Bluetooth Not Available on Intel Mac mini

I keep losing the Bluetooth wireless connection between my Apple wireless mouse and keyboard and my Intel Mac mini (which is running Mac OSX 10.5.5)
Tried re-booting but it doesn't always come back.
Looked in System Preferences, but if the connection is lost, Bluetooth has disappeared as if not installed. If the connection is present then all seems OK. You can check battery levels etc.
Left to itself Bluetooth can re-appear sometime later as mysteriously as it disappeared, maybe after half an hour or so. Very annoying as I have to result to using an Apple USB mouse and keyboard when the connection is lost.
Tried running Bluetooth Updater but it says I haven't got Bluetooth if the connection is lost! But it came pre-installed on purchase. Problem only seems to have started since upgrading to Leopard. Never had this problem with Tiger.
Any thoughts would be most welcome.
regards,
BJ

Ok, I've resolved this on my machine, at least for the time being.
Here is what I did. I am not advising anyone else to do this and I am in-no-way stating this will fix your problem. I'm just relaying what worked for me. If anyone chooses to try this then it's on their own head!
I opened my Mac Mini and located the Bluetooth circuit board just in front of the rear power button. I removed the small phillips screw holding the board in place and noticed that the connector that connects the board to the main motherboard was not seated well. I removed the connector and reattached it, making sure I felt the 'click' as the connector was pushed home.
I had also read on the net that the routing of the bluetooth ariel cable may cause problems due to interference from the USB ports. I took the opportunity to extract the ariel and run it over the disk and away from the USB ports. Before putting the lid back on I booted up to check Bluetooth was working again.
So, I now have my Mac Mini with Bluetooth working again. We shall see how long this lasts - perhaps the root cause was a loose connection, in which case it may be fixed permanently now. I shall report back in a few weeks.
Be aware that opening your Mac is going to invalidate any warranty. Mine was out of warranty anyway so I was not bothered. I've also got a degree in software and electronic engineering so know my way round the insides of computers. Please make your own assessment of your level of expertise before deciding to try what I did. It may not work for you anyway!

Similar Messages

Bluetooth: Not Available mac book pro 15 inch

My Bluetooth has gone missing and when i click on bluetooth file exchanger i get this message: no bluetooh hardware found. In order to use this application, you must have a bluetooth module. please verify that your bluetooth hardware is properly attached to the computer.
Could someone please send me a bluetooth driver down load for a macbook pro 15 inch 2011 or another way to solve my problem.
Thank you Apple support community.

If your bluetooth service is suddenly not available on your Mac, here is a fix:
01. Click on “Finder” in bottom left of your screen in the Dock
02. Click on your “Home” icon on the left (picture of a house)
03. Double-click on the “Library” folder
04. Double-click on “Preferences” folder
05. Delete file named “com.apple.Bluetooth.plist” (also delete any other item with “com.apple.Bluetooth…”, if any)
06. Shutdown your computer
07. Unplug all USB and Firewire devices
08. Unplug power cord
09. Remove battery (if it’s a Macbook or Macbook Pro)
10. Wait 1-2 min
11. Hold down power button for 10 sec with the battery out (if it’s a Macbook or Macbook Pro)
12. Insert battery (if it’s a Macbook or Macbook Pro)
13. Startup again
14. It should work!
http://isource.com/2012/02/22/quick-tip-what-to-do-when-bluetooth-abandons-your- mac/

Bluetooth Not Available 10.7.2 2011 Intel iMac

Hi Guys,
I need a little advice whether I have a software issue or Hardware issue with my (May 2011) intel iMac (27")
When I got the new iMac I migrated from old iMac with Snow Leopard and had no bluetooth issues at all.
I upgraded to Lion in July and Bluetooth was OK, 10.7.1 update seemed ok until 2/3 weeks ago, 10.7.2 has had no fix.
This is the problem:
I have an Apple BT Keyboard, BT Magic Mouse & BT Magic Trackpad connected... all was ok untl 2/3 weeks ago.
Currently on the 'top bar' if I click on the BT icon, it says "Bluetooth: Not Available" ...... The BT icon itself has a 'jagged line' through it.
Bluetooth is not shown under System Preferences.. as if it does not appear on my iMac
Also if I check under 'System Information' and click on Bluetooth it says "No Information Found"
I have reset the PRAM and SMC & Verified and repaired HD several times.... all to no avail.
I have favourited the BT devices to the iMac allowed them to wake iMac etc, but does not offer a fix.
Over the last few days it magically comes back on for a while then cuts dead in the middle of 'work'.
What should my next step be?
Thank you very much in advance for any advice offered.
PS:
I have checked the Console.App and have a Kernel log file with these 'panics', I admit this log is way beyond me but if anyone understands it, I'd be grateful:
Oct 11 19:47:17 -imac kernel[0]: [SendHCIRequestFormatted] ### ERROR: [0x0804] (Exit Sniff Mode) -- Send request failed (err = 0x000Cƒ (kBluetoothHCIErrorCommandDisallowed))
Oct 11 19:48:48 imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][StartBulkPipeRead] ClearPipeStall failed with error 0xe00002ed.
Oct 11 19:48:48 jimac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 11 19:48:48 imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e000404f -- kIOUSBPipeStalled
Oct 11 19:48:52imac kernel[0]: [[0xffffff801b49a000] OpCode 0x0C3F from: blued (577) status: 0x00 state: 2 timeout: 4321] Bluetooth warning: An HCI Req timeout occurred.
Oct 11 19:48:52 kernel[0]: [SendHCIRequestFormatted] ### ERROR: [0x0C3F] (Set AFH Host Channel Classification) -- Send request failed (err = 0x0010 (kBluetoothHCIErrorHostTimeout))
Oct 11 19:48:52 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e00002ed -- kIOReturnNotResponding
Oct 11 19:49:00 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][SendACLData] Bulk out [ACL] data failed. (error = 0xe000404f )
Oct 11 19:49:00-imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkOutWriteCompleteHandler] ERROR2: 0xe000404f; sizeRem=00000009; isInactive = 0, suspended = 0
Oct 11 19:49:01 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 11 21:37:08 -imac kernel[0]: [SendHCIRequestFormatted] ### ERROR: [0x0804] (Exit Sniff Mode) -- Send request failed (err = 0x000C (kBluetoothHCIErrorCommandDisallowed))
Oct 11 22:57:37 -imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 11 22:57:44 -imac kernel[0]: [SendHCIRequestFormatted] ### ERROR: [0x0804] (Exit Sniff Mode) -- Send request failed (err = 0x000C (kBluetoothHCIErrorCommandDisallowed))
Oct 11 22:59:29-imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 12 02:00:21 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 12 05:15:32 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][StartBulkPipeRead] ClearPipeStall failed with error 0xe000404f.
Oct 12 05:15:32 imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 12 05:15:32 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e00002ed -- kIOReturnNotResponding
Oct 12 05:15:39 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 12 05:16:32 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][StartBulkPipeRead] ClearPipeStall failed with error 0xe000404f.
Oct 12 05:16:32 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 12 05:16:32 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e00002ed -- kIOReturnNotResponding
Oct 12 05:16:33 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 12 06:20:47 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][StartBulkPipeRead] ClearPipeStall failed with error 0xe000404f.
Oct 12 06:20:47 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 12 06:20:47 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e00002ed -- kIOReturnNotResponding
Oct 12 06:20:54 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 12 08:04:58 -imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by being disconnected
Oct 12 08:04:58 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][StartBulkPipeRead] ClearPipeStall failed with error 0xe00002ed.
Oct 12 08:04:58 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 12 08:04:58 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e000404f -- kIOUSBPipeStalled
Oct 12 08:05:02-imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 12 08:05:42 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][StartBulkPipeRead] ClearPipeStall failed with error 0xe00002ed.
Oct 12 08:05:42 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 12 08:05:42-imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e000404f -- kIOUSBPipeStalled
Oct 12 08:05:46-imac kernel[0]: [[0xffffff80128dc000] OpCode 0x0C3F from: blued (230) status: 0x00 state: 2 timeout: 4321] Bluetooth warning: An HCI Req timeout occurred.
Oct 12 08:05:46-imac kernel[0]: [SendHCIRequestFormatted] ### ERROR: [0x0C3F] (Set AFH Host Channel Classification) -- Send request failed (err = 0x0010 (kBluetoothHCIErrorHostTimeout))
Oct 12 08:05:46 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e00002ed -- kIOReturnNotResponding
Oct 12 08:05:54 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkOutWriteCompleteHandler] ERROR2: 0xe000404f; sizeRem=00000009; isInactive = 0, suspended = 0
Oct 12 20:35:12 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 12 20:39:13 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHIDDriver][getDevicePropertiesWL][c8-bc-c8-fb-60-e8] Error retrieving device properties.
Oct 12 20:39:13 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHIDDriver][probe] Couldn't retrieve device properties
Oct 12 20:47:09 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHIDDriver][getDevicePropertiesWL][10-9a-dd-99-3b-5f] Error retrieving device properties.
Oct 12 20:47:09 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHIDDriver][probe] Couldn't retrieve device properties
Oct 12 20:57:34 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 12 20:58:35 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 12 20:59:50 -imac kernel[0]: [SendHCIRequestFormatted] ### ERROR: [0x0804] (Exit Sniff Mode) -- Send request failed (err = 0x000C (kBluetoothHCIErrorCommandDisallowed))
Oct 12 21:04:13 localhost kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 12 21:24:57 localhost kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 00:14:12 localhost kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 03:03:01 localhost kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 08:31:58 -imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 13 08:34:47 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 13 08:34:48 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 09:14:44 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][StartBulkPipeRead] ClearPipeStall failed with error 0xe000404f.
Oct 13 09:14:44-imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 13 09:14:44 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e00002ed -- kIOReturnNotResponding
Oct 13 09:14:49 -imac kernel[0]: [[0xffffff80140df000] OpCode 0x0C3F from: blued (50) status: 0x00 state: 2 timeout: 4321] Bluetooth warning: An HCI Req timeout occurred.
Oct 13 09:14:49-imac kernel[0]: [SendHCIRequestFormatted] ### ERROR: [0x0C3F] (Set AFH Host Channel Classification) -- Send request failed (err = 0x0010 (kBluetoothHCIErrorHostTimeout))
Oct 13 09:14:49-imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e00002ed -- kIOReturnNotResponding
Oct 13 09:14:56 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][SendACLData] Bulk out [ACL] data failed. (error = 0xe000404f )
Oct 13 09:14:56 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkOutWriteCompleteHandler] ERROR2: 0xe000404f; sizeRem=00000009; isInactive = 0, suspended = 0
Oct 13 09:14:57-imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 09:15:20 -imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 13 17:27:01-imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 13 17:29:17 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 13 18:53:44 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 19:15:29 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController][BulkInReadHandler] Received kIOReturnNotResponding error - retrying: 1.
Oct 13 20:53:33 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 20:53:57 -imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 13 20:57:07 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 22:24:20 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 22:24:44-imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 13 23:32:11 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 23:32:43-imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 13 23:33:54 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 13 23:35:07 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 14 01:15:16 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 14 01:15:39 -imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 14 01:17:37 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 14 01:17:37 -imac kernel[0]: E:[AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController]WARNING !!!! [DeviceRequestCompleteHandler] error e000404f -- kIOUSBPipeStalled
Oct 14 03:04:39 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 14 03:05:09 -imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 14 05:34:25 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 14 05:34:48-imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)
Oct 14 07:24:40 -imac kernel[0]: [IOBluetoothHCIController::setConfigState] calling registerService
Oct 14 07:25:03 -imac kernel[0]: The USB device Bluetooth USB Host Controller (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfa110000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)

Hi elcroz, were you able to fix the issue eventually? Was it a hardware problem? I'm seeing the same behaviour since yesterday (also on a mid 2011 iMac).
When I woke the iMac from sleep yesterday Bluetooth was "gone" - no connection to mouse and keyboard and the module had disappeared from System Preferences. I rebooted and the Mac booted itself into safe mode. I did a PRAM reset and that instantly solved the issue. But today I saw the exact same thing again, only that the Mac wouldn't even respond to my old USB mouse when I connected it. After a hard shutdown and restart everything seems fine… Bluetooth available and functioning. What the **** is going on here?
I just performed the Apple Hardware test and no problems were found.
I'm seeing some of the same errors in console you pasted, but only one line of each after a restart.
Strangely my keyboard was mentioned in the console logs and my mouse wasn't - so I will keep using a USB keyboard for now to see how it goes.
Anyway, I would really appreciate any advice - let me know how it turned out for you, if you get the chance. I don't want to bring the Mac to an ASP if it's not really necessary, the nearest one is more than an hour away from where I am….
Cheers

Bluetooth not available running 10.6.8

Mac mini/10.6.8/1.66 GHz/2GB/667 MHz/DDR2 SDRAM/CoreDuo-Intel
I have tried EVERYTHING except removing the case to check the bluetooth wire/chip. PLEASE tell me there is a fix out there for BLUETOOTH NOT AVAILABLE, please! I am tired of re-reading through the 2008 posts trying to find something I missed.
APPLE?!?! (oh Steve, we need you)

Having same problem here. In addition USB hub does not work, but individual USB do work when plugged in directly to MacBook

Intel Mac mini and widescreen TV output (analog)

I just replaced my 1.25 GHz mini with a dual-core Intel one, and are really disappointed that the wide-screen resolution options are nowhere to be found. I'm using the Apple DVI-to-Video adapter with an S-Video cable.
On the G4 Mac mini, I would get 640x480 (NTSC 4:3), 800x480 (NTSC 16:9), 768x576 (PAL 4:3) and 1024x576 (PAL 16:9). Together with Overscan and Best for Video, I got a really nice picture on my 16:9 CRT TV (can display PAL and NTSC in either 4:3 or 16:9).
With the Intel Mac mini, I only get 640x480.
(The other available resolutions do not match with the actual NTSC or PAL frequencies or aspect ratios. For example, 720x480 or 720x576 is used as the pixel format for some digital media, but the pixels are not square, and so far, all software expects display pixels to be square. So it's actually quite useless.)
Is there a trick to get those resolutions to show up in Displays and become usable?

1.) I am using either 1920x1080 (interlaced) which is the resultion that has the worst problem with text sharpness. Now, I have discovered the Zoom feature in OSX and I can use it to some degree to make things readable. This may be my best option.
2.) I have done the calibraton and it does look quite a bit better. Those the DVD output is good but not great.
3.) Apparently, from what I have read, this is a common problem. Maybe a driver upgrade from Apple or Intel could fix?
I bought a Philips DVI cable. I know it's not the best but it should suffice. Monster cables seem to be overpriced. I plan to hook my PC to my HDTV with the same cable. My ATi card supports HD resolutions as well.
I also hooked the mini to my CRT that I have on my Dell and it looks very good there. I am impressed that OSX adjusts the resoltions that it can display upon boot. Even which switching displays.
Intel Mini Duo Core Mac OS X (10.4.5) 512MB RAM

Need help with Intel Mac mini... potential logic board failure...

Hey everyone! For the past couple years, I've been using an Intel Mac mini which I was able to afford before rough times hit for me. It has been a champ for a long time, until recently. In the past week, the clock would lose time ever so often, and last week, whenever I'd try to power it up in the morning (as I shut it down every night), it wouldn't start up most times (meaning, you hit the power, nothing... no LED, no fan, nothing on screen, nada). After a while, I would somehow manage to get it to start. I assumed at this point, the lithium battery (coin type CR2032, not the traditional 1/2 AA purple battery) was shot. Since I'm in the middle of a job transition, I was waiting until I had time to put in a new battery, which I was planning to do this weekend. Then Wednesday happened...
I go to start it, nothing... A week before this, I started losing time and sometimes it would not boot. I figured eventually I would be able to start it since I was able to sometimes get it to start after a half hour or more. That didn't happen. So I decided to go ahead and swap in the new battery. I do that, power it up, nothing. I reset the SMC (same as PMU on the PPC Macs), to no avail. I reseated the RAM, and did everything I could think of, but it's deader than Elvis. I also had took the power supply to a guy who had a voltimeter. He said voltage was getting to all pins.
I went back and read some of the archives on this board. Someone mentioned something about a repair exception. It mentioned that sometimes if you call AppleCare (even if you don't have it) and ask for a repair exception, sometimes they'll agree to have the logic board replaced due to it being a documented problem. How true is this and who should I contact?
Can anyone suggest anything here? If I can't revive the mini, I may have to drag my iMac back out and try to set it up to run OS X. I can't no where near afford another computer at this point. I'm praying the mini can be fixed. I would appreciate any and all suggestions!
Thanks in advance!
Tommy

It does sound like the logic board has gone bad. However, there are no current repair extension programs open on the Mac Minis.
This page lists the open extensions:
http://www.apple.com/support/exchange_repair/
So that's not an option. I assume that the Mini doesn't have AppleCare (whoops.), so I would not count on Apple covering it, but it's always worth a shot. You can call AppleCare (1-800-275-2273) or visit your local Apple Store

Dual PowerMac G4 or Core Duo Intel Mac Mini?

Right now I have a Intel Core Duo Mac mini. I have the following setup and specs on my desk. The mini contains the Duo 1.66GHz processor, 2GB DDR SDRam, 80GB hard drive, OS X & Windows XP, AirPort +Bluetooth, and so on. My problem is that I have always been a tower lover and that is why I purchased the Mac mini because I purchased a 20.1 widescreen HD Dell LCD with DVI-D, VGA, Component, and so on imputs. I wanted this for my Xbox 360 also.
Here is where it starts to get complicated. I also have four, yes four, external hard drives sitting on my desk, and I still need more hard disc space. I have a 250GB, 120GB, 250GB, and 60GB. Plus remember I have a 80GB in the mini. I am also looking into another 250GB or 500GB external hard drive.
Now before I had the mini, I had the original iMac G5 which had a 1.6GHz PowerPC G5 processor in it, 160GB hard drive, and 1.5GB of ram. It was showing age and I needed more speed and a bigger display so I ditched it for the Intel Mac mini.
In addition I am pulling 12 USB ports out the back of my Mac mini. I have a few hubs fulling almost all the ports. I need these for the external hard drives. If I go internal, I can probably live with 6-8 USB 2.0 ports. I will need at least 1 firewire or an iSight camera or my Sony HD handycam, but USB is more needed. In addition I see some PowerMac G4's came with Firewire 800? Is this something I would need, I currently however have no use for it.
But now I really see the need of a PowerMac G4 Quicksilver tower. I was looking into the Dual 1.42GHz PowerPC G4 models, and really don't know which is faster. I would obviously love the expandability of the PCI cards, and independed graphics memory, but am I willing to transition back to PowerPC after moving over the Intel?
I don't know so I am posting it all here in the PowerMac G4 section of the Apple forums. I really hope I can get some good advice here. By the way, I am very Apple and technology frantic, so I know the ins and outs of a tower and stuff like that. So a non Apple warrenty would probably not be a problem.
But one problem is, how much could I get for my Mini which cost me $1099 and how much would a decent G4 tower cost me? I have an extra Nvideo GeForce 4 MX 5400 Ultra with 64MB of ram and DVD-D/ VGA outputs, so that isn't a problem. Plus to replace the AirPort Extreme built into the mini, I have a AirLink 101 Super G (108MBPS) Wireless PCI card. Bluetooth can be added with a simple USB dongle.
UPDATE: Forgot the mention I already have a DVD Burner compatible with OS X and 3.5inch bays. I would like a Dual Layer, but if its a tower, I can upgrade that anytime.
UPDATE x2: I would also like to mention that I use Gigabit Ethernet so any PowerMac model I choose would have to acomidate that such as the Intel Mac mini does.
THANKS EVERYONE!!!!
Mac Mini 1.67GHz Intel Core Duo, 2GB ram, 1.5TB storage, OS X v.10.4.6, 30GB iPo Mac OS X (10.4.6)

I would like one day to have a tower with 4-8 HD drives
(120-250GB each) and HD DVD and Blue-Ray burners.
Good luck Even the Dell towers we have at work have space for 3 HDs, and thats only of you give up one of the CD bays.
Honestly, I unless a blueray player ships in the CPU, I would get a PS3. 1/2 the cost of a standalone blu-ray player, and a game system too
Expected street prices from Sony and Toshiba web sites:
standalone Sony blueray player: 995.
Toshiba HD-DVD: 599
Sony PS3 w/ bluray: 499/599
Is the reason the PowerPC G4 can't handle HD DVD is
processor speed or what? Cause there is always
processor upgrade cards up to 1.8GHz and 2.0GHz Dual.
Thanks.
One of the Apple support pages says you must have a G5...
does not give the background behind it.
On a G4, the OS will not allow HDDVD playback (as HD is defined by FinalCutHD) via the DVD player, BUT it will play back HD video clips (like QT trailers)
On my 867, 720i clips played back w/o a problem, but 1080 would freeze for 20 seconds at a time, (while audio continued normally)
on my Dual 1.42, I have no problems with 1080.
I hesitate to consider or recommend processor upgrade cards b/c for some, the price approaches the cost of a new machine w/o the benefits of faster busses, etc, and, right on the side of the OS X box, it says processor upgrade cards not supported. I would hate to upgrade the OS to find it refused to support my machine.

Dead Intel Mac Mini - any electronics geniuses?

Hi all,
Shortly after powering on my personal 1.66 GHz Intel Mac Mini last night it went straight off not to turn on again.
It made the startup chime and began booting but that was as far as it got. Now completely dead.
Luckily I am an independent Mac repairer and have access to a known good power supply so that was the first thing I checked but no luck - still dead.
Have obviously reset PMU and SMC as well as every other trick I know but it resolutely remains lifeless.
Have removed all peripherals (HD, SuperDrive, AP and BlueTooth) and shorted across the power button switch (just in case it was a duff button)
I have arrived at the conclusion it is something power related - a dead GPU or CPU would usually still give a glimmer of life but there is absolutely nothing happening - plus the fact that it started to boot then went straight off rather than froze.
I'm handy with a soldering iron and know how to use a multimeter but need a helping hand locating/testing for dead components at board level
Does anybody know what component/components might be causing this? Any help gratefully received as always
Ryan

Not exactly your same problem, but an interesting thread here that might help:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9524465#9524465

Intel Mac Mini stuck in reboot loop

I just upgraded the hard drive in my 2007 intel mac mini core duo. Drive formatted successfully, contains GUID Partition Table.
OSX 10.5 installed successfully.
Machine rebooted, I ran software update to 10.5.7 successfully.
Upon installing Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Acrobat Reader, machine began to react slowly to commands.
Rebooted machine, went to Grey Apple Screen with spinning dash wheen icon.
Machine rebooted itself, once again going to the grey apply screen with the spinning wheel.
After about 15 minutes of letting the continual reboot cycle happen, I inserted the installation DVD for 10.5, held the power button in to power off the machine, and booted from the disk.
I ran disk utility. Disk Utility shows the hard drive, shows the partition (GUID Partition) correctly.
I Verified Disk, which verified as "OK"
Repaired permissions.
Restarted machine.
Once again, it loaded to the grey apple screen, stayed there with the spinning dash wheel for about 3 minutes then continued to reboot over and over (everytime it reboots it sticks on the grey apple screen for 3 minutes before rebooting.
I once again powered off the machine and reset the PRAM.
Machine stuck again on reboot cycle.
I powered off the machine and reset the mini's SMC.
Machine is still stuck in reboot cycle.
I have also taken the mini back apart and verified that all RAM and connections are seated properly.
Any advice on what to do at this point will be very helpful.

+And I promise I will not download and install a hundred different programs this time.+
Good idea.
Any time you install software in OSX, there is a small, but finite, chance that the installation process won't be able to access a needed file because it is in use. This can mess up pre-binding, or even prevent files from being updated.
So the best advice is not to run any other programs while doing software installs or updates. And when in doubt, run DiskUtility afterwards and fix permissions one more time.
I cringe whenever I think of a post I read a while back about a Mac user who boasted about what music he likes to run in iTunes while doing system software updates. Not a good idea. It's "Russian roulette" with maybe 99 blanks in the "gun", but one real bullet that can kill your Mac's installation.

Need Advice: New Intel Mac Mini Still In The Box

Hi!
Okay.. I know... I have several posts going here as I have several issues I am trying to solve rather simultaneously. Thanks for being patient with me.
I have my old 1.25 Ghz PowerPC Mac Mini running 10.4.11 and all was well and happy. Then Security Update 2007-009 happened and all went to ....well... you know and, yes, it was bad! Went to Apple, got it running of sorts as they re-installed the OS, but they used an old version of OS X. (10.4.7. Can you believe that?) This caused other problems. It continues to have all sorts of difficulties, as I have had to get applications to re-recognize that the computer is back up to 10.4.11. Currently, I am struggling with trying to get iTunes to access it's music folders on the external hard drives. Realized that I hadn't even gotten around to figuring out whether or not some of my other applications work, like some of the games and third party, etc.
The thing is I got a new Intel Mac Mini for Christmas and it's still in the box because as I suspected I need to get my old mac perfect again before I can even think about migrating stuff over to the new Mac. But.. here's the thing... it's starting to look pretty much like 2008 will come and go before I can get the old Mac ready enough to take the new Mac out of the box. This really is rather silly!
Now... I can't get the old Mac to see the music and it made me think. I have all of my iTunes music and iPhoto backed up on an external hard drive (I used Apple's "Back-up" software to do it) and in addition to this two complete copies of the iTunes music and iPhoto photos albums on two separate external hard drives. Should I just forget using migration assistant? Can I get my music and my photo albums into the new mac directly from the external hard drives?
Or...can I use "back up" to restore the music and photos into the new Mac?
I am starting to think that the best way to get my new Mac running is not risk it by attaching it to my old Mac. What do you think?
Thank you so much for any advice or experiences you can give. -Charlotte

I know that I am vacillating back and forth as to what to do. Thanks so much for being patient with me. All of your advice is really appreciated and I am at least closing in on deciding on my strategy. Probably will follow your first response advice, especially considering that some of the third party apps may not have updates to handle Leopard quite yet. Anyway... it's a good strategy since everything is on the externals anyway.
You can say that fine.
Ha ha ha.... yes, I've been messing around with computers since my parents bought our first Apple computer back in 1979. Just like you, I've never had a serious problem with any of the computers and we've had them all, running all sorts of things from the Original Apple and Apple IIc (which my parents still have and it still runs!) to the Commodore and all the Windows permeations and then on to the Macs running Jaguar, Panther and Tiger, probably because we've always been careful with the machines and what we install in them and how we update them. I have always kept my computers on UPS' and un-plug them when storms brew outside. As it is I am still using my eight year old Windows 98 computer, (for games mostly) and it still runs quicker than most peoples windows pcs and it's only a 740 Megahertz.
I haven't had to re-install anything, especially on this lovely little Mac Mini until now and wouldn't have in this situation, had I known more. I had taken the little Mac Mini in for a Procare "Tune-Up," only four days before the big up-date disaster. Not sure what they did to my mac in the tune-up but the guy gave me back the machine assuring me that the computer was perfect with no problems in answer to my asking "were they sure?" Even after the Genius Bar techs at the Apple Store re-installed the OS to fix the big problems it seems that no one ever thought to run verify disk. Had the Genius Bar techs at the time of the tune-up done this, or at least told me to do this, the last security update would not have wrecked so much havoc. It was only after I got the machine back from Apple that second time that I found that the directory had been corrupted when I ran disk verify. Actually it is amazing that I have had this little Mac Mini for so long and so not have had any problems on it that I would be able to go so long without having to know this really pretty important aspect of keeping one's mac in good running shape. I had been running maintenance scripts and permissions verify and repair and thought that was all there was to it. Silly! You know... that really is a testimony of how nice these little machines are.
Anyway... experience is a good teacher and I have learned so much it's actually been great! This stuff is pretty interesting.
Now... on to Leopard!
Thanks so much and you have a great New Year! -Charlotte

IMac takes 4 minutes to boot up, bluetooth not available

Hello, this is my first post on Apple Discussions!
The day before yesterday we had quite a vicious storm here and lost power for about a minute. My Mac was switched on when the power cut out, but I was downstairs, having some lunch. Unfortunately, I have no surge protection on my power bar / extension cord thing (I know...). I immediately unplugged it, only turning it back on after the storm had calmed down.
Thinking nothing of it, I powered on my Mac and left it unattended for about 10 minutes (so I don't know how long it took to boot up!). When I came back, I was greeted by the login screen and proceeded as usual. However, the next time I powered on my computer, I could not get past the white screen after the chime (no Apple logo). Now, this has happened to me before, so I waited a couple of minutes. Nothing. I decided to power it down (holding down the power button) and try rebooting it, this time holding down the option key (to bring up the partitions), as this has helped me in the past. White screen for a couple of minutes. Impatient and annoyed, I powered it down again. Rebooted holding down the shift key, for Safe Mode. Nothing again. This time I left it on the white screen while I looked for an old USB keyboard, thinking my wireless keyboard might not have been pairing. Little did I know I would have to use this sh***y keyboard from this point forward.
So, I got my keyboard (remember I had left my Mac on the white screen) and when I returned I was pleasantly surprised to see the login screen. I noticed, however, that I could not use my wireless keyboard (I have a wired Razer mouse). So I plugged in the old PC keyboard I found, and logged in. Which is when I noticed the Bluetooth icon was strange; it was greyed out and had a jagged line through it, and when I clicked on it, said "Bluetooth: Not Available".
I restarted my Mac, just to see if the issues would be fixed. Nope. It took about four minutes to start up, and no Bluetooth. I checked the System Preferences and it says there is "No Bluetooth Hardware Found". "No information found" in System Information either.
The problem is that during the white screen on bootup (I always hear the chime btw), I have no control. I cannot enter Safe Mode, see the partitions, reset the NVRAM or PRAM. I just have to wait until I see the Apple logo after about four minutes. After login, everything (bar Bluetooth) seems fine. I have verified disk, and it says it's fine. Verified and repaired permissions as well. I looked and noticed that I have no com.apple.bluetooth.plist file in my library.
I don't know what to do from here! My extended Apple Care has expired Should I install Mavericks? Could that fix my problems? Or should I clean install ML, and then install Mavericks? But if the storm did do some damage, the issue is probably hardware... Please help me.
Thanks, and sorry for the length
PS. I have been having a little trouble with my finder since a while now (months). Sometimes, when I open a folder the CPU will shoot up to 100% and the Mac would freeze for a couple of seconds. Then it would be normal again. I have used up about 1.5 TB (including a Bootcamp partition) from my 2TB HDD. I doubt this is related, but I though I'd throw it in anyway. Again, I apologise for the length.

Installing a new OS X over a problematic one will get you a new problematic OS X.
I suggest you run repair disk first. Then I would reset the SMC.
I "think" that some of your problems stem from the power problem you described. No surge protector is akin to (fill in the negative outcome blank). The lecture ends here.
IMHO, you have some hardware problem(s). I suggest you take the computer to an Apple store for diagnosis. Be sure to bring your documentation of the things above along.
Barry

Can I use a Power PC non intel Mac Mini as an external HD with my iMac 3.06

Can I use a Power PC non intel Mac Mini as an external HD with my iMac 3.06 Intel Core Duo
I can't figure out how to get this to work. Is it possible?

WildBull wrote:
Will it work if I connect via usb instead of firewire?
No. There is no "USB Target Disk Mode".
Just so we're clear, when you start your Mac mini in FireWire Target Disk Mode (TDM - holding T on startup), do you see a FireWire icon on the Mac mini's display? IIRC, it's not required that the Mac mini be connected to a display for TDM, but it would help diagnose whether or not the mini is actually starting in this mode.

How can I tell if I have the right restore disks for Intel Mac Mini

I have an "early 2006" (confirmed by S/N YM609***) Intel Mac Mini 1.66mhz Core Duo. I bought it used and the hard drive had been wiped. Both the HD and the DVD drive seem to work fine; hard drive passes SMART tests. I was able to boot using "Drive Genius" and can access the pre-install items like Disk Utility (and know that I need to use GUID formatting to create a bootable disk). Not knowing I could order restore disks from Apple I bought a set on eBay, p/n AHT VERSION 3A102 DISC VERSION 1.1 2Z691-5828-A, copyright 2006 on disks and included documentation (OS 10.4.6), but the install always fails 10-15 minutes along. I got the same results when trying to install via internal optical drive to a FW or USB external HD (told it to use GUID for the external HD), or external FW optical drive both to internal HD and to external USB hard drive. A friend tried to install full retail versions of 10.5 and even 10.6 for diagnostic purposes, using the built in HD and DVD drives, but those installs did not complete either; they did not try external drives. Is that the wrong restore version for this model, or even if the right "generation", does a set of restore disks only work with the specific Mac mini they were issued for like for example XP restore disks would? I've been told I can provide my s/n to Apple and for about $30 they will send me the "right" restore disks... anyone know anything about this? Could there be a hardware/firmware explanation for why the install fails like that? PS ran the extended version of the Apple Hardware Test with that restore disk set and it reported "no problems."
<Edited by Host>

Thanks. Actually I got the Mini from a computer recycling company I work with so I knew it might have problems and that I was taking an "as-is" risk. If the original disks were turned in with it, they'd been lost (that outfit took in huge piles of stuff every day; it was often luck of the draw for me to find something before it would be buried, damaged, etc., and not everyone who worked there had any idea of the possible value of things they received) for me to find things. The disks I got on eBay apparently were separated from the mini they'd been packaged for. An Apple Store rep said I could order restore direct from Apple just by providing my serial number; just wish I'd known that before I went to eBay. Since posting this I've seen another seller specifically claiming that the same-part-numbered-as-mine disc set they are selling will work with my specific type of Mac mini. I have an appointment tomorrow morning at the Genius Bar at an Apple store near me in case they have more suggestions. Will share what I know as things develop.

Ipod touch 1st generation not showing up on mac mini G4 1,42

Our children use a mac mini 1,42 (MacOs 10.4, latest revision) and our daughter syncs her iPod nano 6 with her itunes library (iTunes 9.x). I created a separate account for our son and tried to connect my old 1st gen touch to the mini for him. unfortunately the touch does not connect on the mac mini's USB port (no charging, nothing in System Profiler, evidently no syncing). The nano does. Both ipods connect to my Macbook Black (2007 2,16 GHz Intel, MacOs 10.6.7, iTunes 10), as do our iPhones …
… any ideas, not enough current on the minime?
Best
Michael

I am amazed, that after reinstalling iTunes 9.2.1 on MacOS 10.4 after removing the kernel extension and the package receipt everything works as expected.
before reinstalling, the iPod touch neither did load, nor showed up in System Profiler.
So – problem solved, back to normal …
many thanks
Michael

Best app for QT on Intel Mac Mini kiosk?

Hi all:
I've sent variations of this message off to various folks and fora pertaining to Flash, Director, Livestage, etc., so I thought I'd ask here as well.
I'm working on a very high profile exhibit here in NYC, which is opening to the public on Sept. 11th (draw your own conclusions). It involves a number of standard definition (not HD) video-based kiosks.
These are running on bottom of the line off-the-shelf single-core Intel Mac Minis w/ 512MB RAM. No, we cannot change the platform. We have to make it work with what we have.
We built our prototype in Director. Unfortunately, using QT in Director projects on Intel-based Macs is a non-starter, because Director executables are not Universal Binary yet.
The app is very simple -- a black background that just waits to trigger the video on a mouse click and returns to the black background when the movie is done playing.
The key thing is we need to display the highest possible image quality. We had hoped to use H.264. We've also tried 3IVX and Motion JPEG B, all of which play beautifully in the QT Player but stutter noticeably once in Director. This turns out to be a known problem, and a Universal Binary version of Director isn't due until next year.
I've also tried making a QuickTime Media Link (QTL) file that allows us to "quit when done" so that we can use BuddyAPI to open the program with the QT Player and then drop back to the Director app when done.
That works great, except for the fact that as of OSX 10.3, you can't hide the menu of an app when switching to another app, which looks terrible. Arrgh.
Flash's Player v9 (which is Universal Binary) only runs in a Browser, not as a standalone. So unless there's a browser that will run fullscreen with no chrome, that's out for the foreseeable future as well.
So now I'm thinking about building the whole thing as a self-contained QT movie in Livestage.
Livestage only runs in Rosetta, so I don't know if the QT file I build run natively in the QT player, so that I can use h.264 or 3IVX or whatever without it stuttering. I'd be perfectly happy w/ 3IVX, by the way...
Any help or direction appreciated. We have to have this up and running on site by next Monday, the 14th.
best,
FBC

Right -- well, I'm not concerned with editing the video (I use FCP, too).
I completely understand the role of bitrate in making videos look good, and for the record, I've gotten decent looking videos from Motion JPEG B at the Medium (default) quality settings...
But that's not my question here. The problem is playing back any QT codec as an asset in a larger application (eg, Flash, Director, Livestage) running specifically on the Intel Mac Minis. At the root of the problem is lack of universal binary projectors.
At the moment, the best option I have so far is using SAFT to put Safari into Kiosk mode (no title bar, etc.) and using that to play back a Flash SWF file (which give me the needed interactivity) as the default home page.
We're also going to try to roll our own Cocoa app as a wrapper for a 3ivx file. That will almost certainly look better than even a very high bandwidth FLV/SWF.
Any other ideas appreciated...

Bluetooth Not Available on Intel Mac mini

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for