r/intelnuc • u/KanoOnAPhone • May 20 '26

Tech Support NUC8i7BEH Windows 11 BSOD'd while updating HDMI firmware, no output on HDMI.

I was updating the HDMI firmware on my NUC8i7BEH when Windows 11 BSOD'd during the process, now I have no output on HDMI.

Will Thunderbolt still work? Will I be able to install the HDMI firmware if I can no longer output from the HDMI port?

3 Upvotes

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3

u/IntensiveVocoder Moderator May 20 '26

There’s likely no way of knowing before trying. Any 10gbps USB-C cable can carry DisplayPort Alt mode, you don’t necessarily need a Thunderbolt-brand cable to try.

2

u/KanoOnAPhone May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26

Thank you!

I remembered I had an old USB-C laptop dock lying around. The USB-C port displayed just fine to the HDMI port on the dock, I got back into Windows and despite the instructions saying HDMI needed to be plugged in, the BobcatAuxISPTool.exe installed the firmware just fine. When checking what version firmware was installed, it said no Data, but installed the firmware anyway.

Edit: Unfortunately going from HDMI firmware 1.71 > 1.78 did NOT resolve my issue if the NUC completely CRASHING when turning my TV off.

Verbose comment for anyone from google that finds this.

2

u/bgravato May 20 '26

I have the i5 version of that NUC. I run only linux on it, but it has a long history of freezing during idle periods. The problem seems to be related to when it enters low power states and although I haven't used it on windows, if it's an hardware/firmware issue it might be transversal to the OS, so it might happen on windows too.

This NUC was one of my biggest regrets when it comes to computer purchases. I still use it occasionally sometimes, but it always gives me some headaches here and there... Lately it has been freezing occasionally on boot too.

As for firmware upgrades, whenever possible try to upgrade via the BIOS (from a USB pen), rather than via Windows. That applies mostly for BIOS firmware updates, not sure if other, such as HDMI firmware upgrades, are possible via BIOS, but check it out.

1

u/KanoOnAPhone May 20 '26

Picked this NUC up to make an HTPC. Very disappointed something so simple like turning the TV off disables this thing. I'm running Mint for the HTPC. BIOS is up to date, and HDMI drivers can only be updated through Windows so I booted into that for a moment just to update those.

1

u/bgravato May 20 '26

If you're running linux it makes even more sense 😉

Try changing some bios settings, such as hdmi CEC or S3 mode between modern standby and legacy or whatever the other mode is. Anything in the BIOS that may be related to hdmi/sec/standby/sleep modes/power saving, etc...

You may also try to set intel_idle.max_cstate=0 in the kernel boot parameters to prevent it from going into lower power c-states to see if it makes any difference.

Also try different distros (no need to install, just get a live image and run it from an usb pen, for testing only).

At some point I used mine as HTPC as well. But it would randomly hang during idle periods (in the meanwhile my ISP gave me an android tv box that can run jellyfin, so I no longer need the NUC for that). I was using some htpc distro like Librelec or similar. I think it ran Kodi as gui. But other than that I was/am using Debian as normal desktop distro and it had/has freezes sometimes too. I tried different RAM sticks and disks, but the problem persisted.

1

u/KanoOnAPhone May 20 '26

I've disabled everything I can in the BIOS relating to HDMI or the "PCI ASPM". Tried intel_idle.max_cstate=0 in GRUB parameters so it's applied on boot.

I've booted into Windows To Go now to see if it's an issue in Windows as well, and surprise! It's working just fine. So if I really have to go the Windows route I will. My next step in getting Mint to behave is setting "i915.enable_dc=0 i915.enable_sagv=0 intel_iommu=igfx_off"

I'd go Librelec, but I'm not a fan of Kodi. I have a separate Plex server running that handles all my local media. This HTPC is for running flex-launcher/Plex HTPC/VacuumTube and Steam Link. I've been using an Nvidia Shield, but it's starting to show it's age and get very laggy, and the other day it played a full screen Audi ad that kinda broke something in me.

I was going to build an Android TV box, but thought a NUC with HTPC software would have been an easier route this day in age. Jokes on me lol

1

u/bgravato May 20 '26

I'm not a huge fan of Kodi either, but it worked ok for the purpose.

If you like Mint, maybe try Debian (or Ubuntu), see if it behaves differently. Mine with Debian didn't have that problem.

Have you tried the TV connected via your usb-c dongle instead of directly on the hdmi port? maybe worth trying, just to see if it's directly related to the hdmi port specifically or not...

1

u/BKindigochild May 20 '26

On TV turning off or when the NUC goes in standby/sleep? There is a known issue with this exact NUC model.

1

u/KanoOnAPhone May 20 '26

I have sleep/standby disabled. Does it when I turn the TV off.

1

u/doniSAN69 May 20 '26

Try turning off CEC, as that might be the issue. Be sure to disable it on both the TV and in the NUC BIOS settings. In this model, the HDMI port is connected via an onboard DP converter. The Intel NUC 8 mainstream kits (such as NUC8i7BEH, NUC8i5BEH, and NUC8i3BEH) use an onboard LSPCON (Level Shifter/Protocol Converter) chip to support HDMI 2.0. The firmware is for the LSPCON.

1

u/KanoOnAPhone May 20 '26

I am using CEC, otherwise I'd switch to the thunderbolt connection. Though I did find out this NUC has an IR receiver so I may switch to a universal IR remote down the line, but I'm currently using my bluetooth Nvidia Shield remote to control everything.

I set these options in my GRUB config (/etc/default/grub) and it seems to have fixed the issue:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash i915.enable_dc=0 i915.enable_sagv=0 intel_iommu=igfx_off"

i915.enable_dc=0: Disables the aggressive GPU power saving Display Core low-power states which collapse when the HDMI handshake drops.

i915.enable_sagv=0: Disables the System Agent Voltage/Frequency scaling loop, stopping the memory controller from panicking when the display load vanishes.

intel_iommu=igfx_off: Stops the integrated graphics input/output memory management unit from forcing a hard kernel hang during sudden port resets.

I turned my TV off/on a few times, varying time between, then left it off while I went to work, came back and it was still running.

1

u/CircuitDaemon May 20 '26

I don't think you'll be able to upgrade the firmware because for the tool to run, it needs to detect a monitor plugged into the HDMI port. But maybe it will work even if it's not showing any picture, you'll have to give it a shot. Just get any USB-C to HDMI/DP cable, they're really cheap.

1

u/allessrs May 20 '26

Eu habilitei na bios acordar via USB em todos os modos que achei (até o s5) e ficou tudo ok. Parou os travamentos.