Mac mini - temporarily no cords or monitor

how can i use my mac mini that im temporarily w/o any cords or monitor? if i buy the right cords, could i use my friends "viewsonic" monitorthat he uses for his pc? or go to a placelike kinkos and use their cords and monitor? i need data off this computer sooner than ill get my cords and monitor- but cant spend too much money buys stuff i already own, if its too costly..........e.g., if a power cord alone is $40, then ill have just go w/o for now.
thank u for any ideas!

Of course it's impossible to know with 100% certainty, but the problem is almost certainly with the hard drive. Whether its fairly simple data corruption or a mechanical issue, I couldn't tell you based on what you've reported so far.
You could buy a Snow Leopard retail install on DVD. Apple is selling it again, for $20 I believe:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
Just repartition and reformat the drive and install from scratch. With no installation media or backups you'll then have to use the Mac App Store to upgrade to Mountain Lion; I don't think it's possible to get Lion anymore. I've found Mountain Lion to run better than Lion, even on machines only at the bottom end of the system requirements, so it would be a good upgrade for you, anyway.
You could have a friend with Lion (or Mountain Lion) create a USB thumb drive with the Lion (or Mountain Lion) installer for you. Your friend could create a DVD, too, but a USB flash drive is better. It's easy to do, and as long as you purchased Lion (or purchase Mountain Lion later) I don't think anything legal would stand in your way.
http://www.macworld.com/article/1167857/how_to_make_a_bootable_mountain_lion_ins tall_drive.html
If you have data on that drive you can't afford to lose, well, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that you should have been making frequent backups. You could try connecting your computer, in FireWire Target Disk Mode, to another Mac and attempt to copy your critical data that way. But if the drive or its data is corrupt enough to not boot then your data is probably kaput.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661
If you have DiskWarrior, it can't hurt to try it. But if there isn't any irreplaceable data, skip it and just reformat/reinstall.

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Model Name:          Mac mini
Model Identifier:          Macmini3,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2.26 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          3 MB
Memory:          4 GB
Bus Speed:          1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          MM31.0081.B06
SMC Version (system):          1.35f0
NVIDIA GeForce 9400:
Chipset Model:          NVIDIA GeForce 9400
Type:          GPU
Bus:          PCI
VRAM (Total):          256 MB
Vendor:          NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID:          0x0861
Revision ID:          0x00b1
ROM Revision:          3362
Displays:
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Resolution:          800 x 600 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth:          32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display:          Yes
Mirror:          Off
Online:          Yes
Rotation:          Supported
Display Connector:
Status:          No Display Connected (Ed: There is definitely a display connected. I'm using it to file this report.)
System Software Overview:
System Version:          Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549)
Kernel Version:          Darwin 10.8.0
Boot Volume:          Macintosh HD
Boot Mode:          Normal
Computer Name:          siracusa
User Name:          Christopher Rossi (chris)
Secure Virtual Memory:          Not Enabled
64-bit Kernel and Extensions:          No
Time since boot:          4:52

It's unlikely that the upgrades had anything to do with the problem, slim superdrives are just not all that reliable.
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1. Reset the SMC > Resetting the System Management Controller
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Hi
The monitors are;
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Hi,
I have a late 2012 Mac Mini connected to 2x LG HD monitors (one with thunderbolt adapted to HDMI and one on HDMI).
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I have just purchased a late 2012 Mac Mini that I am trying to connect to a LG monitor. Also, I'm trying to obtain the 2560x1080 resolution. The monitor has the following in-puts: Display Port/DVI-D/HDMLx2. The Mac Mini has HDML/Mini Display Port.
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Regards

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Mac mini - temporarily no cords or monitor

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