After changing BIOS primary graphics adapter from AUTO to OnBoard (for Intel GPI Top) UnRaid bootloops unless it's connected to a monitor in the onboard graphics HDMI output

[Taako]

So here's the story, I wanted to start using my i5-10400 iGPU for Jellyfin transcoding. I have a GTX 960 that is passed-through in the VFIO so i can use it with my Windows VM.

 

Until now, my BIOS had its primary graphics adapter set to "auto", but after installing intel GPU Top and still not seeing /dev/dri i discovered that i need to set the iGPU as my primary GPU in the bios. So i went and changed it from auto to "onboard" and suddenly my unraid server kept bootlooping.

 

After enough fiddling i discovered that I need to have my mobo hdmi port connected to a monitor when it boots in order for unraid to start, otherwise it bootloops. When my BIOS primary GPU was set to "auto" i was able to boot the server just fine with no monitors plugged in - in fact, i had to boot with no monitors plugged in, otherwise if i had a monitor plugged into my 960 when i booted, UnRaid would use that for the CLI and i could no longer use the 960 for my windows VM.

 

What's the deal here? Why is unRaid bootlooping if i don't have a monitor in the iGPU slot now that it's the primary bios gpu? Is it my motherboards issue? I am using an AsRock B560M Pro4/ac mobo. Not sure if the issue is that the mobo wigs out when no monitor is detected, but it never had an issue with having no monitor back when it was set to auto (presumably using the 960).

 

Is the solution here to buy an hdmi dummy?

Edited October 13, 2022 by Taako

[JorgeB]

Looks more like a boad/BIOS problem, look for a BIOS update.