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Describe the issue
Can't get Rock installed on NUC8i7BEH
Describe your network setup
Netgear switch & Orbi WiFi mesh system
I’ve tried installing Rock several times on a NUC8i7BEH (which says it’s supported on Roon’s list of Rock-compatible hardware) with no success. Sometimes I can get further than other times, but I’ve never been able to get past the “Preparing” screen before everything goes haywire with the display and the installation seems to freeze up. I’ve tried multiple HDMI cables including a brand new one, multiple monitors, and have triple checked that all BIOS settings are correct including disabling secure boot. I read on another thread where someone mentioned a possible conflict between the Rock software and the graphics controller. Is that a possibility? The HDMI output on the NUC has worked flawlessly up until I tried to install Rock. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Not sure if this will help but is there an updated bios for your unit?
But, before that, have you tried resetting the bios to default, then making the recommended adjustments?
Are you installing in UEFI mode?
Another thing to tty is to redownload ROCK and reflash it to the thumbdrive after “cleaning” (software wise) the thumbdrive.
Yes, I have updated the NUC’s BIOS to the latest available, I loaded the BIOS defaults before proceeding with the other steps, and I’m installing in UEFI mode.
I’ve tried 3 different thumb drives, all with the same result. I’m not sure what you mean by “cleaning” the drives, but I did format each of them before using Etcher to flash them with the Rock software.
Thanks
Have you tried installing another OS onto that NUC? Looks like a hardware problem to me so trying another OS will verify correct operation and give you a chance to test the NUC memory and SSD for any compatibility or faults. Many Linux OS can be booted from a memory stick and can run hardware tests.
In addition, as mentioned above, redownload ROCK and verify it is written correctly to the USB drive. You may be installing from the same corrupt download multiple times.
Yes, prior to trying to install Rock I had Windows 10 installed and running perfectly on the NUC with no hardware conflicts or issues.
I will try downloading Rock from Roon’s website again and then re-flash it to the drive with Etcher just to make sure the copy I’ve been using isn’t corrupted.
Is there a specific link I should use on Roon’s site to ensure I get the latest version of Rock? I’ve noticed there are outdated versions of the installation instructions on various pages on their site so hopefully that’s not the case with the Rock software also.
Thanks
There is a download link hidden in the text. I assume this guide is up to date… 
Use the link in the ROCK Install Guide as noted by @Anthony_B. However, this is not usually the latest version, and that’s why, after installation, it is important to trigger ROCK to update by selecting Reinstall from the Web UI. This is stated in the guide in step 6.
TLDR, “Clean” is a command in “diskpart”, You need to know what you are doing, so, unless you know your way around it, maybe you should not use it…
In case you wanted to know (geek here so don’t read if not interested 
):
You use “Clean” from the command line and is as described below:
I use this to remove all partitions from the thumb drives or micro SD cards that have had images flashed to them before flashing new images. Flashing images can create multiple partitions and sometimes make the drives/cards unreadable/unuseable by Windows or MAC unless you “clean” or delete all partitions from them and create a new partition and reformat. This is not always required but sometimes it helps troublesome flashes to have a “cleaned” media to start with.
If you need more instructions you can google “how to use diskpart clean command” and read up on it.
Ok, I checked the link that Anthony_B posted and it’s the same one I used.
I just formatted my USB drive again (FAT32) and re-downloaded ROCK from the above listed page. The first time I tried flashing it to the drive with Etcher, I got a message during the verification step that the software was corrupted, so I attempted the flash again and the second time it verified correctly. I then went through the BIOS config steps one by one and confirmed everything was set as stated on the instructions page. When I attempted to boot from the USB drive I saw “Welcome to GRUB!” in the top left corner of the screen for a couple seconds and then my screen went to the same jumbled display as pictured in my first post. I tried 3 more times to shut down and reboot the NUC to the USB drive and got the same result each time. I even tried using both USB ports on the front of the NUC in case there was an issue with one of them. In some past attempts I’ve been able to get past the first couple screens where it asks you to select which drive to install to, but then the display goes crazy when I get to the “Preparing Disk” screen. I can’t even get that far now.
As far as updating ROCK as stated in step 6, I’ve never been able to get that far because I can’t get past all of the initial install screens.
Definitely a problem somewhere - you should not be seeing a GRUB message. Let’s see what the support team have to say.
Have you tried both HDMI ports? If you move the HDMI cable around when you get this garbled display does it affect the screen (wiggle the cable to see if it’s a faulty HDMI port or cable end)?
Also try disabling CEC in BIOS, maybe?
Is there more than one HDMI input on your display? Tried them all or a different display/monitor/TV?
You might give flashing with Rufus a try.
From the install guide:
If you are having any issues flashing with Etcher, you can also try Rufus. Please see reference pictures of the flashing process for Rufus below:
I also found this (it’s reddit so…big grain of salt), depends on what BIOS version you are on:
https://www.reddit.com/r/intelnuc/comments/bvmu7y/bios_update_becfl35786a_version_0071_nuc8i7beh_i3/?rdt=53832
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Thanks. My NUC only has 1 HDMI port. I did try disabling CEC yesterday when I first encounter this problem, but it didn’t make a difference. Haven’t tried Rufus yet. Since I was getting nowhere fast with ROCK, I went ahead and installed Windows 11 and Roon Server on the NUC and was successful at getting all of that up and running, but now I’m not sure how to get the regular Roon software that I run on my main PC to find the NUC on my network and link to it as my new core. I can see the NUC in the Network tree in Windows explorer on my main PC, but that’s as far as I’ve been able to get.
I’m making progress. I was able to get signed into the new NUC core using the Roon software on my main PC. Now I can’t figure out how to grant permission to my PC and other devices on my network to access the D drive (8TB SSD) on the new NUC core where I’m going to store my music.
Success! I was able to share the NUC’s D drive with the other devices on my network so I think I’m finally in business now.
Does this mean that we can close this support request since you have Roon up and running on Windows?
Yes, you can close it. Thanks for the assistance.