additional info: Configurations i've tried
Synoboot_918+_1.03a2
Synoboot_918+1.04b
Synoboot_918+_1.04b+Xtra
DSM 918+ 6.2.1 23824
DSM 918+ 6.2.0 23739
if it were a network card drivers issue, would I be able to install and recover the system, and then have it not connect after reboot?
That's as far as I've gotten. I can recreate the USB stick over and over. It'll ask to install the latest DSM.PAT and once it reboots it's not longer discoverable on the network.