Having trouble shutting down mac mini.

As of a few days ago, my mac mini is not shutting down properly. it spools endlessly, until I hold the button down, or un-plug. This problem has coincided with the addition of a Seagate Free agent GoFlex external hard drive. The external hard drive backed up files, then was unplugged. Don't know if the problem is coincidental or not.

Be a good idea now to make a backup. Or do this:
Reinstall OS X without erasing the drive
Do the following:
1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Reinstall Snow Leopard
If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.
Download and install the Combo Updater for the version you prefer from support.apple.com/downloads/.
If you are using an earlier version of OS X then do this instead:
How to Perform an Archive and Install
An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

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I am having trouble with my Mac Mini's ethernet connection. Defining a new network interface shows no ethernet adaptor. Reloading SL from DVD repaired. But SL update lost ethernet again. Will Lion Fix?

I am having trouble with my mac mini ethernet. It had been working for weeks after an update to SL 10.6.8.
Once it went out and i repaired it by defining a new connection from System Preferences ->Network->(left panel service, +).
But yesterday, after a power up. my ethernet was not working again. I tried this old trick to repair it, but the interface choices
listed for '+' a new service did not include Ethernet any more. And the Utilities->System Profiler->Ethernet Cards shows
no ethernet available.
As a last ditch effort i reloaded my original SL from DVD. (I think it was version 10.6.4 but i could be mistaken on the version).
The ethernet worked! But KeyNote wasn't going to work because apparently the version i purchased depends on 10.6.8.
So I upgraded again to SL 10.6.8 (Plus some other updates like AirPort which i don't use).
Now the Ethernet is not working again. I see the same symptoms as before with the Ethernet seeming not installed.
Is this a problem seen by others?
Would going to Lion fix the problem?
Could AirPort actually be the culprit and not SL?
If i stay with my original SL, would i need to repurchase a version of KeyNote for the older version of SL?

Have you reset the SMC?
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the computer's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.
While you're at it, resetting the PRAM won't hurt anything and 'might' help is SMC reset didn't work (PRAM does some port control):
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 step 4.
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.
Something else you might try .... you don't say how you're updating to 10.6.8, however, if you're using Software Update, you might try downloading the 10.6.8 combo update, which contains all updates to 10.6. Sometimes, Software Update doesn't work quite right, and installing the combo update fixes that. Download the update from Apple's download site at http://support.apple.com/downloads/ , using Disk Utility repair permissions, apply the combo update, then repair permissions again.

Macbook Pro having trouble shutting down/waking up

Okay, just to clarify, yes my Macbook Pro is 4 years old, but I don't think I've done anything to it that would really cause this.
My problem: First, when I boot up, sometimes I get a "Please restart your computer" message as the screen turns from blue to gray. It often takes at least 2 times before I can actually log in without a problem. And recently, I've been getting that message while I'm booted up... but only a couple of times.
Then my mac has also been having trouble shutting down and waking up. When I click "shut down" it takes a good, long while for it to shut down, if it does it at all. Again, recently I've had to just hold down the power button to get it to shut off, which I'm sure isn't good for the computer. And if I shut my Macbook, as in putting down the screen, it makes that noise that happens right before the "DING" (that little shifty noise... I can't really describe it) several times while still shut. And when I go to open it up to get back to what I was doing, it won't wake up unless I press the power button, but sometimes I have to restart.
Is there something horribly wrong with my Mac or is this normal for an aged computer? And is it fixable without having to Archive and Repair (I really don't want to have to go through that again, especially now that I really need this computer)?
Thanks for your help and I'm sorry if this has been asked before or is a completely noobish question.

First question, how much free space do you have on the Hard Drive?
If less than 10 GB you're asking for trouble.
Have you booted off the Install Disk by holding the *d key* down at boot-up, (not the c key), and run the extended Apple HW Test? Some Install disks require holding the Option key at bootup to select the AHT. Some Macs came with separate AHT CDs.
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Tiger Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then Safe Boot , (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it finishes.

Error at shut down mac mini OS X Lion

I've a mac mini from mid 2011 (2.3 ghz intel Core i5) with OS X Lion 10.7.5. During shut down it ofter gives an error. Sometimes I see an error message on my screen that I've to press the power button to shut down. And sometimes I don't see anything, but the little light on the mini keeps turned on. I ran the disk utility and Techtool deluxe, no errors were found.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Sometimes I see an error message on my screen that I've to press the power button to shut down.
Please quote the exact error message, or post a screenshot. Thanks.

Sometimes having trouble shutting down

Sometimes, lately, when I shut my computer down, it freezes on the last blue screen. After I choose "Shut down..." from the apple menu and choose "OK" the computer starts shutting down. Then my desktop icons go away, and USUALLY, I get a blue screen for a moment and then the computer shuts off. Sometimes, I get a little revolving icon similar to the one that shows on startup.
But on occasion, that's where the process stops. I come into the room some time later, and the blue screen is still there, with a frozen revolving icon.
The only thing that "corrects" it is holding down the power button.
Any thoughts as to what is happening?
(I shut down all my applications prior to shutting down)

Hi Brian
Reset the iMac's SMC (System Management Controller)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1543
Dennis

HAVING TROUBLE SHUTTING DOWN EXTERNAL HD

For some reason when I a make a song in midi, and I save it, I shut down Logic and then try to shut down my external HD. But when I try and shut down the external drive it says that Logic is still running, and I cant shut it down. Now Logic is clearly shut down but still when I try and shut down the external drive it says Logic is not shut down. Please help!!!!!!!!!!!

hi
i've got similar set up so i do suggest the next things:
1)before you shut down your external hard disc always eject it
2)if u got both ff400 and lacie hd connected via firewire try to connect one (i suggest the hd) via express card 34 (i bought one that is not so expensive and it works perfect)
let me know, good luck
m

Having Trouble Shutting Down

Hey guys- My comp doesn't seem to want to shut down (or restart). i.e. If I follow Apple>Shut Down>"OK", it will close out all my apps and act like its going to shut down, then just sits on the Finder. I checked out the activity monitor and can't find anything that would cause this (I'm not sure I'm allowed to post pictures or I'd get some screen shots up).
So I'm forced to manually shut down, which i cringe every time i do it. When I power back up it seems fine and shuts down normally, but if I were to wait a few days and then try to shut down I would have no such luck.
Anyone know what this could be?
Note: I used to experience the same thing on my macbook pro before i sold it. Could it be something I put on there?

Try doing some repairs and maintenance and setup a clone for emergency and backups.
Manual shutdown may corrupt most anything, not just the directory. "Seems" isn't a good indicator. Running FSCK immediately (single user mode) and Disk Warrior immediately (or TechTool Pro 4.6.x if running Leopard).
Clean out cache folders (Leopard Cache Cleaner)
Something you installed or do on both systems?
Start using CCC, SuperDuper, Disk Warrior etc on regular basis.

Having trouble re-loading Mac OS X to mac mini.

I recently recieved a hand-me-down mac mini which was in "server mode". I tried to re-load Mac OS X, choosing to archive the old server data just in case the original owner wanted it back. But after the first CD has run its course, the mini goes through a never-ending rebooting cycle. I tried to reload it last night and checked this morning and it would still reboot, go to the white screen with the white apple, then reboot again and repeat. I tried holding down "C", but all that let me do was re-load mac os x again and repeat the process.
When I manually shut the computer down and repower it, it again is stuck in the rebooting loop.
Please help.
Thanks,
e

These links will give you the info you need
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1545
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1773
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2186
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2956

Hi, i am having trouble with my mac mail account, i cannot send or receive any emails because of the server connection problems. Message says it could not be connected to SMTP server. Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi, i am having trouble with my mac mail account, i cannot send or receive any emails because of the server connection problems. Message says it could not be connected to SMTP server. Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello Sue,
I have an iPad 3, iPad Mini and iPhone 5S and they are all sluggish on capitalisation using shift keys. I hope that Apple will solve the problem because it is driving me crazy.
I find using a Microsoft Surface and Windows 8 phone, which I also have, work as well as all the ios devices before the ios 7 upgrade.
It has something to do with the length of time that you need to hold the shift key down. The shift key needs to be held longer than the letter key for the capitalisation to work. For some reason, this is a major change in the way we have learnt to touch type on computers. I am having to relearn how to type!
Michael

I am having trouble on older mac book pro working in Preview its like being on old PC

My newer 3 year old mac book pro is broke and i am using the older one ( lion) to do some work and having to use preview because i cant reinstall all software on this as well.
I am having trouble on older mac book pro working in Preview.
Why is Preview bad on older machines?

Have you reset the SMC?
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the computer's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.
While you're at it, resetting the PRAM won't hurt anything and 'might' help is SMC reset didn't work (PRAM does some port control):
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 step 4.
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.
Something else you might try .... you don't say how you're updating to 10.6.8, however, if you're using Software Update, you might try downloading the 10.6.8 combo update, which contains all updates to 10.6. Sometimes, Software Update doesn't work quite right, and installing the combo update fixes that. Download the update from Apple's download site at http://support.apple.com/downloads/ , using Disk Utility repair permissions, apply the combo update, then repair permissions again.

I am having trouble connecting my iPad mini with my lap top that run Xperia

I am having trouble connecting my iPad mini with my lap top that run Xp

Hi..I've had a variant of this problem; my internet was accessible but my devices on wifi could not see the PC on Lan. That meant no iTunes syncing, Airplay from iTunes etc.
Dlink has a strange default setting that isolates Wifi & Wired connections into different subnets.I'm assuming you have DHCP setup on your router and you're PC or MAC has internet access via the same router. Try the following steps to see if this solves the problem for you-
1. Go to Setup -> Local Network and Uncheck the box that says 'Configure the second IP Address and Subnet Mask for LAN' - Hit Apply
2. Go to Wireless -> Wireless Basic and Uncheck 'Enable MultiAP Isolation' - Hit Apply
3. Restart your Router
Let me know if this solves your problem. I've been frustrated by my problem for months & had nearly given up.
J

I am having problems shutting down my MacBook Pro. I go to the apple and click shutdown or restart, it appears the shutdown process starts, the screen goes blue and the little circle keeps going round and round, but nothing happens even after 30 minutes.

I am having problems shutting down my MacBook Pro. I go to the apple and click shutdown or restart, it appears the shutdown process starts, the screen goes blue and the little circle keeps going round and round, but nothing happens even after 30 minutes.

Make sure you quit all your applications before shutting down.
And try resetting the SMC.
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

Im having trouble syncing my ipad mini

I am Having trouble syncing my iapd mini to my mac. I connect it with the cable but i will not sync stating that the connection to the ipad mini is lost. any ideas?????

Hello Robert, Refer to link here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1386 It may help you.

Why not shut down mac pro

why not shut down mac pro

For 20 years I have always shut down my computers and peripherals overnight to avoid wasting energy.
Thermal cycling can stress electronics a bit but the only failure I have ever had which might have been due to this was of an ADSL router.
Having computers and monitors sleep will reduce their temperature almost to the same level as if they were switched off completely so the resultant thermal cycling will be almost as great.
I found that my new Mac Pro (4-core) showed processor core temperatures that exceeded 80 deg C when working hard, yet the fan speed never increased above minimum. Since Intel shows 70 deg. C as maximum rated core temperature (http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Xeon/Intel-Xeon%20E5-1620%20v2.html), I installed TG Pro (http://www.tunabellysoftware.com/tgpro/) to increase fan speed when any core exceeds 60 deg. C. Even a full fan speed it is pretty quiet. I'd be interested in any other comments on this.
Geoff.

RMBP: Sometimes, after having been shut down, i have to press the power button several times before the machine starts up. It's 3 weeks old, and this has happened 2 times now. Is there something wrong with my rMBP?

rMBP: Sometimes, after having been shut down, i have to press the power button several times before the machine starts up. It's 3 weeks old, and this has happened 2 times now. Is there something wrong with my rMBP?

Did you purchase the Mac new?
You have 14 calendar days from the time your items are delivered to initiate a return as noted here.
Even though you are past the 14 day limit, if it were me, I'd take the Mac back and explain what's going on. Your Mac should work out of the box.
message edited by: cs

Having trouble shutting down mac mini.

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