Mac Mini fails to detect Aluminum Keyboard at Boot, Aka Support Keys

I've recently had the misfortune of diagnosing a failing hard drive on a my Mac mini. This is a First Gen Intel Mac Min, 1.6ghz, so its about 2 years old now. I have recently purchased a new Aluminum Keyboard, as my older white Apple keyboard had started to have issues, ( some of the keys weren't working any more).
When I started to go through the diagnostics I was concerned that my Mac mini was further in trouble than just a bad HD. As with each boot, the Mac would fail to recognize the standard startup keys, CMD+S, V, Or Even C, D. Nothing I tried could I get the Mac Mini to startup in any mode other than normal startup, which at this point was failing.
I managed to dig out the original White apple keyboard, and plug it in, how ever with only partial keyboard access, trouble shooting was extremely limited.
So the question that I have, is there a way to correct the Mac Mini so it recognizes the Aluminum keyboard during start up, or do I need to find a working white keyboard on E-bay?

The thread has been 'archived' meaning that it dates from a long time ago (two years) and has not had any posts in the intervening time. Threads in that situation are archived so they can be searched and reviewed, but no further contributions added. The exception to no further contributions is that the OP of the thread can add to it - the intention being that OPs can return and mark threads as solved and award stars, also add commentary to clarify their resolution if they need to. Sadly in some instances OPs have added comments which are misleading or inaccurate, but of course no-one else can add further posts to say so!
If you use the 'report this post' link and ask the Hosts to unlock the thread to correct an erroneous addition, they can do so (though they may not of course!
Your comments would have made a welcome clarification I think!

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Mac Mini (Core Solo 1.5GHz) won't boot. Any ideas?

My Mac Mini is hanging when I try to boot up (just sits at the grey apple screen and the progress wheel just cycles indefinitely). I've tried booting into single user mode and running fsck and the disk is fine. If I try booting in verbose mode it seems to hang with an error pertaining to the AirPort card.
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Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost kernel[0]: npvhash=4095
Aug 17 11:13:37 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: fsck_hfs: Volume is journaled. No checking performed.
Aug 17 11:13:37 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: fsck_hfs: Use the -f option to force checking.
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/machinit.d/airportwps.plist
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/AVCAssistant.plist
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/chum.plist
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost com.apple.launchctl.System[2]: launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/pilotfish.plist
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.distccdConfigd): Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.mio.AVCAssistant): Conflict with job: 0x100c90.AVCAssistant over Mach service: com.apple.mio.AVCAssistant
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd): Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd): Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
Aug 17 11:13:42 localhost DirectoryService[11]: Launched version 5.4 (v514.21)
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: hi mem tramps at 0xffe00000
Aug 17 11:13:43 localhost DirectoryService[11]: Improper shutdown detected
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: PAE enabled
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Darwin Kernel Version 9.4.0: Mon Jun 9 19:30:53 PDT 2008; root:xnu-1228.5.20~1/RELEASE_I386
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: standard timeslicing quantum is 10000 us
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: vmpagebootstrap: 120359 free pages and 10713 wired pages
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: migtable_maxdispl = 79
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: 95 prelinked modules
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kextd[10]: 412 cached, 0 uncached personalities to catalog
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: AppleACPICPU: ProcessorApicId=0 LocalApicId=0 Enabled
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: AppleACPICPU: ProcessorApicId=1 LocalApicId=0 Disabled
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Loading security extension com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: calling mpopolicyinit for TMSafetyNet
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Security policy loaded: Safety net for Time Machine (TMSafetyNet)
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Loading security extension com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Loading security extension com.apple.security.seatbelt
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: calling mpopolicyinit for mb
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Seatbelt MACF policy initialized
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Security policy loaded: Seatbelt Policy (mb)
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Copyright (c) 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: MAC Framework successfully initialized
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: using 2621 buffer headers and 2621 cluster IO buffer headers
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: devfsmakenode: not ready for devices!
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: IOAPIC: Version 0x20 Vectors 64:87
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: ACPI: System State [S0 S3 S4 S5] (S3)
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: mbinit: done
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Security auditing service present
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: BSM auditing present
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: rooting via boot-uuid from /chosen: 43C1E330-E913-3A15-99A2-A28E6D9FC45A
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Waiting on <dict ID="0"><key>IOProviderClass</key><string ID="1">IOResources</string><key>IOResourceMatch</key><string ID="2">boot-uuid-media</string></dict>
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: AppleYukon2: 532111ab,00000000 sk98osx_dnet - CheckDictionaryEntry failed, expected vs. dictionary
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: FireWire (OHCI) Lucent ID 5811 built-in now active, GUID 0016cbfffe540f6a; max speed s400.
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Got boot device = IOService:/AppleACPIPlatformExpert/PCI0@0/AppleACPIPCI/SATA@1F,2/AppleAHCI/PRT2 @2/IOAHCIDevice@0/AppleAHCIDiskDriver/IOAHCIBlockStorageDevice/IOBlockStorageDri ver/ST96812AS Media/IOGUIDPartitionScheme/Merged_Untitled@2
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: BSD root: disk0s2, major 14, minor 2
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: jnl: unknown-dev: replay_journal: from: 6368256 to: 7754752 (joffset 0x1be000)
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver::start [-v]
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver::switchToHCIMode legacy
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: jnl: unknown-dev: journal replay done.
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Jettisoning kernel linker.
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Resetting IOCatalogue.
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: GFX0: family specific matching fails
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: display: family specific matching fails
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 3
Aug 17 11:13:44: --- last message repeated 4 times ---
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: GFX0: family specific matching fails
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: display: family specific matching fails
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: Previous Shutdown Cause: 3
Aug 17 11:13:44 localhost kernel[0]: yukon: Ethernet address 00:16:cb:a2:72:95
Aug 17 11:13:46 localhost kernel[0]: USBF: 12.307 AppleUSBHubPort: Port 1 of Hub at 0x7d000000 about to terminate a busy device (IOUSBCompositeDevice) after waiting 10 seconds
Aug 17 11:13:46 localhost kernel[0]: USBF: 12.615 CSRHIDTransitionDriver[0x233ac80](IOUSBCompositeDevice) GetFullConfigDescriptor(0) returned NULL
Aug 17 11:13:46 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver... done
Aug 17 11:13:46 localhost com.apple.kextd[10]: kld(): Undefined symbols:
Aug 17 11:13:46 localhost com.apple.kextd[10]: __ZN16IO80211Interface11postMessageEi
Aug 17 11:13:46 localhost com.apple.kextd[10]: _ZN16IO80211Interface22monitorModeInputPacketEP6_mbuf
Aug 17 11:13:46 localhost com.apple.kextd[10]: _ZN17IO80211Controller20outputRaw80211PacketEP16IO80211InterfaceP6_mbuf
Aug 17 11:13:46 localhost kextd[17]: kldload_frommemory() failed for module /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AirPortAtheros54 24.kext/Contents/MacOS/AirPortAtheros5424
Aug 17 11:13:47 localhost kernel[0]: ath_attach: devid 0x1c
Aug 17 11:13:46 localhost kextd[17]: a link/load error occured for kernel extension /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AirPortAtheros54 24.kext
Aug 17 11:13:47 localhost kernel[0]: mac 10.3 phy 6.1 radio 10.2
Aug 17 11:13:48 localhost ReportCrash[16]: Formulating crash report for process configd[14]
Aug 17 11:13:48 localhost mDNSResponder mDNSResponder-171.4 (Apr 20 2008 11:59:52)[18]: starting
Aug 17 11:13:48 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.configd[14]): Exited abnormally: Segmentation fault
Aug 17 11:13:48 localhost DirectoryService[11]: CCachePlugin::ProcessRequest failed to register for DNS Notifications
Aug 17 11:13:49 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.configd): Throttling respawn: Will start in 4 seconds
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In the case of a nuke&pave is there anything else I should back up besides /Library and /Users?

Fixed it!
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Internal HD on mac mini not well... need to boot in Single User Mode

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Mac Mini fails to accept input from aluminum keyboard during boot.

This is unbelievable. Support knew nothing of this. I tried ⌥, ⌘-S, ⌘-V, ⌘-⌥-P-R, and nothing. SUpport thought my keyboard was broken and was suggesting I take to the Apple Store. This is utterly mazing that people could be left without any recourse in trying to troubleshoot their Macs if they did not have another keyboard lying around. I wonder what the percentage of users is that have extra non-aluminum keyboards lying around. I suspect not high.

This has been a known issue since the release of the Alu keyboards, and there is absolutely no doubt that Apple do know about it - I'm aware of a number of reports that have been submitted to them on this issue, and there has been a significant level of discussion about it here (and elsewhere). Given the time that has passed since it was first reported, it seems pretty obvious that Apple either can't, or don't intend to, fix the issue since they have had plenty of opportunity to revise either the keyboard or the mini.
That said, this is sadly not the first time an Apple support worker has indicated no knowledge of a commonly known issue when a customer has called. It doesn't indicate anything much more than that either the individual worker was not aware of the problem, or couldn't find mention of it in the standard script. I'm not surprised that you were therefore given the standard fallback of taking the item to an Apple Store, but there is little excuse in the end to these people either not being correctly informed, or sufficiently monitored that cavalier responses to customers are better discouraged.
Boece makes the point that almost any USB keyboard will suffice in the circumstance that you need to modify the boot sequence on your mini, and sad to say that remains the only real fix. The Alu keyboard is an excellent device, but is not fully compatible with a number of Mac systems.

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I recently bought the Logitech MK550 wireless keyboard and mouse combo for my late 2014 Mac mini. Basic functions work, however, when I try to add the keyboard and mouse in the System Preferences it can't find either one. So right now I have this great big keyboard that I can only use about half it's full functionality and an unassigned button on the mouse. Any ideas? Also, I would like to add an apple remote to my mini. I have one from my old iMac. Is this possible?

Try resetting the SMC.
Question #2 - I have no idea.
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I've been using my home server more and more to play video. 10.6 is supposed to use the video card for h264 decoding. So even though playing even HD video barely uses any CPU at all, I figured it would be a good time to upgrade to 10.6 Server. Then it would use even less CPU, plus I'd get a little snappiness.
Now the horror begins:
I'm not going to recount everything. But it was 48 hours of downtime, where every possible little thing that could go wrong, went wrong all at the same time. The short version is that the upgrade failed. So I restored from my Time Machine thinking I'd just try it again some other time. Turns out time machine doesn't backup your mail server. (THANKS FOR TELLING ME, APPLE) So then I figure I have everything ELSE backed up, and I still have all my mail on the clients. So then I reformat and do a clean install of Snow Leopard Server. Fail. Repeat. Fail. Repeat. Fail. <- more on that in a sec, but at this point, I'm deciding to just go back to 10.5 and be done with this "upgrade". But theres a problem, my 10.5.0 OS X Server disk won't boot this new Mac mini. Remember where this mini's drives came from? It was already on 10.5.6 or newer (forget) when they got put into this mini. So then I had to get an external drive, hook it up to my mac pro, install 10.5 on that, then netboot my mini off my macbook, and image the installed server over to the mini. Nightmare. But as of right now, I'm back on 10.5.8 and I've been running fast and stable for many hours now. So I believe the nightmare has ended.
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To say that 10.6.2 doesn't like Mac Minis seems a bit of a stretch to me. No one else is reporting similar issues, so that hints towards something in your setup more than Mac OS X Server.
What's missing from your post is any hint at what the logs have to say about this.
Mac OS X Server is pretty good about logging problem events on the network and I'm sure there'd be some kind of hint there.
The other critical piece of information is what else is attached to that USB port. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that you've got some external storage device attached to the USB - the same USB that's trying to manage your network. If that external drive is going to sleep it could cause a USB bus reset, and there goes your network!
If that's the case, it's arguable that the server should just re-establish the link, and it probably should, but you're also asking it to perform under flaky conditions so unexpected things could happen. Again, the logs should make it pretty clear if that's what's going on.

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Sorry for the edit. ios is convinced I typed in something else so I had to go through and correct all of siris spell checks.

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Troubleshooting wireless mouse and keyboard issues
OS X: Bluetooth devices become unresponsive
Mac mini (Mid 2011 and later) and iMac (Late 2012): Bluetooth keyboard may not pair during Setup Assistant - Apple Suppo…
Last get a wired KB. A USB PC KB is fine. If necessary:
Keyboard mappings using a PC keyboard on a Macintosh

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OK I'm stumped and apparently Apple Support is stumped too. I have a problem with my new Mac mini. It will not pair to both my wirelesss keyboard and Magic Mouse on startup. I have an old white "Wireless Keyboard," sometimes referred to as the Bluetooth Keyboard. It's about 6 years old, I purchased it in 2006 with a late Power Mac G5 Quad. It worked great.
But now I just bought a new Mac mini, i7 2.7Ghz, running all current updates to MacOS X 10.7.4. I paired the new Magic Mouse and the Wireless Keyboard just fine. But on every reboot, the keyboard would not pair, it would always go to the Bluetooth Assistant and say no keyboard was attached. I would have to turn the keyboard power switch on and off, usually a couple of times, before it would recognize it. Sometimes I even had to go to the bluetooth menu item and manually Connect the keyboard.
I called Apple tech support under warranty, we tried many things like deleting the bluetooth settings and recreating them, even turning the mini off and pulling the power cord for 30 sec (lol wut). But nothing would work. The Apple tech said, oh well, it's an old product, the higher level tech says it's not supported. Live with it.
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So, Apple Support didn't have any ideas. Maybe someone else has some ideas. I don't see any reason why my new Mac mini won't pair with both bluetooth devices at boot time. It should work.
Also I have a few gripes with the Magic Mouse, I'll toss those in too. Wow it burns batteries fast. I bought some Duracell NiMH rechargeables and a recharger, this added considerable cost to the product. But mostly I am having some sort of ergonomic problem. I am constantly doing something that causes the Dashboard to come up, even though I only have one finger on top of the mouse. I also occasionally pull up the "show all windows" feature of an app, which slows things down pulling up the windows unnecessarily and then me going back. I must be activating a two finger gesture with one finger on the side. I don't know how to prevent this, or even where I'd turn them off.
But even worse, I am geting tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome or something, due to the way this mouse has to be operated. I have never had this problem in my life. It seems that I am constantly holding up my index finger so I can right click. This is causing strain in my hands, and soreness. You can't right click with both fingers on the mouse. Or at least, I have never been able to. I just don't seem to be able to run this mouse well. If anyone has some tips, I would sure like to hear them. I like the scrolling gestures but I hate how it right-clicks and how it accidentally double-clicks. Oh someone please help save my wrist and tendons!
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I'd say there's an issue with the Bluetooth controller or hardware, but if anyone else has had a similar experience and fixed it, please chime in.

Mac Mini no longer detects widescreen VGA displays since last update, can I force 1440x900 somehow?

I connect my intel mac mini to my widescreen monitor through a mini dvi to vga adapter, bought at an apple store. This use to show correct diplay settings and I used 1440x900. About a month ago there was an update and now I cant see the option for 1440x900 any more. The display is all stretched and ugly. I tried the monitor off of my PC, a new samsung and the mini will not recognise that either over the vga adapter. I have tried a new adapter and that did not work either.
Is there anyway I can turn off the autodetect and just set the resolution. I have heard of some shareware program but I do not want to use it. I don't really trust downloading applications from websites.

Trev, I thought you had already updated to Lion. So 10.6.8 did that?
I'd suggest you do not upgrade to Lion till 10.7.1 or 10.7.2 is out fixing graphics driver bugs and other reported ailments.
Are you still under warranty with your system? Or have extended AppleCare?
I am not sure Apple is giving 10.6.9 any priority ... It might be worth calling.
SwitchResX is a reputable program that has been around for a while. Many have used it in the past when OSX wasn't that good at detecting external monitors & TV resolutions. I would give it a whirl. It has a two week free demo.

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