Mac min wont start

gray screen comes up with the apple and the loader symbol spins but just does not come in, few days before i was having issues with the drive and graphics, is this a goner?
it is a g4 1.5 512mb superdrive model

If the drive is clicking, it may be defective, which could affect startup: I've had several G4 towers refuse to boot if the optical drive was dead, even with no disk in the drive.
Can you boot to single-user mode (hold apple+s keys on startup)? If so, use the "fsck -fy" command to run file system check (Repair Disk).
Another thing to try, if you have access to another Mac, is to start your mini in Target mode and see whether it mounts when you connect it via firewire to another Mac. If it mounts, you can try running Disk Utility and see whether that helps.
Andrew Penner

Similar Messages

  • My maci mini wont start up. What can I do?

    IM getting the grey apple then the wheel spins for a while then stops. I had just done the software update.

    Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

  • Mac Mini wont start after power outage, and problem copying iPhoto library. HELP!

        So, recently there was a power outage in my neighborhood, the power was intermitent for about 2 hours, during this time my mac rebooted itself several times, but on the second time it rebooted the power went out during boot, then the power finally went out for good, it was back in about 3 hours, but when i finnaly turned on my mac it got stuck at the Apple logo with a spinning wheel and a progress bar that wouldnt go past 40%, when i boot holding command -v it said that there were a lot of errors which were automatically fixed, except for one, "Incorrect Thread records" or something like that.
        I have another partition with Mountain Lion installed for emergencies, the other one with Lion became inaccessible to mountain lion or any other OS X version, but oddly enough, I can access my Lion partition via HFSexplorer and see all my files untouched.
        My main concern are my pictures in iPhoto, and thats about 36Gb of data, I want to backup them to my windows pc by copying the whole iPhoto library package, but HFSexplores for some reason cant copy the folders with date (XX/XX/XXXX) with the /, and it keeps changing them to XX_XX_XXXX and I know that would pretty much break my iPhoto library!
    I googled my drive problem and people said that I need a Disk Utility called DiskWarrior, but I cant seem to find how to to use it, I got a copy from a friend, it was the digital version of the boot disk which need to be burned to a dvd.
    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

  • ITunes crashed now Mac mini wont power back on

    iTunes crashed now Mac mini wont power back on

    You have not provided any information on which to base troubleshooting. Minimal information would include the Model Mac mini you have for example Mid 2010 Mac mini, exactly what happened when iTunes crashed, and what -- if anything -- happens when you try to restart. It is unlikely iTunes has anything to do with the failure to reboot but instead iTunes crashed because of what even caused your Man mini to fail.
    Just as a starting point, be sure and check all your connections, power, monitor, keyboard, mouse, everything. You would not be the first to have a plug come adrift unexpectedly.

  • My mac mini wont boot from disk

    My 2010 Unibody Mac Mini wont boot from disk, i need to open disk utility to repair my drive but it wont boot, any ideas?

    it started yesterday, and nope, not changed anything apart from the apple update for S.L. a week or two ago, and its stuck at the spinning gear, this has never happened before

  • My mac mini wont turn on but there is power to it as the usb port charges my iPad

    My mac mini wont turn on but there is power to it as the usb port charges my iPad. My monitor uses a HDMI cable when the mac mini is off it says no input received which it does not say so it is receiving some signal from the mac mini. I have tried a different cable and a different monitor/ hdmi cable. The fan isnt running there is no start up noise but the little light on the front blinks every 4-5 seconds. Im booked in to see a GENIUS on sunday but I was wondering if there is anything I can do in the mean time. The mac mini is only 8 months old if that. Any ideas people? Oh the mac is also running mountain lion and has been since the day of release i've never had a problem up until this.

    The following table lists the new tones and their meaning:
    Tone(s)          Description
    1 tone, a 5-second pause, repeat          No RAM installed
    3 successive tones, a 5-second pause, 3 successive tones          RAM does not pass data integrity check
    1 long tone when holding down the power button          Firmware upgrade in process. See About firmware updates for Intel-based Macs for more details.
    3 long tones, 3 short tones, 3 long tones          Firmware restoration from CD in process. See About the Firmware Restoration CD (Intel-based Macs) for more details.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2538
    Can you count the beeps or flashes?
    1 beep = no RAM installed
    2 beeps = incompatible RAM types
    3 beeps = no good banks
    4 beeps = no good boot images in the boot ROM (and/or bad sys config block)
    5 beeps = processor is not usable
    In addition to the beeps, on some computers the power LED will flash a corresponding number of times plus one. The LED will repeat the sequence after approximately a 5-second pause. The tones are only played once.
    Note: In this case, a flash is considered to be 1/4 second or 250 ms or greater in length.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1547

  • My mac pro wont start. I push the power button and I get a click sound. A few seconds later another click sound and that it.

    My mac pro wont start. I push the power button and I get a click sound. A few seconds later another click sound and that it. I've tried different power plugs. Going direct into the wall, through a power strip. By iteslf, with other devices plugged in. I removed hard drives, and some RAM, and nothing. Sometimes it would not turn on, and then some minutes later it works. So its was sparatic, but now its been the same situation for three days where it wont turn on.
    I'm guessing power supply, but I wanted to see if anyone had a similar expereince and what the solution was, before I drag this beast to my local Apple store and have them look at it. Its a real pain to get it there and back and I want to be armed with some info for them. I already dragged this to them when it first started to do this, and of course it started up just fine for them. And you know if it works for the Genius then theres nothing wrong with. No matter what you explain to them.
    I figure if anyone had a the same problem and was able to resolve it, I can relate that experience to the Genius even if it start up for them.
    Thanks

    Try a SMC Reset using the extended method:
    Remove the AC power cord.
    Press the power-on button. [This drains the stored charge from the power supply]
    wait a quarter minute.
    Restore the power cord, being certain to JAM it into the socket, as the big block of rubber inhibits proper seating.
    wait a quarter minute
    attempt to power on.
    If no joy, examine the button battery half-hidden behind the graphics card. Remove it to measure the Voltage. A new battery should not cost over US$5, and measures a little over 3 Volts. BR-2032 is used in garage door opener controls and car door locks controls. The geeks at Radio Shack can measure it for you.

  • Mac mini wont read disc drive

    Just got an audio interface for garage band however mac mini wont read the disc drive to load software. It has worked in the past. Tryed an audio cd and its not reading that either.

    Apple Computers: Troubleshooting the slot-loading SuperDrive
    Could be bad drive.

  • Mac mini fan starts every 20 secs

    After reviewing posts with similar issues, I tried:
    - Rresetting PRAM
    - Resetting the SMC
    - Since I wanted to do a clean install for a while, I did a Snow Leopard clean install.
    After all of this, the mac mini fan starts and inmediatley goes quiet.  It repeats this over an over every 20 seconds.
    What else can I try? My Mac mini is from 2007 (2 GHz, Intel Core Duo 2)

    Since you've done a clean install (and updated to current/latest release?), and the AHT didn't find any obvious issues, and an SMC reset didn't help, let's look at more causal sources. 
    Have you looked at the vents on the bottom to ensure they are free of lint/dust/animal hair/etc? Plugged intake vents can cause high temperatures and the fan behavior you're hearing.
    Have you looked at the Activity Monitor (on your hard drive in applications/utilities) to see is any program is using much of the processor, which would drive heat in the system? 
    Do you have iStat Pro so you can see what the temps are on various components?

  • My mac mini doesnt start. i cant write my password. the box dialogue doesnt apear.

    my mac mini doesnt start. i cant write my password. the box dialogue doesnt apear.help me please!
    nicolas

    What does apear on the screen?  You could start up in safe mode by holding down the shift key while starting up. You should then go to a login screen. Or you could hold down the R key, which should get you to the restore  option. Then you could use the utilities to repair permissions and repair you boot volume.If you use the restore option, do not restore. go to the top and use the utilities option.

  • Apple Remote and Mac mini wont pair

    My remote works fine with Mac mini and Plex and Sofa Control. But I am unable to pair them. The settings are right and when I press Menu + Fwd nothing happens, no Pairing icon on the screen.
    The situation is a frustration since I have an Apple TV besides connected to a second Apple Remote. Since my Mac mini wont pair, the Apple TV remote controls them both.
    Does anyone had a similar problem and found a sollution?

    Does it pair if the ATV remote is disabled?

  • My late 2012 mac mini wont let me connect to my internet, it says connection timeout occured, help?

    Hi, my late 2012 mac mini wont let me connect to my network after installking a kext file which was meant for lion, i was trying to improve my connection but clearly failed, can anyone help me connect again, or show me how to uninstall this file as i think this maybe the problem?

    This may help:
    http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/35625-how-to-delete-kext-file-using-termi nal/

  • First Generation Mac Mini Wont Go Past Start Up Screen

    Last night I was doing some cleaning up on my Mac Mini (pre intel) just deleteing some pictures, some songs, stuff like that... after I was done that, I did a Verify Permissions, and a Repair Permissions.. it went very smooth.. fixed a couple of errors... then I shut down my computer.. so far nothing out of the ordinary... then later on, I went to use it again, so I turned it on... heard the chime, grey screen, grey apple logo spinny circle, all normal... except it has now stayed on the screen for HOURS..... I tried to start in safe mode, wouldnt do it, I put in my OS Disk, to try and boot from that by holding down C, wouldnt do it... I tried to reset PRAM (appleoptoion+pr) nothing... so then I tried to reset PMU (unplug everything plug in the power while holding the power button.. nothing...
    can someone tell me what is going on with my mini????

    I would concentrate on trying to get this thing booted from your original install disc. From there you can run DiskUtility from the Utilities menu at the top of the screen.
    You'll need a usb keyboard, preferably directly connected to the Mini's usb port. The Apple Aluminum keyboard won't work for this, but just about any PC usb keyboard or other Mac usb keyboard will work. Hold down either the C key or the Option (or Alt) key as soon as you hear the startup chime (or beep).
    Be sure you are using the install disc that shipped with your Mini.

  • 2010 Mac Mini slow start up

    Hi all,
    All of a sudden our Mac Mini bought in early 2010 is very slow on start up. In fact it's been on the grey screen now for 20mins with the spinning timer & looking like not much is happening.
    It's a Mac Mini Server but it's just used to hold our MYOB Account Edge Network Edition data file. We recently upgraded from MYOB Account Edge V8 to V13. It has been a bit troublesome since then, with FileConnect2013 cutting out. But it had been working OK the last few days. Then today I had to force quit & now it wont start back up again.
    Any hints? Thanks.

    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 startup failure is to secure the 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 the last backup, you can skip this step.
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
         a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
    b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
    c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
    d. 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
    If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
    Step 3
    Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
    Step 4
    If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
    Step 5
    If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
    Step 6
    Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up 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.
    Step 7
    If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
    Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
    Safe mode is much slower to start 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 the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    When you start up 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, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 11. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
    If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup 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 restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
    If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
    Step 8
    Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the 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 restart as usual.
    Step 9
    If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.   
    Step 10
    Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
    Step 11
    Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
    Step 12
    This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
    Step 13
    If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

  • Mac Mini wont go to sleep!

    just brought a mac mini a few days ago, everything is all good apart from the fact it wont go to sleep. When pressing the power button on the back or press/holding the play button on the remote the mini sleeps for a grand total of about 5 seconds before switching back on.
    Help on this matter would be very much appreciated.
    kash

    yeah sure thing but its pritty dam simple! i just shut it down then re-started it. Think it was because as soon as i had got it out of the box i hadnt switched it off so any updates hadnt been installed properly.
    SO to all new mac mini owners dont be alarmed if ur mini doesnt sleep when u first try it out , just switch it off and on again .

Maybe you are looking for