Hello mlork1:
Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. To your point about freezing, I had the exact same issue with the original BIOS - it would freeze with the solid red line. After I updated to BIOS 21, it would not make it that far, it would just issue a BSOD with an error about ACPI.
With regard to disk drive, yes I am not surprised. I think UEFI was perhaps intended for SSD and maybe hard disk with no SSD was not considered?
Regarding Windows 8, yeah I hear you! If you use Start 8 or Classic Shell, you can minimize your hassle. But technology progresses and sometimes digresses.
I hope Intel fixes these start up issues quickly. I love my NUC and hope it to become my primary desktop. To me, small is better, and I always say, everyone needs a little NUCkie.