Can't even get started: "Identifying your Keyboard"

I just bought a brand new Mac Mini yesterday. The "Geniuses" at the Apple Store assured me that my Microsoft-branded bluetooth keyboard and mouse would work fine but when I got it home and set it up neither worked.
O.K., so maybe I need a corded one just to get started. I found a USB mouse and plugged it in; that worked fine to get me past the initial screen or two. Then it says it's "searching" for my keyboard. I press the "Connect" button on the Bluetooth keyboard and the Mac finds it! It goes thru a pairing process, has me type a code on the keyboard and says it IS paired! Great! Except then it says the keyboard isn't "identified" and asks me to press the button to the right of the SHIFT key on the left. That button happens to be "ALT" on this keyboard.
I press it and wait. Then the Mac sits there endlessly saying "Identifying your Keyboard" and never goes anywhere. I have to hard reboot the Mac to get out of that screen and go thru the setup process again. Same result every time.
So I tried a Microsoft-branded USB keyboard. Except for not needing to pair it (because it's USB) I get the exact same result. Endlessly "Identifying". So I went to WalMart (only thing open at midnight) and bought the cheapest and simplest USB keyboard I could find. Plugged it in. Same result.
So what's the deal? Do I have to drive 25 miles back to the Apple Store and plunk down $60 (or whatever it is) for an actual Apple keyboard?! How hard is it to get a silly keyboard to work? I never have this problem with any of my PCs.
This is my first Mac and I have to say...so far I'm not impressed. Please rescue my experience...
-B-

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
I have to say that in setting up my own minis, and those in the systems for which I'm responsible, I've not had that issue at all, regardless of the keyboards I've used. With an old (and I mean VERY old) Apple keyboard I've had the dialog asking for the key to the right of the left-hand shift, then the key to the left of the right-hand shift, after which the keyboard has been correctly identified (in as far as language and generic type), so despite trying literally dozens of keyboards from Logitech, MS, Dell, IBM and some generic unbranded ones (also from Walmart if I recall) I've not seen any system stick on the same endless 'identifying' loop you describe.
You were certainly right to try a USB wired device to get beyond the initial BT keyboard issues, but the system should not have stuck at the same point with that device.
I would try and reset the PRAM (Parameter RAM) which holds basic system configuration data. Use one or other of the USB keyboards for this. The key presses required are in the boot sequence before the keyboard is recognized (or not) within MacOS, so despite the recognition failure it should work:
-Shut down the computer.
-Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in the next step but one.
-Turn on the computer.
-Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
-Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
-Release the keys.

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