Mac Mini first start, no keyboard responding

Hello all,
i got my new mac mini server edition (without a cd drive) and wanted to start it first time.
Unfortunatly I have to sign up and enter my username and password, but I have no
possibility. No Keyboard is reacting, not USB, not Wireless.
Does anybody have an idea?
Thx
Erik

Yes you need to use a wired keyboard.

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Do you need to use a USB keyboard and mouse for your first mac mini start up? I've just fired it up for the first time and got a strange start up screen. The icon looks like a battery compartment with a green switch with an arrow pointing up. I've read all of my manuals and can not find anything to help me. Any ideas??

Yes you need to use a wired keyboard.

Mac Mini first boot and bluetooth keyboard not recognised

Hi Apple Support Community-
I have just purchased a brand new Mac Mini and App Wireless Keyboard. Unfortunately upon first boot, the Mac Mini is requesting I connect my bluetooth keyboard by switching it on, however even though the green light flashes, after the 5 second startup acknowledgement, there is no response from the Mac Mini.
To confirm the keyboard is working, I have successfully paired it with my MacBook. I do not have a USB Keyboard or Mouse and without purchasing additional hardware, do you have any suggestions to work around this problem?
Thanks, Julian

Hi Julian,
Sometime a Mac can't pickup the connection of a bluetooth keyboard or mouse is normal. Whatever your Mac is brand new or not.
I will do the following if the brand new Mac can't pickup the bluetooth connection, but make sure the bluetooth keyboard and mouse is not yet paired with other computer, that means you have to un-pair the keyboard and mouse from your MacBook before you perform the follow step:
- Switch off the Mac
- Switch off the Keyboard and Mouse which not yet paired with other computer, remove its battery, and re-install the battery after 10 seconds
- Switch on the Keyboard and Mouse first, make sure both devices have a green light flashes (the light flashed at intervals, like a pulse **...**...sorry my poor English), that means the devices is discoverable.
- Switch on the Mac asap if all the bluetooth keyboard and mouse is ready, and let the Mac pair both device (according the screen instruction)
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I cant establish a connection between Mac mini and the wireless keyboard

I just bought a Mac mini but I can't link the wireless keyboard with the Mac mini

Same with my new mac mini.
Got it brand new via the online shop.
Happy to start with the new mac i really got dissapointed by the fact that it`s impossible to pair the wireless keyboard unless you first connect a USB keyboard to the mac mini and start the configuration.
THIS ***** !!!
No hint at all from apple that you first have to connect the USB keyboard.
I had to borrowed a USB keyboard from my neighbour :-((
After setting things up it was no problem at all to establish the BT connection with the keyboard.
Works fine now.

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?

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

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My new wireless keyboard won't connect to my new mac mini: what do I need to do?

do you have a normal usb keyboard & mouse too?
have you gone through these steps?
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3048
of course you need a working mouse to go through these steps....i think everyone should keep a usb set on hand to resolve these kinds of issues.....

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.

Why wont my mac mini recognize my wireless keyboard?

Help! I just bought a mac mini and an apple wireless keyboard, but it wont recognize the keyboard. I can do nothing towards registering my mac mini.

I have the same problem. My late 2009 mac mini just died three days ago. I bought a new mac mini (late 2012 version) and am trying to hook all up and get going. I have the monitor and mouse talking to the mac mini. When I get to the keyboard screen I get nothing but an image of the side of a keyboard. At first I received a passcode to input on the keyboard and hit return. I did it and nothing happened. The passcode appeared again and I entered it and again nothing. I read to turn off the keyboard and start again. I've donw this and now I don't even get the passcode option. Just a screen with the side of the keyboard. What shall I do. Does it think it's paired with the 'dead' mac mini? I read that I need a wiired keyboard to pair the two, but I was never told that and I do not have one. Let me know what I should do next.

My Mac mini 2012 started making whistling sounds during download after upgrading to Maverick.

anyone have a similar problem?
and some messages in terminal??
27.10.13 8:24:41,406 Finder[186]: FIXME: IOUnserialize has detected a string that is not valid UTF-8, "y".

Personally, I feel that it is the new OS. I downloaded memory clean (since I had lion), and no matter what I am now always running less that 1GB of RAM (8GB currently on board). Every time I switch between text (websites and documents), to video. I always find that when I switch between them, it takes at least 20 seconds for the video to play (and after I click it, I start to hear my fan blow like never before). Even tonight when I tried to play a video off an external hard drive, it took over 30 seconds to load...and when it did, it responded by the hard drive disconnecting (with the fan). And I think it was the worst update for the mac mini...at least.
But I do feel if your fan is blowing more than normal, it due to the update. But if it’s blowing. But sounding weird...there maybe a hardware issue with it.

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Hi there experts ....
I've got a 4 month old Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
I've noticed for the past couple of months the clock is 4 minutes fast ....
And the screeensaver is coming on by itself out of nowhere ...
I/ve run disk repair ... Maintenance ... put screensaver to never and even disabled front row screensaver
I've reset pram and nvram ... ANy clues ....?

So even if you put the screensaver to never it still starts on its own?
Also you clock runs faster by 4mins?
I smell an OS issue. Partition your drive and install a fresh OS onto it. If it works(no problem there) then restore the partition into 1 drive. Zero out the drive and put a fresh OS in it
**back it up first
If the fresh OS on the new partition still fails. it could be a hardware failure.

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Older Intel Mac Mini that I use as an entertainment / movie center. Leopard.
I did a software update recently, but somehow botched it and interrupted the process.
Ever since then, it won't start up correctly. It chimes, disk powers up, but then it gets stuck on the screen with the apple and rotating propeller. Can go on for hours if you let it.
Took it to a dealer, who said it started up fine from another system an I should try starting it in target disk mode an reinstall the OS.
Bought a USB keyboard specifically so I could press the T and tried it.
It seems that none of the keyboard shortcuts work. I tried target disk mode (T), starting from a system disk (C), tried having it give me a choice of bootable volumes (Option) - nothing. It would appear the Mini doesn't recognize my brand new Apple USB keyboard.
Tried the keyboard with my MacBook and there it works fine.
Any ideas?

OK, just found the answer while browsing the "more like this" answers that appeared after I posted my question.
I wasn't aware that the new Apple Aluminium Keyboard doesn't play nice with the Mini and that the Mini doesn't recognize this particular keyboard in time for the boot sequence.
Thank you for these helpful discussions:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/9306774#9306774
https://discussions.apple.com/message/9084810?messageID=9084810
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1477855?threadID=1477855&tstart=0
Using the remote (press the menu key during boot-up) worked fine and I could choose to boot from a system disk.
Spending $60 for a new keyboard that won't do what I bought it for is, however, another story. Grr.

Mac mini loses mouse and keyboard after sleep.

Hi Everyone:
I recently bought my Mom one of the new Mac mini (I'm a PowerBook user myself), and she's running into some puzzling problems which, while minor, are sufficiently annoying as to confuse poor old Mom.
The system egnrally runs fine after you turn it on, until it goes to sleep. After some undefined period in sleep mode, the Mac mini appears to "lose" the USB keyboard and mouse which is plugged into it. If you press a mouse button or a keyboard key a few minutes within the system going to sleep, the system will wake up and both will work. If you wait a longer period of time (say, 20 minutes or longer, although I haven't sat and timed it at all), pressing any key or mouse button does nothing, and you have to wake it from sleep by using the power button. Once awake, the keyboard and mouse do nothing. The only way to get them back is to unplug both of them (the mouse is chained through the keyboard as the other Mac mini USB slot is used by Mom's UPS), and plug them back in so the Mac mini can re-detect them on the bus, after which everything is happy again until the system has been asleep for too long.
Has anyone experienced this? Both the mouse and keyboard are genuine IBM (as in: made by International Business Machines), although are several years old (I bought them when I worked for IBM, and IIRC they were amongst the first models of USB keyboards and mice that IBM offered, if not the first).
In the interm, I've lent Mom my Apple Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, which has (as you would expect) worked flawlessly. This problem may "solve" itself -- I'm hoping to take Mom out later this week to buy her own Apple Bluetooth mouse and keyboard at the Apple Store.
The other problem, however, isn't as easy (or necessarily as cheap) to fix. Again after the system has been asleep for some time, it often (but not always) changing the resolution of the monitor when it wakes up. I have the mini set to use a reasonable 1024*768, but sometimes when it awakes it will suddenly be set to 800*600 or 832*624. Sure, you can change it back, but that's major surgury for Mom (and I'm moving cross-country next week, and won't be able to just "drop by" to fix system problems). The monitor is an Ambra SVGA model (Ambra was a brand-name of inexpensive PCs that IBM sold some years ago), and never had any such problems on her last (Intel-based) system the mini is replacing.
The whole purpose of the Mac mini is to "bring your own" Keyboard, Mouse, and Monitor -- but in our case the keyboard and mouse don't work at all after sleep, and the monitors resolution gets dynamically changed after sleep. Has anyone else encountered this situations, or any solutions? TIA!
Brad BARCLAY

Hey Jan:
I've seen quite a few posts in this regard with non-Apple mice and keyboard.
Well, the mouse and keyboard are quite old -- it could be that they're having a problem dealing with identifying themselves on the USB bus during sleep, or aren't identifying themselves fast enough at wake time. I'll just have to replace them I guess.
I've never seen a sleep resolution switching problem except on a VGA adapter to DVI connection to an old tube monitor.
Well, this is a pretty vanilla CRT monitor circa about 1999, so yeah -- it could once again be an age issue, and the fact that there is a DVI -> VGA adapter involved in the middle.
For worrying about fixing Mom's Mac, setup her remote VNC software (Apple Remote Desktop Client) and use the free Chicken of the VNC admin program.
I am quite familiar with VNC. As much admin as possible will be done by SSH, but I will have VNC in place before I leave. The big problem is going to be the fact that I'm going to be several timezones (and over 4000 km) away, so I won't necessarily be available at a moments notice to help her with this sort of thing.
The CRT issue we might just have to deal with by having her always run it at 800*600 (I don't think she'd really notice the difference, and as her eyes aren't what they once used to be, the slight size increase may be more confortable for her in the long run) until such time they she can afford to buy a nicer display (I did my duty as a son buying her the Mac mini and an iSight camera -- she has to take care of the rest ).
Yaz.

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You may have a version mismatch. If I recall, setup assistant is OS version dependent so if the refurb is 10.5 and the Mac Pro is 10.6 you will likely not be able to use setup assistant.
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cd /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources
sudo ./kickstart -activate
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Welcome to Apple Discussions!
migrated files from an eMac
That's the problem. You can't use the Migration Assistant reliably from PowerPC to Intel. See this tip on how to do it:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435350&tstart=10
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Mac Mini first start, no keyboard responding

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