Hi there. I read a lot about NUC vs Nucleus vs Mac Mini. I use an OSX ecosystem for my work production but I figured that there were no SQ benefits from any other different options (final player is a Lyngdorf TDA-3400), so I just wanted easy, reliable playback (price not the most important factor). I like the idea of set and forget with Rock and am happy playing about with PCs (not so much Linux but OK). [preamble/OVER].
I bought a new NUC10i7FNH, 16Gb RAM, 250Gb m2 SDD, 1TB SATA SDD. All worked fine. Plugged in a Microsoft KB and mouse (put the KB in the front of the 3x USB ports). Immediately it became obvious I could not access the usual BIOS setup menu via F2 (I assumed some kind of fast or secure boot options had been enabled, having checked out the Intel support documents). (As a background, I have probably rebooted this unit over 200x now to try various different combinations of keys, jumper settings etc and I canāt precisely remember the sequence of activities).
I did one time manage to find my way in to the visual bios (I think the first time I removed the yellow motherboard security jumper) and I set the boot sequence to go to the UEFI shell. I then was able to update to the latest firmware (v.52) using a USB key. Great! Except that I could find no way back in to the BIOS so that it didnāt boot into the UEFI shell again. Grrr. I did a whole firmware recovery routine to see if there were any residual settings I could erase but it got me no further forward. The Power Mode boot sequence will tell me that a press of F2 gets me in to the BIOS, or F10 lets me change the boot sequence, but very simply, no āFā keys will work (but all other keys do).
I have tried using 3 different HDMI TVs, a video monitor and some PC screens. I do not think that any of them support a native 1024x768 screen resolution because hey, all screens these days use 16:9 format by default, no? This is the only potential issue I can believe is a factor but it seems totally unreasonable to me that I canāt access the BIOS because the NUC canāt use a 25 year old legacy screen resolution.
So here I amā¦ waiting 4 days for Intel to answer a support call with no response. My feeling is to just send this lot back and go buy an equivalent new Mac Mini M1. My point in writing here is to see if there is some obscure trick I donāt know about and to get some wisdom from the hive-mind? I really have thoroughly tried all the regular stuff that is thrown back about F2 canāt access bios issues. Any input much appreciated
Yes, Iāve read it many times looking for some kind of secret sauce. Intel Support have now come online and suggested I donāt have the yellow security jumpers in the right position. I suppose they have to point out all the stupid stuff first. I have tried the jumpers in both positions many timesā¦ this goes well beyond ātinkeringā. I have spent maybe 20 frustrating hours getting really not very far. I simply canāt install ROCK until I can access the Bios. It simply should not be this hard with brand new equipment. Iām no Apple fanboy but right now, it is a seductive alternative. I even considered splashing out on a Nucleus over the weekend, but I am determined to understand what is wrong in this current situation. I want to resolve the issue and learn something from it.
Two things from my experiences, albeit not with a GEN10. I have ROCK on a GEN8.
!, On my standard (non-ROCK) desktop NUC, Iāve had trouble getting into the BIOS on occasion, i.e. I never got the screen messages that talk about hitting various function keys, etc. It turned out to be a problem with my USB hub. Iām not saying your have a USB hub, but only that USB devices can, at least in my case, screw up the boot process.
2, I seem to remember that there was a problem with monitor resolution being inadequate for a ROCK install. I donāt remember if it was for ROCK itself or for boot. I wouldnāt be so sure that a GEN10 NUC can handle low resolution monitors.
Your NUC doesnāt like HD screens. I had to hook mine up to an older 720p screen to get the boot/BIOS screens to show, but once I did, everything else was smooth sailing following the directions posted around this forum.
Good luck with the challengesā¦once you get it working, itās definitely ROCK solid. I wonāt go back to Roon running on Windows againāso much easier to support ROCK without worrying about Windows updates, etc.
I installed ROCK just 3 weeks ago in my NUC 10i7FNHN (Latest NUC 10 from June 2021 with No Audio Jack on the front) and I had zero issues accessing the Visual BIOS plugged into my LG 4K HDR Monitor. I did not mess with any of the jumpers inside the NUC. Mine came with V0.52 BIOS already installed.
BTW, did you try plugging the KB into one of the back USB ports?
Thanks for the reply Mark. None of the āFā-keys are working, including F10 (which sets the boot priority options in the BIOS). The article you referred to recounts the experience of not being able to do the Roon install until the BIOS settings were appropriately set. My problem is one step back from this - I literally canāt get back in to the Bios. The one time I managed to do so and made changes, I could press a floppy disk icon (that means āsaveā right?!) but when I pressed to exit, it told me that changes were not saved. So did the disc icon function work or not? Impossible to know. The only that is certain was that the boot priority was changed to UEFI shell first and that was the one and only time I saw inside the Bios.
Thanks XXX. No USB hubs involved. My various displays can handle much higher resolutions than 1024 (up to 6K on my video monitor) but the Intel NUC troubleshooting doc suggests that NOT having 1024 x 768 resolution can be problematic (even though it is a 25 year old display format). THAT is very fussy in my opinion. I do have a legacy PC monitor that supports that format but doesnāt have HDMI. Everything I do have with HDMI is widescreen or higher resolution, so Intel thinks we should have very specific hardware from within a few years time gap, just to be sure we can boot our NUCs up and get into the bios??? That seems unreasonable to me.
Hey Strojo - thatās a very specific video requirement that I canāt meet between the 7 displays I have available. I might call that a āGoldilocks requirementā.
Hey Enrico - your experience is exactly what I expected and wanted. Mine has the headphones jack on the front. I wonder if I got a āFriday afternoonā unit?!? Manufacturing date was 03/2021 and it had the v0.37 BIOS IIRC. I tried plugging the keyboard into all the ports but with no recogniseable impact.
Iāve used numerous NUCs and I think itās unlikely that the issue is monitor incompatibility given the various displays youāve tried. I have not found NUCs to be particularly finicky when it comes to BIOS and resolutions - usually just works. I think your instinct that NUCs canāt be stuck using ancient resolutions for BIOS access is correct
Youāre obviously very technical and competent (been there, done that with NUCās and emergency mode jumpers) so I hope you donāt take anything I suggest here as condescending, Iām just covering the bases. With that, a couple of ideas:
You mention āPower Modeā boot sequence. NUCs used to have a āfeatureā where a 3-second press of the power button would get you to a boot menu. Have you tried that? I believe 4 seconds overrode it so you needed to be quick. Unfortunately, I think you still need to be able to hit F2 at that menuā¦
If your NUC has two HDMI ports, try both. The 11th Gen NUC Iām currently using as a Windows PC does have two HDMI ports
If your NUC has a Thunderbolt port and you have a monitor which supports USB-C video, and an appropriate cable, give that a shot
Trying plugging the keyboard into different USB ports including ports on the back
Try a different keyboard
Make sure F Lock is enabled on your keyboard
Try different strategies for hitting F2 including using F + 2
Sorry to be the guy educating you on how to hit F2, but Iād rather have you think Iām an ass than have this be the issue and have it not get explored
Support from Intel has so far centred on checking the security jumper is in the right position, have I tried plugging the keyboard in to another port, and could I try using another keyboard.
All of this makes me think - āStop messing about. Send it back. Buy a Mac Mini and it will just workā. Would any of you disagree with that idea?
Hi Greg. Thanks for the comments and no I think it would be unreasonable to feel patronised by anyone when Iām appealing for help from strangers. Iām also doing a sanity check on myself to ensure I am not overlooking something blindingly obvious, because we are all capable of having blind spots
You are right - it is a bit painful - bit Iām trying to do it with good humour. Whilst also trying to arrange an international move, upending my whole life and business, selling off possessions, keeping kids calm and stableā¦ Oops, massive digression. The NUC is part of a wider project to prepare for the next bit of life, where there will be absolutely no hifi shops/dealers around, so Iāve attempted a wholesale upgrade of my kit before leaving. I kind of want to be self-resourcing but this NUC thing is just a little bit irritating because it SHOULD all work, itās just that it doesnāt (and in the end, it might be because I am being an idiot!).
Your suggestions:
itās obvious when the power mode works because you get a slightly different menu - F2 to enter the Bios still doesnāt work from that menu though.
only one HDMI port
annoyingly I have several Thunderbolt monitors but they all have Thunderbolt OUT (to connect in to other Macs). I have HDMI to Thunderbolt adapters but itās pointing in the wrong direction (no inputs on the monitors), so I canāt go this route (I did think of it before though)
I only have one USB keyboard (Mac Magic Keyboards count for nothing here!!)
āF Lockā ARGGH. Could that be it?!?!?!? Going to try it now. That would count as IDIOT factor
Donāt know how long ago or from where you bought your NUC or whether you bought it complete or assembled it from parts, but you might consider returning at least the NUC portion. It sounds like you might have a lemon.
If you do take this route, then I suggest getting a GEN8. From what I read on the forum, itās a better solution for ROCK than a GEN10. You could still use the same M.2, SSD, RAM, etc.
xxx - bought all new from a well known supplier here in Belgium.
GREG. I score 10/10 on the IDIOT scale. I feel completely humiliated and elated, AT THE SAME TIME. It was the F-LOCK. Wow. Even Intel didnāt go so high up the idiot scale and presumed I couldnāt be that stupid!
Iām in to the bios. I reckon Iāve been at this for 20 hours. Please all use this as an apocraphylic story of dumbassery out of (usually) intelligent people.
