Installing NixOS on EFI based Intel NUC using USB stick does not output to VGA console

[michas2]

Issue description

I tried to install NixOS on an Intel NUC using a USB stick.
I get the rEFInd boot manager, but running any of the option does only produce a black screen. (The boot process seems to continue but without any visible output it is pretty much impossibe to do anything useful with it.)

(Ubuntu installs fine, so it seems to to be a hardware only issue.)

Steps to reproduce

• Download a current nixos iso and use dd to write it to some USB stick.
• Boot from that device
• Notice the rEFInd boot manager to appear, presenting some nixos entries
• Choose any of the options
• Admire the flawless black screen. :)

Technical details

What kind of details could I collect in order to debug this further?
(Unfortunately the device does not have an serial console.)

[michas2]

I now deactivated UEFI boot on the NUC and installation works fine.

Why is ubuntu able to install with UEFI without problems but NixOS seems to have issues with that?

[danieldk]

I think it is more likely that someone could test/help if you could also mention the NUC model number.

(E.g. my NUC7CJYH with HDMI works fine with UEFI.)

[michas2]

In our case it is NUC8i3BEH.
On the box lspci says VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Device 3ea5 (rev 01) for VGA controller. @danieldk Which VGA controller is used by your box?

[danieldk]

@michas2

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Device 3185 (rev 03)

[peel]

@michas2 apparently you need to update BIOS as it introduces support for Linux on NUC8ixBEH family: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28394/BIOS-Update-BECFL357-86A-?product=126140
Had the same issue and updating BIOS solved it by updating. Works flawless now.

[michalrus]

O, hai. =)

[peel]

Hah, yeah, fatfingering through completions. duh, sorry.

[michas2]

@peel Booting an Ubuntu-Image works perfectly fine. Therefore I'm pretty sure it is possible without any "BIOS" update.

[knedlsepp]

Having the same issue currently with an asus chromebook flip c302ca. Any news?

[stale]

Thank you for your contributions.
This has been automatically marked as stale because it has had no activity for 180 days.
If this is still important to you, we ask that you leave a comment below. Your comment can be as simple as "still important to me". This lets people see that at least one person still cares about this. Someone will have to do this at most twice a year if there is no other activity.
Here are suggestions that might help resolve this more quickly:

1. Search for maintainers and people that previously touched the
   related code and @ mention them in a comment.
2. Ask on the NixOS Discourse. 3. Ask on the #nixos channel on
   irc.freenode.net.