Mac mini is starting in Darwin mode.

I am getting a black screen with a logon: field. I have tried to sign on using the sign on I have in GUI but it does not seem to work.
Restarting does not seem to help any.
Any ideas?

Hi
Have you tried resetting the PRAM at startup (hold down -Alt-P-R until you hear 2nd chime, then release)?
Also, have a look at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106464
Steve

Similar Messages

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

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

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

  • 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?

  • How to start up MAC mini only in the verbose mode (command line) , no GUI

    Can anyone let me know how I can set up the mac mini to ALWAYS boot into a verbose mode only, no GUI interfaces at all?
    Mac Mini   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  
    Mac Mini   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

    Hi, Andy your replies are really helpful. I did tried your method and also followed the link http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/h/348
    Now my mac mini - Tiger seems hanging forever at the boot up screen. A Apple log showed up with a message "Starting Mac OS X ..." and now almost 5 minutes passed, nothing happened ...

  • Mac min wont start

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

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

  • 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.

  • Brand new Mac mini only boots into recovery mode...

    I just picked up a brand new mac mini a couple of hours ago and right from the start, it asked only for a language perference and then after that having been selected, promply went straight to the OS X Utilities screen. 
    I cant seem to get it out of this mode.  And because I do not have an internet conncetion set up on it, I can't, for example, re-install anything or restore or...
    It's basically a boat anchor right now.

    Startup holing the Option key and see if the Startup Manager will allow you to select the Macintosh HD.
    see > Startup Manager: How to select a startup volume
    If not, then return it for either a full refund, a replacement system or help. 

  • Mac mini gives start-up chimes, fans run, etc, but display says "no signal" was working until this randomly happened?

    So, I bought a Mac mini the other day- an "open box" item from Best Buy (Mid 2011, i5 processor, 2GB of RAM running 10.8)
    Anyhow, it was working fine all day, i had transfered all my itunes library over to the new Mac mini from my MacBook Pro, and put the programs I wanted onto the mac mini.  (Including plug-ins etc.)  It was working fine, even with 2GB of RAM.
    Anyhow, it started to get kind of sluggish, so, I closed all the programs (I assumed this was because it has 2GB of RAM, and I had been pushing it pretty hard all day), and checkd "About this MAC"  Low and behold, it said only one RAM card was in, and it was a 1GB card.  Well, that explains the eventual sluggishness.  Further though, I think it means that once of the RAM slots is messed up.
    Problem A) One of the RAM slots/cards is not working properly.
         Problem A.5) I actually have two 2GB sticks of RAM that I pulled out of my 2011 MBP which will work, so, my plan is to upgrade to that RAM once I get the RAM card/slot information squared away.
    When I opened up the case to try to switch cards, or address Problem A.5), I noticed that one of the clips for the Mac Mini's RAM was broken.  Perhaps this is why one of the RAM cards was not being read?
    Problem B) One of the clips that holds the top RAM card in place is broken.
    After I had seen this, (I didn't actually do anything to the RAM, since I know Apple doesn't cover anything if you broke it, so I want to be able to say that I actually didn't touch anything- my guess is the people at Best Buy may have broken it?)  I reconnected the Mac Mini, and was going to get the email and calendar set up, as that was all that was left to get set up.  Oops.
    After reconnecting, restarting, everything a few times, the same problem presented itself. 
    Problem C) even checking all connections, thoroughly, etc, the Mac Mini chimes on, fans start whirring, etc, but the display reads "no signal."  Tried reconnecting the display, disconnecting, etc, nothing worked.  I knoe the display works because I hooked it up to my MBP and it worked fine.
    So, I've got a few issues going on, and an appointment at the Apple Store in Providence, RI today at 7:45 PM.
    But, does anyone know anything about any of these issues?  So I may be able to try to tackle some of them on my own before going in?  Or, what to expect from the Apple store?
    Thanks guys- any help is greatly appreciated!
    -Andy

    Hi,
    my guess is the people at Best Buy may have broken it?)
    My guess is since it was Open Box, somebody bought it, broke it trying to replace RAM, then returned it as they no longer wanted it.
    Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), if that doesn't work, try a Verbose boot, CMD+v
    But the new Mini's use RAM as VRAM, so I think it's the RAM/slot issue

  • 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.

  • Mac Mini - Screensaver starting on its own and clock is fast ...

    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.

  • Mac mini 2010 start up stuck at greay screen

    Just purchased a brand new Mac mini this past weekend. 2.4 GHz, 320 hard drive. Updated to 10.6.6, migrated files from an eMac. Everything was working fantastic. Then played a Star Trek game (Elite Force II) and the disc froze. Had to shut down. Couldn't get the disc out at first, then restarted and held the eject and disc was out but would not start up past the grey screen with Apple. Ran disk utility from install disc, said drive was fine. Ran permissions repair, repaired whatever needed, re-ran disk utility again, no problems found. Ran Apple Hardware test, no problems found. Thought of re-installing OS X 10.6.3, won't allow me to (I assume I have to erase the disk then install). Stuck in grey, can anyone please help. Thanks!

    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
    I would boot using the startup manager the 10.6.3 disc and erase and install, and try again using the instructions above.

  • Mac Mini good starting choice?

    Hello fellow members, I was thinking of changing from Windows PC to a Mac Mini is the Mac Mini a good Mac to start off with. I have never ever touched a Mac PC and really want one. Am I thinking in the right direction? any advice?
    Thanks Rich

    Rich,
    The Mac Mini is a good starting point only if you already have an acceptable Display, Keyboard, and Mouse.
    If you don't have a Display, Keyboard and Mouse that are the size and condition that you can live with, then I would suggest an iMac at $1199 which comes with 20 inch display, keyboard, and mouse.
    If you have to buy the Mac Mini, Display, Keyboard, and Mouse, then the price can get way up there real quick. An iMac would be a better buy in this case in my opinion.
       Joseph Kriz

  • Mac mini server start and restart times

    I have a new Mac Mini Server that i jsut purchased 2 weeks ago. It arrived a few days ago and i have already put ram in it and configured it as a raid 1. It seems slower now than before the ram and raid.
    Current configuration
    late 2012 Mac mini server
    osx 10.9.3
    2.6ghz i7
    16gb 1600mzh ddr3 corsair vengence ram
    (2) 1Tb factory apple hard drives configured as raid1(mirrored)
    Start time
    (4gb) 0:52m
    (16GB) 0:52m
    Restart time
    (4GB) 1:52m
    (16gb) 2:14m
    Shutdown time
    (4gb) 0:24m
    (16gb) 1:04m
    Any clue as to why my restart and shutdown times are so slow with more ram? i thought ram did not affect this. Secondly does a raid1(mirrored) affect this? it also seems a bit slower to open apps and while on the web
    my late 2011 mbp smokes this thing, but it is running an ssd so its understandably going to. what I dont understand is on internet browsing the MBP is still faster. thought webspeed had nothign to do with the hard drive. im a bit new to all this.
    Any help would be appreciated

    I have a new Mac Mini Server that i jsut purchased 2 weeks ago. It arrived a few days ago and i have already put ram in it and configured it as a raid 1. It seems slower now than before the ram and raid.
    Current configuration
    late 2012 Mac mini server
    osx 10.9.3
    2.6ghz i7
    16gb 1600mzh ddr3 corsair vengence ram
    (2) 1Tb factory apple hard drives configured as raid1(mirrored)
    Start time
    (4gb) 0:52m
    (16GB) 0:52m
    Restart time
    (4GB) 1:52m
    (16gb) 2:14m
    Shutdown time
    (4gb) 0:24m
    (16gb) 1:04m
    Any clue as to why my restart and shutdown times are so slow with more ram? i thought ram did not affect this. Secondly does a raid1(mirrored) affect this? it also seems a bit slower to open apps and while on the web
    my late 2011 mbp smokes this thing, but it is running an ssd so its understandably going to. what I dont understand is on internet browsing the MBP is still faster. thought webspeed had nothign to do with the hard drive. im a bit new to all this.
    Any help would be appreciated

  • My Mac Mini dont start.

    It's a 2011 with SSD and 750 Gb hd running with Lion.
    When I try to start it, the apple shows and a progress meter starts, then the computer turn off. Thats all.

    Did you do any right before you had the problem?
    Reset the SCM and PRAM
    Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
      About NVRAM and PRAM
    Try staring in Safe Mode
    OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?
    Try starting in Recovery Mode
    OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support
    and repair the startup drive. Next would be to reinstall the OS

  • Boot mac mini server into single-user mode?

    I've got a mac mini server (one of the ones with no optical drive) and I'm trying to boot it into single-user mode. I hit the power button and hold down the command (apple, splat) key and the 'S' key simultaneously ---- until it boots up to a login prompt rather than a black screen with white text and a unix command prompt...
    Is there some magic different on this particular machine to get to single-user?

    Hi, I wonder if anyone helped you out. I'm new here so here goes. I just bought a mac mini, but not the server. I had finished my new install and then I rebooted and got a black screen, since i have a wireless Apple keyboard, I cannot log into the computer by using commands, like Command-S. And Yes, you are using the right command, that hasn't changed.
    Your problem may be the same as mine, are you using a wireless keyboard, because if you are, it seems that the Bluetooth doesn't have time to install its software while we are trying to log into the system. Thus, as we reboot, we are holding down they keys but that won't help us because the Bluetooth software doesn't have time to do its thing, in the background.
    That is a huge problem because I don't have any other keyboard, but if you have access to a keyboard, get one and plug it into the back of your Mac mini and then you should be all set.
    Does this make sense? Let me know if this helps. I have no idea what to do because now I have a brand new computer with a serious screen with the you must reboot your system in many languages, and when one gets this it is not a good sign.

Maybe you are looking for