Intel mac mini wont boot after system restore

Hi,
I ran the system restore on my intel mac mini using the genuine leopard cd that came with it.
Now it wont boot. When you press power the light comes on but it does not chime and there is not video output to any monitor.
Anyone know what could be wrong?

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
You picked 10.4.1 in your profile.
Intel Mac Minis at minimum came with 10.4.4.
If it came with a 10.5 genuine DVD, it most certainly was not running 10.4.1 or 10.4.4. Perhaps you mistook one Mac Mini install DVD for another? Does your Mac Mini have 4 USB ports on back? What does the 10.5 installer disc you used look like?

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Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since your last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Boot into Recovery by holding down the key combination command-R at the startup chime, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in the support article linked below, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
How to back up and restore your files
b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode by holding down the key combination command-T at the startup chime. Connect the two Macs with a FireWire or Thunderbolt cable. The internal drive of the machine running in target mode will mount as an external drive on the other machine. Copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode
c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Step 3
Boot in safe mode.* The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Shut down your computer, wait 30 seconds, and then hold down the shift key while pressing the power button.
When you see the gray Apple logo, release the shift key.
If you are prompted to log in, type your password, and then hold down the shift key again as you click Log in.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
*Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode. Post for further instructions.
When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is damaged and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to step 5.
If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 4
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 5
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.
Step 6
Boot into Recovery again. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, follow the prompts to reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with proxy servers, or with networks that require a certificate for authentication.
Step 7
Repeat step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a backup.
Step 8
A dead logic-board battery in a Mac Pro can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
Step 9
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

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Hi nickco43!
I have an article for you that can help you further troubleshoot your booting issue. The article can be found right here:
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!
Regards,
Braden

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So last night we had a pretty bad storm. I actually shutdown my Mini and unplugged it just to be safe incase we took a power hit or anything. Well I never took a hit but once I plugged it back in and started it back up, it won't boot back up. I am getting power, it is trying to boot, screen comes on shows me its booting then shuts off.
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http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
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Intech Speedtools Pro...
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http://www.prosofteng.com/products/drive_genius.php
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(c) the feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable.
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hi,
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Any help would be appreciated, and sorry for the bad english

OK, we need more info about your Mac. Do you know how much RAM it has in it?
If you don't know the model, find the Serial# & use it on one of these sites, but don't post the Serial# here...
http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html
http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php
How to find the serial number of your Apple hardware product...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1349

Intel Mac Mini wont startup

I know this is not a new one but I have spent hours going through the other posts and trying stuff and I am getting nowhere.
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I turn it on, the bloop noise sounds and the white screen with the apple comes on. The "gears start going round and round and thats it!
Heres what I have tried:
I have pressed d to run both the regular and long tests which have told me there's nothing wrong.
I have pressed the alt key and got the number 1 disc that came with the mini to show and have clicked on that which has just continued to the "gears" which went on and on again.
I have started in verbose mode and there was a lot of jibber jabber and an error reported on what looked like several lines.
I have tried to power on and press c as soon as the bloop sounded. To no avail.
I believe that I must be missing something. Either I am not doing it right or I have serious problems.
I came down this morning and the machine had frozen. I reset it with the power button and thats when the troubles began.
Oh yeah I also did that thing to reset the smu but that doesnt seem to have had any affect.
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WOW! I never thought I would whip up such controversy. Many thanks to all who have so kindly replied. I have to say I am not too fussed that someone got offended. I was referring to the matter of apple support costing so much. £50 a question on the phone is pretty steep when you are trying to break into the market. Heres something I would like to say about apple support though. I was called by my local store who said they wanted to ask me how things were going for customer satisfaction prurposes. I said ok as long as they wouldnt try and sell me something. They said no that wasnt it at all. I talked to them about my experiences for 10 minutes or so when the ******* comes out with "I can see you use your mac for a lot of important things, would you like to take out applecare?" It was read off a card or something. It was that articulate! Anyway I just said to him thats why you called and he said yes. You dont need to know what I did next. The long and the short is I dont have warranty anymore cause its 2 years old and I dont trust warrantys or extended care or any of that. I really need help from people who want to help. which is nearly everyone. If there is anyone who works for apple who knows how to fix this and isnt saying anything cause I said I dont want to spend £100 plus to fix a £350 machine, thats ok. I guess it just proves what i am saying. If you do tell me then I will be a beaming apple acolyte again. Please continue to help me guys. This is more common than you might think and it could happen to any of us. Google it and see.
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My thanks to any who read this.

Thanks for responding. I forgot to come here and delete this thread. As it turned out, I switched from trying to use the OSX Install disc that came with the Mac Mini and instead used a Snow Leopard retail dvd. That disc worked perfectly. Pretty disturbing that the dvd that came with the computer would not work, while a store bought one worked. Glad I bought a retail version of OSX to hackintosh a dell mini or I wouldn't havebeen able to fix this.

Using External Boot Drive with New Intel Mac Mini

I have a 1st Gen MacMini and use an external 7200 RPM Lacie drive as the system boot drive along with all the applications.
If I were to purchase a new Intel Mac Mini, is it possible to use the current external drive as the system drive or is there some conversion steps that would be necessary ?
Thank you.

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http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303220
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<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.

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Intel mac mini wont boot after system restore

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