Mac mini help startup white screen

ok someone please help me my mac mini wont go past the white apple start up screen i have tryed unplugging everything for 4 days that dident work i have tryed everthing i can think of and i really dont want to go get it fixed i dont have any money soo please help meee

Hi Spencer
This is the Safari forum for problems/questions specific to Apple's browser plus related Internet questions.
my mac mini wont go past the white apple start up screen
Usually this indicates a problem with the hard drive or logic board. Are you using an Intel or PPC machine?
Did you try starting up from your Installer DVD? If you can do that, perhaps HD file corruption is the problem. To check and possibly repair file errors boot from your Installer DVD holding down the C key after inserting the Disc/pressing the power button for a restart. After the Installer fully opens select Disk Utility from the Utility menu, highlight your HD, then select "repair disk". If errors appear, rerun until you get a clean pass.
I'm going to ask the Moderator to move this post to the MacMini Forum.
Post back

Similar Messages

Mac mini stuck on white screen with logo during startup

Hi,
For the past couple of days my mac mini has been stuck during startup. It plays the startup chime, loads the white screen then the logo appears and it freezes there.
The RAMs were upgraded a few days ago, but it worked fine for a while after that.
Nothing is connected to the mac mini except the monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse. I have tried removing the power cord from the wall for some time, but it is still refusing to start up. I have also tried cmnd+options+p+r to reset the PRAM but nothing changed, I'm not even sure if this applies when startup isn't complete.
Please help.

Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
When it says boot using install disk you can, if you have Lion or later, boot using Recovery:
OS X: About OS X Recovery
What model MIni?

Mac mini stuck at white screen, pre-Apple logo.

Having some troubles with my 06 mini. Doesn't want to boot up. Upon turning it on, I get the proper Mac chimes, but after that, it just hangs. No Apple logo or spinny gear, just white. Also can't hear the HDD spin up. Tried putting in my OS X DVD and booting to that, no luck. DVD spins and makes sounds like it's working, but I can't seem to boot to it with or even bring up the boot menu.
Anybody have any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
-Chris

Hi,
Did you manage to rectify this problem? I am in the same situation, although i can seem to pin point mine to doing a reboot after an apple update. When the mac mini rebooted it continuously chimed, so i turned it off at the power and left it for a few minutes, turned it back on, and the same thing happened. Again i turned it off at the power and left it for 24 hours, the continual chiming has stopped but it wont progress any further than the apple logo!
If you managed to get this fixed any suggestions would be much appreciated.

HT3964 I am not able to reboot my Mac desktop. When I switch on the Mac, I get a white screen with the Apple logo and the little wheel below that goes round and round but the computer refuses to boot.

Hi, I am not able to reboot my Mac desktop.
When I switch on the Mac, I get a white screen with the Apple logo and the little rotating circle.
The system refuses to boot.
What can I do?
Marcus

We need to get you moved. This forum is for mini-tower Macs built between 1998 and 2005 and doesn;t get as much traffic ("eyeballs on the problem") as the forums for newer Macs.
Please do "About this Mac" from you Apple menu and tell us what that says for "processor" and Mac OS version. Looks like this:
or this for later Mac OS versions:
With that we can figure out which of the two iMac forums you need and get the Hosts to move your post.

My Mac mini with my samsung screen, Problem is it not windscreen ?

My Mac mini with my samsung screen, Problem is it not windscreen ? Help me

How is it being connected?
What is resolution of display?
What OSX version?
Have you tried different resolution settings in System Preferences>Displays>Scaled

My mac mini displays a green screen with 'mac os version not yet responded' and 'you need to restart your computer' as a warning message. Inspite of all my tries it doesnt run from the install dvd either.

My mac mini displays a green screen with 'mac os version not yet responded' and 'you need to restart your computer' as a warning message. Inspite of all my tries it doesnt run from the install dvd either.
Please help.

Sounds like you may have a hardware problem since it won't read from DVD, and it is only a year and a half old. Hopefully all it is, is bad RAM*:
http://www.macmaps.com/badram.html

When i start my mac and i got white screen with apple logo

when i start my mac and i got white screen with apple logo n spening round n round

Try here
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4917686?start=0&tstart=0

Mac mini use on PC Screen

I have a HP Touchsmart that hard drive has crashes. We are happy with the 27in and everything else but.....can we change over to apple OS with mini and keep our screen?

Hello,
Generally yes.
But ..
You need to buy the right cable that connects to the Mac mini and to the screen .
Mac mini has two connections :
1] HDMI
2] Thunderbolt
You need to : Your screen to HDMI or
Your screen to Thunderbolt [Also called Mini Display Port];

Mac mini stuck at gray screen HELP!!!!!!!!!

Hi,
i have my mac mini stuck at a gray screen can you help me

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 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.”
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. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
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
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 3
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 4
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 5
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 6
Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
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.
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 corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 6.
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 7
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 8
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.
Step 9
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 Time Machine or other backup.
Step 10
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 boot 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 11
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.

2011 i5 Mac mini no startup screen, but computer starts fine...

I just got a new Mac mini MC815 i5 2.3 Ghz a few monrhs ago, and I added 8 GB of RAM and a 750GB 7200 HD then did a fresh install of Lion 10.7.4 a few weeks ago. When I use the Mac mini on any normal 24" Acer PC LCD via HDMI to DVI adaptor or Thunderbolt/Display port to VGA adaptor the Mac mini boots normal. I see the Apple logo and and spinning wheel for about 35-40 seconds and then see the desktop like normal.
As long as I use the mini on a PC LCD panel, there is no problem. When I try to connect the mini to a 32" or 42" television via direct HDMI cable... the colors are all screwed up. I see the apple boot logo, but it is green instead of grey. I tried 2 different TVs and 2 different HDMI cables. Both TVs are 1080p capable and work fine with Windows 7 PCs over HDMI or VGA at 1920x1080@60 or lower. The TVs have 2 HDMI inputs and 2 VGA inputs, so I have to use the VGA adapter. (can't use DVI)
I used the Thunderbolt/Display port to VGA adaptor and the colors are fine. All resolutions work, but I nomrally use 1280x720@60 so I can see the icons better from across the living room. Anyhow everything works perfectly with VGA, except there is no startup screen or logo and it takes a long time to boot after the chime. The TVs are blank and say "No Signal". I timed it with my watch on several occasions and it takes between 90 seconds to 2.5 minutes to boot to the desktop, but the TV says no signal while it is waiting. After the desktop finally comes up, all is well.
I tried 1920x1080, 1280x720, 1366x768... still the same problem. Slow boot, no bootup screen or logo but after boot is finished, everything shows on the TV and fits in the frame (no underscan problems) and the color is normal. The computer is fast and responsive. If connect the mini to a normal 24 inch Acer LCD to VGA I see the logo and it boots in 35-40 seconds.
Any ideas here? Do you think the mini is displaying the startup screen at an unsupported resolution and that is why the TV is blank? After the boot sequence, it finds the proper refresh rate or size then finally shows up? Or do I have 2 bad TVs? Or 2 bad Thunderbolt/Display port to VGA adaptors?
When I hook my 2011 2.3 GHz Macbook Pro (same 8GB RAM and 750GB HD upgrade on it too) to the Thunderbold/Display port to VGA, I don't have this problem at all. When I turn on the Macbook Pro, the Macbook screen shows the grey logo and the TV shows a grey screen until it is fully booted. However, the Macbook Pro also cannot use the Thunderbolt/display port to HDMI adapters either, the colors are usually green.
Anyone else have this problem with their 2011 Mac minis? I want to solve this problem before I buy a second mini for the bedroom TV. When I use my Windows 7 PCs via HDMI or VGA, I have never experienced these problems.

pullman wrote:
First -254 which happens right away. From googling a bit I've discovered this may have to do with having chosen the drive as opposed to the volume as source/target.
So selecting these (but being confused as to how the recovery partition could be included in the restore if I choose only the boot volume and not the boot drive) the restore began. However it stopped after a few minutes complaining about an "input/output error". No further information given.
Sorry, my instructions may have been too vague. Yes, when you boot into the Recovery HD on your internal HD and use the Disk Utility Restore you need to specify the Source and Destination as a volume (e.g. Macintosh HD). Don't select the drive. And make sure the SSD is formated correctly.
With Disk Utility's Restore it does a block level copy so it's like creating an "image" in the PC world (e.g. Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image). This means you get ALL visible and hidden partitions copied over and bootable. With CCC you get a bootable clone of your OS/Apps/Data, but you can't boot to a Recovery HD on that clone. There is none. So, when you clone back to an internal drive, CCC has the Disk Center feature to create a Recovery HD on your internal drive. Disk Utility's Restore, however, clones both OS/Apps/Data and the Recovery HD to your internal drive without having to execute a 2nd step.
Which Intel 520 Series SSD did you install? I have an Intel 520 Series 120GB SSD installed in my Mac Mini in the bottom slot (closest to the bottom opening) and my stock 500GB HDD in the upper slot (in the drive bracket).

Mac mini and LG monitor: screen is stretched and resolution is awful. Can someone help me fix this please?

I have a Mac mini (bought in 2013) and the LG 20EN33 screen. I tried filing with the monitor's settings as well as the ones in display but the screen is stretched and the font is quite big. I saw a thread about Switch Res X so downloaded the app, but have no idea where to start to use it to correct issue. can someone help me please?

You monitor is
1600 x 900
and only have VGA input
http://www.lg.com/africa_en/monitors/lg-20EN33/technical-specifications
With Switch-X you want to change the resolution to match your monitor's resolution.
You have an old monitor and it may be best to get a new one that support the the now standard 1080p (1920X1080) resolution.
I have not ideal how Switch-X works since I use the free version of Display Menu fro the Mac App Store

Help with white screen on startup PLEASE!

My new imac is only showing a white screen on startup. I am not really confortable with mac's yet to start trying a bunch of different things, I did try a restart where you press four buttons (p and r restart I think).
I made an appt. tomorrow for the mac store. My question to you is, is this a hard drive issue. I have read a little that others have had this problem...did you loose everything on your hard drive?
Thanks guys,
Michelle

To add to the conversation, my iMac has decided not to start up any further than the grey screen with apple logo and scrolling symbol. I haven't a clue what to do with it!
I tried doing a safe boot but that didn't work. I then tried to access the disk utility repair but i upgraded the operating system on my comp to tiger so i don't know if i should be using that cd or the one that came with my computer thus old operating system.
If anyone could shed any light on this i'd be most gratefull.. i hear reports of needing a replacement hard drive.... nooooooooooooo

After installing my Mac only shows a white screen. Help

I updated and now when it restarted it will only give a white screen.

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
To restart an unresponsive computer, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the power shuts off, then release, wait a few more seconds, and press it again briefly.
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 a desktop Mac hangs at a plain gray screen with a movable cursor, the keyboard may not be recognized. Press and hold the button on the side of an Apple wireless keyboard to make it discoverable. If need be, replace or recharge the batteries. If you're using a USB keyboard connected to a hub, connect it to a built-in port.
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 in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is 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 Server Startup Problems

Help!
MAC newbee. Just bought a new MAC Mini Server, got monitor connections in place; have wireless keyboard and trackpad; at startup I get the white screen with apple background then followed by a screen with a graphic with some rounded-corners rectangle; it just sits there with the rotating gear, rotating forever.
SUpports says I need a wired, USB, keyboard to get it started. Makes no sense to me. Help anyone? I am about to return the product--with disgust.

Below is my the answer to a previous helper. Yes, you need to start with USB before setting your devices to work with bluetooth. Thank you jut the same. Best, Larry
----------------my response-----------
Thanks. You are right. I bought a cheap USB keyboard and mouse and have been doing fine ever since. All's well and working.
There is a rather subdued mention of the need for an initial USB connection in the documentation, however, you'd think that sales--that department is a bit on the weak side--would have said something to me while putting my order together for bluetooth devices only.
Oh well....have been doing fine ever since...all set up. Again, sincere thanks.

Mac Mini Server no login screen but server is running

Folks, I am facing a very strange issue with my Mac Mini Server (Mavericks 10.9.5, latest Server.app).
It started as the inability to see my Firewire external drive. So I took the whole thing on my table and simulated the problem, after connecting a monitor, an Apple keyboard and a mouse. In few words, the problem looks as if it can be described as:
When the system powers up, it goes to the Apple grey screen with the spinning wheel and stays there for ever. However, and this is the strange thing, I can still ssh to the server and the server processes are running, or at least the email service is running. I can send and receive emails just fine.
I've tried the usual things, reset SMC, reset PRAM, boot from another disk (external, USB), but I can't log in the server, either from the console connected to the machine, nor from Screen Sharing from another computer, so I can't run Server.app obviously. Also, while the system recognizes the internal disk and the USB external one, it doesn't recognize the Firewire disk I have connected. Needless to say, I've tried all the usual things, unplugging everything etc. I tried to mount a USB flash drive, to reinstall OS-X on the internal disk, but that's impossible, because everything gets stuck at the spinning ball grey screen.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Does Apple hardware test run via D at startup?
What model is the Mini (it is worth checking it can run 10.8, just to make sure that test was valid). Does it have Applecare or a warranty (normally a year, but varies by country)?
The Firewire disk could be part of the problem - remove it. Check it is OK in the Mac Pro's Disk Utility.
I find Internet recovery can be very slow, leave it for a long time, it should give an error when it has failed, I'd leave it for 30-45 mins.
Don't forget the Mini can be read from the Mac Pro via Target disk mode, assuming you have the correct leads…
http://osxdaily.com/2010/04/07/how-to-boot-a-mac-in-target-disk-mode/
It may allow you to backup.
Safe boot may be worth trying to see if the current OS can get the login window running…
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455

Mac mini help startup white screen

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