Introduction
The Framework Laptop 16 DIY Edition uses an AMD RZ616 WiFi card that the Windows 11 installer doesn't currently include drivers for. To avoid getting stuck during installation, we recommend using Rufus to create the installer, which allows you to bypass the network requirement. This guide takes you through the steps to use Rufus to create a Windows 11 installer.
Note that if you have an Ethernet Expansion Card and a wired connection, you can use the Microsoft Media Creation tool instead.
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If you purchased Windows from Framework, log into your Framework account and navigate to Digital Purchases to redeem your Product Key.
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Once you redeem your Product Key for Windows, 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 installation, as the installer lets you skip the Product Key entry step.
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On a different computer, download the Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices from here.
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In the dropdown select Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for x64 devices) as pictured, and click Download Now.
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Download the latest version of Rufus from here.
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If you are on Windows you will typically need the Standard version outlined here in red or the Portable version if you prefer to run Rufus without installation.
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Plug in a USB thumb drive of at least 8GB in size (note that this will be wiped during installation, so use a blank drive or one with data you don’t need to preserve) into the computer you have Rufus and the Windows 11 ISO on.
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A Storage Expansion Card can also work for this if you have one.
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Once the USB drive is connected launch Rufus.
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Under Device, choose the USB thumb drive.
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Note that if you’re using a very large thumb drive and no drives appear, you may need to click Show advanced drive properties and select List USB Hard Drives
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Click SELECT next to Boot selection and choose the Win11_22H2_English_x64v2.iso that you downloaded earlier.
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You can keep the rest of the settings as the defaults. Click START. You’ll get a screen that says “Windows User Experience”. You can keep those settings as the defaults also, and click OK. You can also adjust the settings if you’d like at this screen, but make sure Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account remains selected.
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After you click OK you'll see a warning that the USB Thumb Drive will be erased during, click OK on this and Rufus will create your install Media
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Once the Green Status Bar is complete you can remove the USB Thumb Drive, plug it into your Framework Laptop 16, and proceed to install Windows
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Power off your Framework Laptop if it is on.
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Plug your bootable USB Flash Drive into your Framework Laptop.
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Power on your Framework Laptop. If the Storage device installed in your laptop is blank, it will boot directly into the Windows Installer.
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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 USB Flash Drive to boot from.
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This will take you to the Boot Manager menu shown in the screenshot. Use your arrow keys to select the "EFI USB Device", and then press Enter.
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Select the appropriate locale options from the drop down menus on the first screen, click Next, and then click "Install Now" on the next screen.
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The Windows installer uses a fallback driver for the touchpad, so the touchpad behavior may be somewhat janky. After you complete installation and install the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle, the touchpad will behave normally.
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The cursor may not appear until after swiping on 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. Wait 15 seconds, and power on again. You can also use the Tab and Enter keys on the keyboard or an external USB mouse to complete the installation.
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You can enter the Product Key now or click on "I don't have a product key" to enter it after installation is complete.
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If you are entering a Product Key later, choose the version of Windows you'd like to install. This will usually be "Windows 11 Home" or "Windows 11 Pro".
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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.
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If your USB Flash Drive is large, the installer may prompt you to choose which drive to install Windows on. Select the internal drive (typically Drive 0), not the one labelled "ESD-USB". If you are overwriting an existing OS, you'll likely need to select and Delete the partitions on the drive to make space for your Windows install.
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The installer will reboot and take you through the Windows setup process. Follow the on-screen prompts to select your region and keyboard layout.
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Until you complete installation and install the Driver Bundle, the Touchpad will be operating in a compatibility mode where functions like two finger scrolling won't work. You can click and drag scrollbars or use the keyboard arrow keys to navigate lists during setup.
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After the system reboots, set your system name.
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This guide assumes you are installing without an internet connection, when prompted to connect to Network, click "I don't have Internet", continue to click "limited setup", accept the license agreement and continue to create a local user account.
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You'll now need to install the Framework Laptop Driver Bundle to get your laptop fully functional.
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First, download the Driver Bundle for your Framework Laptop from here. If you haven't connected to a network yet, you'll need to download this on another system and then copy it over using a USB Flash Drive.
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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.
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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.
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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 installation.
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Make sure to run Windows Update after you're connected to a network to get the latest security updates. In the future, you'll also be able to get driver and firmware updates through Windows Update.
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- If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Framework Support.
- If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Framework Support.
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