Mac mini 2011 display going black

I just got my new core i7 + SSD 2011 Mac mini. I noticed during initialization of Lion and during a reinstall of Lion that my screen would flash to black for a second or two. A few days after installing Lion I still get this random flash a black a few times throughout my sessions. It usually only does it 2 or three times withing 10 minutes of turning on the the computer, then it seems to be fine. One time it flashed a few times and then the display went all distorted and pixelated. To fix it I ended up having to disconnect my 24" Cinema display and reconnect it. This whole display issue is really annoying.
I found this so I hope Apple is working to fix this issue:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15843631#15843631

Shutdown the Mini, turn off the display, disconnect and reconnect all of your power and display connections ensuring that they are fully seated and snug.
It could also just be that the display going to sleep and then rewaking.
1. Go to: System Preference / Energy Saver and check to see if your Display Sleep slider didn't maybe get set to under 3 minutes.
2. Go to: System Preferences / Exposé & Spaces / Exposé and see if there isn't a Hot Corner set to "Put Display to Sleep" that you pointer might be going to.

Similar Messages

  • Mac Mini 2011 screen blacks out during heavy screen activity

    I have a Mac Mini 2011 i5 2.3Ghz with Intel HD video.  It's connected to a 30" LCD 2560x1600 (Dell WFP3008) via mini-DP to DP cable and a 22" LCD 1920x1080 (Samsung LCD TV) via HDMI to HDMI cable.
    For the first few weeks I had it connected to the 30" only and it was fine.  Then I hooked up the Samsung as a second display and the problems started.
    The problem is that the Dell blacks out briefly, then comes back.  It is not "drawing" the screen black, the signal to the Dell gets disrupted momentarily so the monitor has no signal so it goes black.  Then it resyncs with the signal and the display is back.  This only happens to the Dell, during the disruption, the Samsung image stays put.  I know it is a signal disruption because the Dell shows a displayport icon showing that it has just resynced to that input.
    The problem happens more frequently when more things are going on; like if I have a window or multiple windows playing video, then the disruption happens more.  If I disconnect the Samsung, it happens less.  It could even happen if a web browser window taking up a large portion of the 30" screen does a full page update, it will disrupt.  If I am running Adobe Lightroom, it seems to happen more also.
    When it happens it seems like messages like this appear in the console, although i can't say they are directly correlated:
    6/1/12 8:28:46.000 PM kernel: IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero
    I'm thinking perhaps the mini is running low on memory since the 2560x1600 is pretty high res and then add the 1080p screen and stuff being updated, perhaps it runs out of memory and disrupts the signal while it garbage collects?  Pure speculation.
    Has anybody else seen this and have any clues on how to resolve it?  Thanks.

    I should clarify that when I say perhaps the mini is running low on memory, I mean low on shared video memory, since the computer has 16GB installed.  I'm not sure how to view or test shared video memory allocation.

  • Mac Mini (2011) can't boot, no screen display.

    Hi, my mac mini (2011) finally won't startup today.
    It was since two weeks ago, the mini goes freeze very frequently, I discovered that the fan speed was always below 2000rpm, meantime, the CPU temp was around 80-90 degree, it is around 25 degree in the room, last Friday I installed a software named smcfancontrol, which can manually speed up the fan, and it seems better, and the computer runs faster, I think the CPU is running in full speed.
    Today, I opened a video to watch, after about ten minutes, the computer goes freeze again, and of course I force powered it down by pressing the power button on the back, then the tragic came:
    - when I try to boot up the machine, the front light turns on, then off with a "ka" sounds like the hard drive shutting down(force powering it down)
    - after around two seconds, the light goes on again, and the fan smoothly goes to full speed, there is nothing shows up on screen, as well as no apple boot up sound.
    - I tried to reset smc (power down, unplug power cable, wait 15 seconds, plug in power cable, wait 5 seconds, power on), no luck.
    - I tried to reset pmu (at least internet says it's pmu, it seems apple website did not mention how to reset pmu on mac mini, power down, hold power button for five seconds, power on), no luck
    - I also tried to unplug the memory, try with every single one to boot, no luck
    - last Friday, when I can still boot up the computer, I thought there might too much dust, I removed the fan and cleaned it up, it looks a small piece of plastic on the fan plug were damaged, but the smcfancontrol app still can control its speed, therefore I think the fan is OK.
    - during many retry, there was one time, the fan goes full speed at startup, with no front light off,(my current status is fan goes to full speed gently).
    - the computer is connected with an AV amplifier, then output to a plasma TV, when the computer is powered off, the TV displays a background of amp, when I startup the computer, although no video output from computer, the TV goes to a "No Signal" status, I dont's think this is related to my problem.
    the computer is out of warrentee, but bought only for less than two years... I really want it back to work, can someone help me? many thanks!
    wish you all have a good day.

    Hard to troubleshoot when you can't turn on the computer on any more.  One option is to bring it to an Apple store to have them look at it.  They will tell you what is wrong and how much it will cost to fix.  I have never heard of them charging for a diagnostic and an estimate.
    If your CPU was running hot all the time and your fan had small plastic pieaces, in my opinion, something got fried.  The mini is so compact, that the excessive heat may have also over heated your hard drive causing thd "ka" sound.
    If you decide to continue in to use a Mac Mini as a media server, may I would suggest using iStat to monitor it.  I use iStat on my 2011 Mac Mini Media Server to monitor CPU usage, all sensors, and internet incoming and outcoming.

  • Purchase Help: iMac 2011 vs Thunderbolt Display   Mac Mini 2011

    Hello,
    I purchased Thunderbolt display with Mac mini 2011. I experienced a lot of graphic issues with Mac mini when I connected to Thunderbolt display. I exchanged Mac mini 3 times but the same result. The Thunderbolt display is working fine with MacBook Pro 2011.
    I'm going to return both Thunderbolt display and Mac mini and interested to get iMac. Is there any differences between iMac and Thunderbolt display + Mac mini 2011? i.e., in technology, release update cycle, features etc? My main intention to buy Thunderbolt display is to use with both Mini and MacBook Pro.
    Any further help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

    I don't know why you are surprised at the similar sizes of the 27-inch iMac, the 27-inch Cinema Display, and the 27-inch Thunderbolt display.  The 27-inch iMac came first, and the others are "monitor-only" products that seem to use the same LCD panel(s).
    As to a current 27-inch iMac vs. a current 27-inch Thunderbolt display,
    * The iMac serves as a standalone computer, and can also serve as a dumb monitor for an external computer that has a Thunderbolt port.  When operating as a dumb monitor, the iMac only serves as a monitor; it does not offer breakout connections to USB 2.0, Firewire 800, or Gigabit Ethernet.
    * The Thunderbolt display is a dumb monitor for an external computer that has a Thunderbolt port.  It also serves as a breakout box for USB 2.0, Firewire, 800, and Gigabit Ethernet connections (which is convenient if your main machine is a laptop; you can do all of your docking with one Thunderbolt cable + one power cable).

  • Hello, I am interested in buying this week of a mac mini 2011 with intel graphics HD3000 but I'm not sure it looks good with my Samsung SyncMaster933HD monitor. How would it look better with the hdmi-dvi connection or a built-in display adapter port-vga

    Hello, I am interested in buying this week of a mac mini 2011 withintel graphics HD3000 but I'm not sure it looks good with my Samsung SyncMaster 933HD monitor. How would it look better.... with the hdmi-dvi connection built in, buying a HDMI 1.3 cable and HDMI-making or buying an adapter hdmi display port - vga and connected through the port thunderbolt
    Thanks

    I originally set up my mini with the included HDMI -> DVI adaptor to connect to a Sycmaster monitor. The graphics were very good.

  • Mac mini 2011 to displayport display

    How do I connect the new Mac mini 2011 (thunderbolt port) to an displayport display?
    What kind of cable do I need?

    Somewhere else I found a hint to use a mini displayport to displayport cable and plug the mini displayport end into the thunderbolt port because of backward compatibility.
    It is my understanding that is correct.
    From the Mac mini page;
    http://www.apple.com/macmini/design.html
    Many ports. Major possibilities.
    Built-in Thunderbolt technology lets you daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt peripherals, including the new Apple Thunderbolt Display, to a single port. It also supports Mini DisplayPort peripherals you might already have, including the Apple LED Cinema Display. The HDMI port lets you connect Mac mini to your HDTV with a single cable. And a built-in SDXC card slot makes speedy work of transferring photos and videos from your digital cameras.

  • Unable to Troubleshoot Power Issues on Mac mini 2011

    I have been having odd and intermittent power issues with my Mac mini 2011 and could really use some help before I resign myself to taking it into an Apple Store. It's under warranty, but I now live in another country so I hope I don't need to ship it should it come down to that.
    However, I have searched this topic a lot, and not only have I tried troubleshooting it, I haven't seen any power issues with other owners of this model. That leads me to think that the power supply itself is probably OK.
    First of all, I live in China and the building I live in seems to have a questionable power supply. The air conditioner for example simply would not work and the repairman spent two hours messing around with wires inside the outlet and in the breakers. That did the trick, so I wonder if I'm simply not getting enough juice?
    Main symptoms:
    - My monitor recognizes an analog signal but will not light up (black monitor). Unplugging and replugging adaptor doesn't do anything.
    - Startup Keyboard Commands (e.g. Cmmd-R) may work, but I can't tell because the monitor won't light up. Letting the computer boot up though I can hear keyboard volume keys and such making the standard sounds. I can usually restart using the keyboard too.
    - My 2T external HD more often than not dismounts as well.
    - I can't hear any computer activity after the chime (hard drive, etc.).
    - Since I can hear the chime and there is audio feedback through the keyboard, I think that eliminates hardware problems such as logic board failure or bad RAM.
    - I can't boot even if I unplug all USB peripherals.
    - Holding down the power button (I have it set to make the computer sleep as well as shut down) often won't shut down the computer, but it seems to stay in sleep no matter how long I hold it. Unplugging the computer finally shuts it down, obviously.
    - Unplugging and waiting 5 minutes or so and powering up again doesn't seem to make any difference, nor does switching sockets, plugging directly into the wall, etc.
    Problems began about two weeks ago, got better, and then worse again. Now I'm just keeping the computer and monitor on (never sleep 24/7).
    Miraculously, after much frustration and countless restarts, suddenly the screen will turn on to reveal a fully booted system that was running all along in the background. No startup screen- the monitor just magically comes on again. Often I find that my external has unmounted, but it's no big deal to get to remount. At this stage, the Mac is still very quiet and for a while the system is sluggish, though it hops back into action in 5 or 10 minutes.
    At first I thought it was just my monitor, and though that's possible I suppose, it seems I'm just not getting enough juice. Once the monitor is on though, everything is fine: I can power it off and on with no problems. But I can't just leave my computer on forever though.
    Any help appreciated.

    Well, with the other monitor (which did not work with the mini either but worked fine on a laptop), I was able to narrow the trouble spot down to either a faulty Mini Display to VGA adaptor or a damaged port. I could determine that all the other ports (incld. the USB drive, programs, internet, etc., were all working fine behind the big black GUI all through sound feedback, so I seriously doubted it could be a supply problem or a residential electric problem.
    I took my mini and adaptor to a "Mac Shop" (reseller) here in China, and found it quite professional, just like a Mac Store. They tested my machine, and although they didn't have VGA monitors, they said I could return the new $30 USD adaptor if it didn't work. But as I'm writing this on the monitor now, the new adaptor did the trick.
    The long and short of all this is that I've read a lot about display problems with the mini and I suspect that most of these problems are adaptor related. I myself tried to save some bucks by buying a third party plug and lived and learned. I hope the Apple adaptor works like a champ, and if it doesn't, I'll know the first thing to eliiminate next time.

  • Mac Mini 2014 Boots With Black Background/White Apple

    Mac Mini Specs: 2014 Model with 2.6GHz processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB HD, Intel Iris Graphics, Mini-Display Port to DVI adapter with Dell monitor
    Issue: When booting the Mac Mini up it goes through a very standard Yosemite boot but the background is black and the apple and progress bar are both white.  The issue is entirely cosmetic in nature and doesn't seem to have any negative effects.  What I normally expect and have seen in 30+ macs upgraded to Yosemite is the same loading but with a grey screen.  It's worth noting that I have noticed this issue on 2 iMac 2010s that had been upgraded to Yosemite that belonged to some friends, but their issues were intermittent or fixed.
    Steps Taken:
    Updated from 10.10 to 10.10.1 and installed all other available updates
    Checked the Start-up Manager, Recovery, and Internet Recovery.  All have black backgrounds and internet recovery's globe is small then normal.
    Reset SMC and NVRAM
    Tested Safe Boot
    Erase and Reinstall OS X
    Removed all peripherals except monitor
    Tested another monitor and DVI cable
    Tested HDMI without the adapter
    Replaced Mac Mini with new Mac Mini
    Questions:
    1. Have you seen this issue before and what are the specs of the device it occurred on? (OS, Model, Year)
    2. I wonder if this might be expected but can't find anything to reference that it would be and didn't get any answers even when asking people at the store or over the phone.  Have you seen any articles/pages that talk about this issue?
    3. Can you think of anything else to try and resolve this?

    This is normal for the newer machines running Yosemite. There's nothing wrong.

  • Run iPhoto slideshow on 2nd display without 1st display going black?

    Hi there,
    I can't seem to find a clear answer on this one. I have just connected a 2nd display to my mac mini via the thunderbolt connection. When I put iPhoto 11 onto the 2nd display desktop and run a slideshow it plays on the 2nd screen but my 1st screen goes black, which isnt ideal as I want to be able to carry on working on my 1st screen.
    Is iPhoto 11 able to run a slideshow on a 2nd display without 1st display going black? If not, is there a way around this by using other software?
    I have the 2nd display set up in extended mode not mirror.
    I am running OSX 10.9.2.
    Many thanks,
    Andy.

    Is iPhoto 11 able to run a slideshow on a 2nd display without 1st display going black?
    No.
    There may well be, but it's not possible with Aperture either.
    Alternatives to iPhoto's slideshow include:
    iMovie is on every Mac sold.
    Others, in order of price:
    PhotoPresenter  $29
    PhotoToMovie  $49.95
    PulpMotion  $129
    FotoMagico $29 (Home version) ($149 Pro version, which includes PhotoPresenter)
    Final Cut Pro X $299
    It's difficult to compare these apps. They have differences in capability - some are driven off templates. some aren't. Some have a wider variety of transitions. Others will have excellent audio controls. It's worth checking them out to see what meets your needs. However, there is no doubt that Final Cut Pro X is the most capable app of them all. You get what you pay for.

  • Apple TV stops streaming via AirPlay when iPhone 6 Display goes black

    Hi,
    when my iPhone gets locked and the Display goes black (standby) after 2 Minutes, my AirPlay stream to my Apple TV 3. Gen stops playing. Only when i set the standby/lock time time to never instead of 2 Minutes (and the screen is on all the time) the Stream wont stop.
    Sometimes the stream does not stop, wenn my iPhone Screen goes black.
    This also happens with an iPad Mini or using an Lightning to HDMI Adapter instead the Apple TV.
    I have no idea why.
    Please help.
    Best regards
    Sebastian

    On a sidenote, I also have an ipad and normally homesharing with the ipad works fine, but after having an apple tv incident, I have to restart the mac for homesharing to work with the ipad

  • When I connect my Mac Mini 2011 with Lion to a TV via HDMI and an earphone cable is plugged in, it´s not possible to choose sound out via hdmi, as opposed to connection via minidisplay port. Anybody knows how to fix this?

    When I connect my Mac Mini 2011 with Lion to a TV via HDMI and an earphone cable is plugged in, it´s not possible to choose sound out via hdmi, as opposed to connection via the minidisplay port. Anybody knows how to fix this?

    Was just on the phone with Apple about this.
    The solution was as follows for me anyway...
    Go to your Finder
    Choose the Go Menu
    Choose Computer
    Choose your Macintosh Hard Drive
    Choose your "Library" Folder
    Choose the "Preferences" Folder
    There should be a folder called "Audio"
    Move that whole folder to the trash
    Empty the Trash
    Restart from the Apple Menu
    When you are back up and running;
         Choose System Preferences from the Apple Menu
         Choose Sound
          In the output tab you should now be able to make the HDMI "Sticky"
          Enjoy your sound over HDMI and no more dirty knees or broken backs unplugging the desktop speakers!
    Mac Mini 2011 2.5Ghz 8 GB of RAM - Planar 17" VGA via display port adapter and Samsung 26" LCD TV via HDMI

  • Have most recent macbook pro connected to thunderbolt via thunderbolt cable.  Occasionally when I close my laptop the thunderbolt display goes black and does not come back on---even in response to keyboard.  Help

    Have most recent macbook pro connected to thunderbolt via thunderbolt cable.  Occasionally when I close my laptop the thunderbolt display goes black and does not come back on---even in response to keyboard.  Help

    Hello QuinnDev,
    Thank you for posting in the Apple Support Communities.  It sounds like you are trying to use your MacBook Pro with a Thunderbolt Display in closed clamshell mode (MacBook Pro closed), but sometimes the display doesn't stay on.  I found an article that talks about closed clamshell mode.  You would have to fulfill the following requirements to use your display this way:
    Requirements for closed display mode:
    Power adapter
    External keyboard, mouse, or trackpad
    External display
    You can find all the steps and the full article here:
    Mac notebooks: How to use your computer in closed clamshell (display closed) mode with an external display
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131
    I hope this helps!
    All the best,
    Sheila M.

  • Connect Mac Mini 2011 to iMac 2011 via Thunderbolt

    Is it possible to connect the new Mac mini 2011 to the new iMac 2011 via Thunderbolt to use the Display Target Mode of the iMac ?

    See Target Display Mode And Thunderbolt.

  • Mac Mini 2011 Sleep of Death

    I have a Mac Mini 2011 with Lion factory installed configured with an original Apple Keyboard and a LG - HDMI monitor.
    If the Mini goes to sleep either manually using the Apple Menu or based on Settings , it does not wake up !
    Any  subsequent attempt to wake the mac by moving the mouse results in either nothing happening  / a system power down.
    Restarting the Mac  is then  impossible. The Mini just makes JET engine level fan noise and does not boot.
    Only after PMU/SMC resets and starting in Safe Mode ( Command +S when powering ) does the Mini come alive again.  What a nightmare !
    My only  solution till now is to put the Sleep settings to "NEVER"
    Surely there is a way around this .... sleep of death ???

    I have tried to eliminate all issues related to connected periphals first as Apple is really not going to find a solution if it relates to these. I changed the HDMI cable to abrand new expensive cable as a first step. Then I connected only one USB Time Machine Hard Disk 1TB. The PC is now waking out of manually induced sleep. I am not brave enough to remove the "Never Sleep " automatically settings as yet.  Also downloaded a free utility named ONYX to do a system clean. They have a version for both Lion and Snow Leopard - just Google ONYX to see what it does. For now, at least the Mac Mini is working . Hope it lasts.

  • Mac Mini 2011 - Monitor Problems - Help

    My picture is not sharp... just blury. Icons, pictures, text, mostly everything is bad except high quality video files.
    I just purchased a Mac Mini 2011 second option and a Samsung TA531 monitor that arrived today. Hooked it up and to my surprise, it is blury and bad quality no matter what kind of resolution i use. I also try to text smoothening through terminal.. nothing helps.
    My setup:
    Mac Mini 2011 - second option stock
    Samsung SyncMaster T27A531
    Cable: HDMI
    After reading about this issue, some people recommends to use a DVI or VGA cable and claims that HDMI is not suitable for computer monitors, especially Samsung.
    Please, feel really sad and lost among a lot of new computer equipment that doesn't work properly

    I had the same issue and didn't want to give up my Thunderbolt port, so I opted to get a Gefen HDMI Detective Plus. What this does is make the CPU think an HDMI display is attached so that your graphics CPU 'unlocks' and full speed is back. The Gefen box can either 'learn' the code of any HDMI display in your office/home, or you can preset it as a stock 1080p display. TOTALLY solved my problem... even though it did cost $85.
    Apple needs to fix this as so many people use the MINI headless.
    http://www.gefen.com/kvm/ext-hdmi-edidp.jsp?prod_id=8005

Maybe you are looking for