Intel mac mini falling asleep when set to never...

I have a mac mini that is sleeping (blinking light in front) and I don't want it to. I have the energy saver set to never for both and put the hard disk to sleep is not checked. I also installed "caffeine" and set it not sleep, yet the mini still goes to sleep! How to keep it from sleeping?
osx 10.5.5

Do you have the mini connected via ethernet?
If so, this discussion could help:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1341108&tstart=0&messageID=822 0353#8220353
"Mac Mini flakey ethernet connection"
Cheers
Ben.

Similar Messages

Intel Mac Mini fans run full blast even when off

Hi All,
I have gone through the forums and haven't found an answer to this one. I have an Intel Mac Mini running the latest updated Tiger that I use solely for a media center.
About a week ago, the box started running fans full blast, regardless of whether it was actually turned on or not. As soon as it is plugged in the fans blast.
Otherwise, it seems healthy, and boots normally.
The steps I have taken so far include resetting permissions, verifying the disk, and resetting the SMC in the proscribed fashion.
After this occurred, I downloaded and installed smcFanControl from Lifehacker.com. This reported fan speed of zero and Temperature of zero.
Next I opened the case and insured the fan/HD cable next to the lttle battery was securely fastened as this had been reported to cause this symptom.
What's next? The device is out of warranty and honestly, I don't want to spend any money if I can help it.
Should I take it apart further and see if the other end of the fan/HD cable has somehow worked loose?
Can anyone think of another cause besides a loose cable?
What if I completely disabled the fan? The hardest thing I ever ask it to do is run iTunes and VLC.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Dave

I have refurbished two G5s with LCS and screaming fans (this was avery common problem with G5 LCS macs), the red light on the motherboard could mean the CPUs need to be re-seated. This red LED light appeared on my mac after I had removed the CPUs to add new thermal paste.
If you have done all the necessary basics with no sucess here are a few things to try next.
1 - Coolant
As BDAqua mentioned above, coolant evaporates and often leaks at the 'O' rings, to check this you will need to remove the CPUs from the LCS and check for crystalisation (white rice). If you have leakage, it will be time to drain the block, add new coolant and 'O' rings. This is tricky to do but there is lots of info here and on other sites to help you.
2 - Thermal paste
Replace the thermal paste with Artic MX4.
Try the above and let is know how ou get on.

Mac mini falling alseep despite system settings to the contrary

I have an intel core-duo mac mini which I need to keep running on a continuous basis. I have set the Energy Saver settings to sleep never and have ensured that the Security setting for auto-logout is also disabled. However, after a period of inactivity, the machine seems to go into a kind of logout & sleep mode--I can wake it back up by pressing a key or moving the mouse, but I hear the system start "bong" sound, and it comes up with a login screen that starts a new user session (the session I had running seems to have been ended).
I've tried resetting the SMC according to http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1543, but that hasn't helped.
I thought this might be due to overheating, but it seems to do this when the machine is sitting idle as well.
Is there some setting I've missed? How can I stop it from doing this?

I see that I am not the first to ask this:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1005729
Has anyone ever found a solution to this? I've now reset the PRAM, reset the SMC, verified the settings with pmset, and have even tried running "pmset noidle" in a terminal. Despite all this, the mini falls asleep after a while.
Any ideas?

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.

Someone tell me why is it so difficult to print from my Intel Mac Mini

I'm so frusrated at this Intel Mac Mini of mine. I wish honest to God that I never bought this evil little machine.
I have the following printers:
HP Photosmart 7550
HP Laserjet 1012
Canon MP830
I can't get anything to print! It so **** frustrating. I switched my wife from her WinXP to a Intel Mac Mini (10.4.6). She hates the Mac Mini because she can't print anything.
Why is it so difficult? Please someone enlighten me.
After months (not kidding) of searching on the web I was able to get the Photosmart 7550 to print using one of the gimp drivers, but I couldn't get it to change the paper type or quality. So that tells me I can't print any photos from my Mac. Need to use the WinXP box.
Then I was able to get the 1012 printing by selecting "open using rosetta" for the Printer Setup Utility, and selecting the "HP LaserJet 4 series - Gimp-Print v5.0.0-beta2". So now I could at least print BW docs. Great the Mac Mini is not a total waste. Then I updated software, which include the Mac mini SMC Firmware Update. I don't know what did it, but now I can't print to the 1012 anymore. ARGHH!
I tried deleting the Library/Printer/HP directory, Reseting the Printing System, Restarting the CUPs, Installing PDDs, Installing the gimp drivers. What the ****! Why do I need to do any of this? I thought the Mac was suppose to be so easy. With all those **** commercials talking about how the Mac can do anything a PC can do, you would think one of those things is being able to print.
Those people making those commericals should try using the "Printer Setup Utility" program. That will change their tune. First you have to search for your printer, then pick the Printer Model, and then pick the specific model. And God forbid you click to fast, oops you've now picked a generic printer, needs to start all over again. There's no back button. You've already committed to the generic printer type. Now you have to open the Printer Setup Utility again and delete the generic printer and go search for your printer again. Lame.
Don't get me started with the Canon MP 830. I thought, ok maybe its because the 1012 and 7550 are older printers. I'll go buy a new printer - they must have current drivers for that. Canon tells me that the MP 830 is only a single OS machine, meaning you can only connect it to a windows machine and only other windows machines can print from it, or connect it to a Mac, and only other Macs can use it - Again, Lame.
Really I wanted to love the Mac OS. When I first got it, I was loving it. But what good is it if I can't print. I searched the web and it seems I'm not the only person having issues with printing.
I hate this Intel Mac Mini with every fiber of my being. Ok, maybe my printing woes are only because it's a Intel chip, and the PPC macs are golden. But come on, if you can't print from a computer, what good is it?
Please, someone help me. Otherwise, anybody want to buy a Intel dual core Mac Mini?
mac mini duo core Mac OS X (10.4.6)

You have two different issues: HP and Canon.
I don't know if I believe the Canon people. Windows XP has lots of different print options. Try installing Bonjour on Windows and then setting up a networked, Color Apple Laserwriter PS printer using "http://macmini.local:631" (assuming macmini is the name of your Mac). I have done this before (though not on a Canon). I am sure Canon will only support a standard configuration and this is not quite standard. Give it a try. It doesn't sound like it can hurt anything in your current setup.
For the HP, you might have to just wait for an updated driver from HP. HP has always had this problem. They are a huge printer company and I'm sure they get Apple hardware and OS versions before anybody else in the world. And yet, it seems as if they don't even begin working on their drivers until Apple officially releases a new OS. HP drivers are always the last to show up for a new OS and the first to break. If you get it working under MacOS 10.4.6, and then upgrade to 10.4.7, it is very likely that the HP drivers will stop working.
Unlike some of the other big companies, HP seems to have made the transition from Classic MacOS to MacOS X seamlessly. Their printer driver software works just as well on MacOS X as it did under MacOS.

Using two displays simultaneously on an early intel mac mini

I would like to connect my Apple display and an LCD TV to my early Intel Mac Mini using a DVI-D splitter and DVI-D cable to the DVI input on the TV. I don't know if this Mac Mini's video card has a single or a duel DVI output. I'm assuming it has to have a duel output to be able to have both displays on at the same time. Also, from what I've read previously in the discussions, I assume I'll have hook up the audio output also, assuming the video works. Thanks for any help.

I'm pretty sure that can't work for a variety of reasons. Primarily the DVI output on the mini has a single digital output, not two. It has been shown that it can output VGA analog and DVI digital simultaneously when booted under Windows, but the OS X driver for the GMA950 does not support that same trick. So I don't think you are going to be able to do what you want unless you run Windows.
You could try add-on hardware if you really have your mind set on this. There are USB-to-video adapters out there on the market. They are reported to work pretty well with the caveat that they can't be used for things like full screen video which requires more bandwidth than USB can supply. But for a mostly static display, like using a mail reader or a browser without too much animation, or a spreadsheet, etc., they work well enough.

Intel Mac Mini, Firefox and Java

I'm running an Intel Mac Mini using Firefox; mostly it's fine, but sometimes it behaves as if it and Java Applets have had a falling out.
I have made sure that I have the very latest version of JRE to go with OSX, but when I go to http://www.f1.com and log on to "Live Timing", the frame comes up, but no steaming teacup, then the bottom LH corner says "Done", but the timing area is still blank. Live timing works in Safari & Opera on the same computer, and on any PC running IE6.
Going to the help section on the live timing box says to go to download the latest version of JRE from the Apple.com website - if I try to do this, OSX refuses the download saying it is older than the version already installed.
I have sent questions to both Sun & Mozilla weeks ago, but have received no reply; any ideas?

Dont really have any solution other than the fact that some browsers act funny on certain sites. I think it is specific to the browser, not the computer itself. I have encountered the same thing with certain applets. Also just wanted to give a shoutout from another F1 fan. Good season so far, I think Alonso has the Chin's number this year.

Retro Migration: Intel mac mini to PPC G4 powerbook

I have a perfectly good top of the range G4 powerbook sitting around and my partner wants to use it to to go mobile, is it possible to use the leopard migration assistant to move data from an intel mac mini to a G4 powerbook, is it all just a normal transfer or is there anything special i need to do?

You want to be careful about using the migration assistant when it comes to copying items from the user library. Rather than use the migration assistant, I'd do a Finder copy of the Documents, Pictures, Music and Movie files and install the programs manually. If you want to give her her bookmarks, contacts, and mail, you can safely copy the Safari folder from the Library to the G4's Library. I'd set up Mail Accounts on the G4 manually and then export the mail from each mail folder and copy them over for import. I'd export the contacts and then import them as well.

Blank screen, Intel Mac mini, Samsung P23700 LCD monitor; HELP!?!

I just got a new 23" Samsung LCD monitor and hooked it up to an Intel Mac mini. Turning on the system results in a blank screen with the monitor simply displaying a dialog box that seems to show that it is trying to figure out if the incoming signal is digital or analog. This dialog box is on for a few seconds and then the monitor goes to sleep. The monitor realizes that there is a signal coming in; As soon as I disconnect the DVI cable I get the standard "Check Signal Cable" on the monitor's screen. I don't even get the initial white screen on the Mac boot up. nothing. just the monitor's confused signal identifying dialog.
I've tried connecting the Mac mini to the monitor with a DVI to DVI cable and a DVI to VGA to DVI connection, with the same result.
I've also tried the monitor with an older PowerPC based Mac mini with the same result.
Both Macmini's work with out a problem when connected to my 32" LCD TV with a DVI to HDMI cable.
I also tried the Samsung monitor with a little Windows XP running laptop using the VGA to DVI cable and the monitor worked like a charm; I think that fact has been the most painful part of the process up to now.
The windows machine's screen set up that worked was 1280x800 at 40Hz. I can't get a resolution like that on the Mac's display settings. I've only been able to hook it up to the LCD TV, and the display settings when hooked up to the TV are limited to LCD TV settings; i.e. 1080i. I've also tried setting the mac mini to 800x600 but still get no picture.
Resetting PRAM etc. didn't help either.
I'm stuck... any ideas people?

I've tried connecting the Mac mini to the monitor with a DVI to DVI cable...
That should work.
and a DVI to VGA to DVI connection...
That won't work. Once you go from DVI to VGA from the mini, you need to stay VGA. There is no going back to digital. So try DVI to VGA and then a VGA cable to the Samsung.
I also tried the Samsung monitor with a little Windows XP running laptop using the VGA to DVI cable and the monitor worked like a charm;...The windows machine's screen set up that worked was 1280x800 at 40Hz.
I wouldn't call that working like a charm. 1280 x 800 at 40Hz is a completely bizarre resolution for a 23" monitor, or any monitor. I would begin wondering if you got a bad monitor if that's the best it can do.

Experimented: iPS with latest update "conflicts" with Intel Mac mini

Hello everyone.
Please see my earlier post first as "background story":
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=602573
So I have 2 1Gb iPod Shuffles, one mine, one my sister's. My sister's, the 1st time I plugged into her new Intel Mac mini, it asked for an iPod Update, I clicked "Yes" and proceeded with the update.
After that, I set the iPS with Disk Mode, it appears on the Desktop, when I launched or inside iTunes, once I hit the "Autofill" button, the shuffle unmount and disappear from the desktop immediately, leaving behind a 'warning message' with red exclamation mark, the same when you pull out a thumb drive or turn off an external drive, without unmounting them first.
My own shuffle, I did not apply the latest iPod Updater
When I bring the 2 iPS to my own iMac G5, both with same settings (Disk Mode etc) mounts perfectly on the Desktop, inside iTunes, I can 'Autofill' BOTH shuffles.
When I plug my non-updated shuffle into my sis's Intel Mac mini, it mounts nicely, and when hit with Autofill, it does so nicely without "self-unmounting" at all.
So in the end? I swap my shuffle with my sis, and make sure she never ever update the shuffle, at least for the time being.
So what does this show?? That the iPod shuffle with the latest update may have a conflict of instability with Intel-based Macs??
Thanks and cheers

Hi Howwow,
To add a detail: my updated Shuffle works like a charm on my old iBook and not on my new Intel MacBook. So I am convinced it is in the Shuffle/Intel combination. I did try undoing the update on the shuffle (reverting back to 2005-11-17), but that made no difference on my Intel MacBook.
Regards

Can't find Laserwriter 4/600 on network from Intel Mac mini

Problem: Cannot find/print to networked LaserWriter using Airport network.
Kit: Mac mini 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo, 512 MB running Mac OS 10.4.5; Silver Apple Airport Base Station unExtreme; Netgear 814 combined switch/router/DSL modem; Asanté LocalTalk-to-Ethernet Adaptor; Apple LaserWriter 4/600PS.
Method: Airport bridges from wireless (Mac mini) side of network to wired (LaserWriter) side via hub/router.
This setup worked perfectly for many years but did not survive the encounter with Intel Mac mini.
Resolution attempted: Carried out detailed instructions involving switching devices off and on in strict order, using Printer Setup Utility etc.
These instructions are posted on Asanté website:
http://www.asante.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3164
Getting this to work requires that the Ethernet connection be switched from AirPort to Built-in Ethernet and that the computer be physically connected to the hub by an ethernet cable. The unwanted effect of this is that it denies wireless access to network/internet services formerly enjoyed by Mac & PC computers.
Running the identical Asanté routine with AirPort rather than Built-in Ethernet as the connection method results in the loss of the LaserWriter to the network.
Any ideas?

You can rest assured that printing to a AppleTalk
printer through wireless network is way down on the
list of things that is ever going to be tested in the
labs.
Point taken. I'm just curious about what might be going on.
Since I can't test here - the only thing I can do is
think of possible differences between your two
networks (wired and wireless)
I'm not an expert but as I understand it the Intel Mac mini should "see" the network as a single contiguous entity. In other words the AirPort Base Station that bridges between the wireless and the wired parts of the network should be entirely transparent, so I think the answer to your next question is yes.
Is your network flat (sameIP address range and routes
wireless as wired)? I could see issues if there were
a firewall or you had separate networks set up (you
can have different networks that talk to each other
through gateways and routing - but things like
Bonjour/Rendezvous and if my rusty memory is to be
trusted - Appletalk too - depends on things being in
the same "network" for broadcast packets to get to
everyone.)
Again, I don't know if it proves anything but when I had another computer on network here, the IP address assigned to it by the router was within the specified range. This machine is getting on for three whole years old, has begun to self-destruct and so it's gone for repair under the last gasp of its AppleCare warranty extension.
The Intel Mac mini can also "see"/print to a Bonjour wireless printer. This may also answer your question about the possibility there being two networks here rather than one. On the other hand, I guess that the ability to print to the Bonjour device does not involve any bridging between the wireless and wired parts of the network, so this may not be relevant.
If the concept of different networks does not make
sense - open up the Network Utility application and
post the results of your "Display routing table
information" from the netstat section...
Finally, here's what Network Utility, Netstat comes up with:
Routing tables
Internet:
Destination Gateway Flags Refs Use Netif Expire
default 192.168.0.1 UGSc 20 55 en1
127 localhost UCS 0 0 lo0
localhost localhost UH 17 199665 lo0
169.254 link#5 UCS 0 0 en1
192.168.0 link#5 UCS 2 0 en1
192.168.0.1 0:9:5b:46:64:3 UHLW 19 17 en1 1177
192.168.0.3 localhost UHS 0 0 lo0
192.168.0.255 link#5 UHLWb 1 12 en1
Internet6:
Destination Gateway Flags Netif Expire
localhost link#1 UHL lo0
localhost Uc lo0
localhost link#1 UHL lo0
link#5 UC en1
ray-thomsons-compu 0:14:51:ef:99:b1 UHL lo0
ff01:: localhost U lo0
ff02::%lo0 localhost UC lo0
I hope it makes more sense to you than it does to me!
Kind regards,
Ray
PowerBook G4•1GHz•512MB•15•AirPort unExtreme Mac OS 9.2.x

Intel mac mini & 46" samsung DLP

Any helpfull info on a new intel mac mini and a DLP? I would like to use it for a media center. What cable to buy? Hows the screen res? Any known problems?
Can anyone help?

I connected my mac mini core duo (intel) to a Samsung DLP. Works fine with one caveat (not mac specific - in fact, a problem with all TV type displays, I think, but I'm no expert).
When using a DVI cable (inexpensive online, expensive at radio shack, best buy, etc.), the monitor will give you a choice between PC and TV. When you choose "TV", you'll get a perfect dot-for-dot display on the monitor. However, you'll also have an "overscan" problem which I don't really understand but can describe -- the very outer edges of the image spill off the edge of the screen (my uneducated guess is that a portion of the screen is hidden by the frame). Unfortunately, on my screen the cutoff portion includes most of the menu bar. Setting the monitor to "PC" will modestly (5% or so) shrink the image to ensure it fits on the screen. However, this means the monitor is interpolating (no longer dot for dot - which seems to defeat the purpose of DVI) and things get slightly (and I mean very slightly) fuzzy. Not an issue at all with photos or even video. You can tell the difference on text though. I'm using my mini as a media center so don't care and the fuzziness is so slight it doesn't really bother me when I use Safari but you asked. Again, this isn't a mini issue. You'll get it on any set up using the DLP as a monitor (and that's why Samsung gives you the "PC" option).
On screen resolution, the mini identifies the samsung automatically and will set its resolution to match the native resolution. You'll want to go through the screen calibration preference panel (choose the advanced option) to get the colors just right - takes about 10 minutes. I'm happy with this set up, especially with wireless keyboard and mouse. Remote with FrontRow is great.
Finally, I'm considering using the VGA input. Given that DVI is already interpolating, maybe the VGA will actually be a little sharper.
MiniDuo; iBook G4; iMacG3 Mac OS X (10.4.5)
MiniDuo; iBook G4; iMacG3 Mac OS X (10.4.5)
MiniDuo; iBook G4; iMacG3 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

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.

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!

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

Intel mac mini falling asleep when set to never...

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