Windows USB installation key is not coming up on the new DIY laptop?

    Myles Dear - Reply

  6. Select the appropriate options from the drop down menu on the first screen, and then click "Install Now" on the second screen. The Windows 10 installer uses a fallback driver for the touchpad, so the touchpad behavior may be somewhat janky. After you complete the installation and install the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle, the touchpad will behave normally. The cursor may not appear until after touching the touchpad for a few seconds. If the cursor still doesn't appear, hard power down the laptop by holding the power button until the system shuts off. Then wait 15 seconds, and power on again. You can also use an external USB mouse to complete the installation.

    • Select the appropriate options from the drop down menu on the first screen, and then click "Install Now" on the second screen.

    • The Windows 10 installer uses a fallback driver for the touchpad, so the touchpad behavior may be somewhat janky. After you complete the installation and install the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle, the touchpad will behave normally.

    • The cursor may not appear until after touching the touchpad for a few seconds. If the cursor still doesn't appear, hard power down the laptop by holding the power button until the system shuts off. Then wait 15 seconds, and power on again. You can also use an external USB mouse to complete the installation.

    • You can enter the Product Key now or click on "I don't have a product key" to enter it after installation is complete.

    • If you are entering a Product Key later, choose the version of Windows 10 you'd like to install. This will usually be "Windows 10 Home" or "Windows 10 Pro".

    • You can then accept the license terms. On the next page, select the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option, and Windows will now begin the installation process. Your laptop should restart when complete.

    • If your USB Flash Drive is large, the installer may prompt you to choose which drive to install Windows 10 on. Select the internal drive (typically Drive 0), not the one labelled "ESD".

    I’m having an issue after the “Select the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced option)”. The installation process does not begin, but takes me to the “select drive” page. The installation media cannot detect my 500gb NVME. I’ve moved the memory from channel 0 to channel 1 with the same results. Moved it back to channel 0 and no luck. At the select drive page, I went into the command prompt (Shift + FN + F10) and went into “diskpart” and “list disk”. It doesn’t list my 500gb NVME and only shows my USB stick for booting windows.

    The only idea I have now is to install the NVME in my desktop to see if its bad or not… any other thoughts?

    Joseph Vellella - Reply

    • The installer will reboot and take you through the Windows 10 setup process.

    • If you are using the Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 module your Framework Laptop DIY Edition, Windows 10 doesn't come with the driver by default. You can skip the network setup screen by clicking "I don't have internet," and then connect to a network after installing the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle.

    • Note that if you want to create a local user account instead of logging into a Microsoft Account, you'll need to select "I don't have internet" at the network selection screen. If you connect to a network, the installer will instead ask you to log into a Microsoft Account.

    • If you continue without internet, you'll select "Continue with limited setup" at the next screen.

    • Continue following the on-screen prompts to complete installation.

    • The laptop will then boot into your new Windows 10 installation.

    The above link to Framework Laptop Driver Bundle seems outdated — it’s dated

    2021-10-29, instead of the

    2021-12-16 date that is in the link near top of webpage.

    Doug H - Reply

    • You'll now need to install the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle to get your laptop fully functional.

    • First, download the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle onto a USB Flash Drive. You can use the same one you previously used for Windows 10 installation. You'll need to use another computer for the download if you don't have network access yet on your Framework Laptop.

    • Insert the USB Flash Drive with the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle into your Framework Laptop.

    • Navigate to the folder where the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle is, and double-click on it. Click yes on the "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?" prompt that comes up.

    • The Framework Laptop Driver Bundle will automatically install all of the drivers required to use the Framework Laptop. It will take several minutes to install. At the end of the install, you will be prompted to press any key to reboot. Press any key.

    • After the laptop reboots, you're done! You can connect to a network if you didn't do that earlier, and also Activate Windows if you didn't enter a Product Key during the installation.

    • Make sure to run Windows Update after you're connected to a network to make sure you have the latest security updates. In the future, you'll also be able to get driver and firmware updates through Windows Update.

    • Make sure to update your laptop firmware to the latest available to ensure optimal performance and stability. We also recommend updating your SSD firmware, as we have seen issues on some versions of SN850. Instructions for Western Digital SSD firmware updates are available here.

    During the driver bundle install the DOS window got through about a dozen different device drivers but after the “Installing Intel Graphics driver” it sat for over an hour displaying “This may take several minutes”. It seemed frozen so I don’t know what that is about. I gave up.

    Syn B - Reply

    The above link to Framework Laptop Driver Bundle seems outdated — it’s dated

    2021-10-29, instead of the

    2021-12-16 date that is in the link near top of webpage.

    Doug H - Reply

    After I installed the driver bundle and rebooted, I received a Windows notification that I didn’t have a display driver installed and that if I had one it would improve my battery usage and display. After I did the Windows update, I no longer got this notification.

    I’m curious, does the Framework driver bundle include a display driver? If so, should I update the display driver?

    Douglas Rice - Reply

Conclusion
  • To purchase a Framework Laptop visit the Framework website
  • Want to learn more about the Framework Laptop? Take a look at our blog
  • If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Framework Support

21 other people completed this guide.

Author

with 5 other contributors

Nirav Patel

Member since: 03/24/2021

21 Guides authored

Team

Framework Member of Framework

6 Members

63 Guides authored

10 Comments

I had the same problem and using a different usb key fixed it for me. (Was using the Windows tool both times to make the key). Terrible error message.

Alexander Schokking - Reply

Edit: Found this article from Intel - Unable to Detect the Drive When Installing a New Windows* OS

Didn’t recognize any compatible drivers so still stuck. I’m guessing this is close though… if the framework drivers weren’t stuck behind a .exe and we should have access to the specific storage driver needed we may be able to fix this?

Joseph Vellella - Reply

Duh. My SSD wasn't fully seated. After reinstalling the SSD it works great.

Joseph Vellella -

Reformatting the drive didn’t do any better. Note: I did use a Rufus formatted USB installer to start, but have since tried two different USBs with the official method.

P.S. - I posted a couple comments on this page that are repeats, I tried to delete them but the “delete” button doesn’t work.

Joseph Vellella -

Yup, I did use the officicial method. I’ll format my USB stick and try it again. Looks like Intel, HP, and Dell all have articles specific to this problem, FYI

Joseph Vellella -

Hi Joseph, we’ve seen this issue occur when folks use Ventoy, Rufus, or other USB installer tools instead of Microsoft’s MediaCreationTool. Could you confirm if you used Microsoft’s tool to create the installer?

Nirav Patel -

Followed the install steps but I can't install windows. I get a prompt to load a driver but it doesn't accept the exe package as a valid driver.

Load Driver

A media driver your computer needs is missing. This could be a DVD, USB or Hard disk driver. If you have a CD, DVD, or a USB flash drive with a driver on it, please insert it now.

Note: If the installation media for Windows is in the DVD drive or on a USB drive, you can safely remove it for this step.

Browse | OK | Cancel

I browsed to a thumb drive with the driver bundle but got:

Load Driver

No device drivers were found. Make sure that the installation media contains the correct drivers, and then press OK.

Ok

Not sure why it's not working like described.

Blake - Reply

Found this article from Intel - Unable to Detect the Drive When Installing a New Windows* OS

Didn’t recognize any compatible drivers so still stuck. I’m guessing this is close though… if the framework drivers weren’t stuck behind a .exe and we should have access to the specific storage driver needed we may be able to fix this?

Joseph Vellella -

I’m having an issue after the “Select the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced option)”. The installation process does not begin, but takes me to the “select drive” page. The installation media cannot detect my 500gb NVME. I’ve moved the memory from channel 0 to channel 1 with the same results. Moved it back to channel 0 and no luck. At the select drive page, I went into the command prompt (Shift + FN + F10) and went into “diskpart” and “list disk”. It doesn’t list my 500gb NVME and only shows my USB stick for booting windows.

I’ll try using the .exe drivers from frame.work tonight, but I suspect I’ll have the same issue as above with it not recognizing .exes for driver install.

Joseph Vellella -

Turns out that burning the iso from Ubuntu causes issues.

Blake -

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