Mac mini pricey to expand

I'm looking for something cheap to replace a 2006 iMac and avoid being forced to a Windows machine at work. Doesn't need to scream, and I've got keyboard/mouse/monitors, so the new 2014 entry mini would be good. But I'd prefer 8GB, and a small amount of SSD (even 128GB would do) would be nice instead of an HDD, and it is the upgrade that I run into Apple's pricing.
It looks like with soldered RAM there's no alternative to the $100 4GB->8GB Apple upgrade; I wouldn't mind the price as much if you didn't have to commit to a memory decision when the unit is bought. And the 256GB SSD option isn't available, so SSD means the $250 Fusion option - that makes a $850 unit, and you might as well spend an extra $50 to get the mid-range 2.6GHz (with Fusion or 256GB SSD) at $900; but you've strayed from cheap! It would be nice if you could get a base unit with 8GB and just a 128GB SSD (no HDD) for $700-$750. I'll have to see how horrible/impossible adding 3rd party SSD is.
One of Intel's NUC (little Mini-like computer without RAM or storage) configurations uses almost the same i5 processor as the new entry-level 2014 Mini. I roughly priced out NUC and additions on Amazon to make something similar to the Mini (NUC=$350 + 500GB HD=$50 + 4GB Memory=$45 + WiFi=$30) and it is $475 without an OS, almost the same as the $500 mini. Considering the mini adds Thunderbolt, OSX, SDXC and audio-in, the basic Mini seems to be very competitively priced, but Apple gets you on configurations!
Given the base unit, upgrades seem to nominally look like: $50 to bump the HDD from 500GB to 1TB, $100 for every 4GB of memory, $200 for the 128GB SSD (in Fusion), $50 for the i5-4278U in the mid-range Mini. All of these seem to be 100-150% more than Amazon pricing for rough equivalents, and Apples cost would be better than that, so they really seem set things up with a lower-margin base unit and make the big money off everything else.

I went through the same dilemma -- do yourself a favor and go grab an entry-level 2.5 ghz I-5 2012 Mac Mini while they are still in inventory (plenty of authorized Apple resellers still have them in stock, but good luck finding a mid or upper tier quad core I7 for a decent price!). On Monday, I got a sick deal on an open-box (still considered "brand new" by Apple for warranty purposes) for $350 at Best Buy (you have to hunt, but it is a worthy prey). The specs are similar and the 2012 is slightly faster (per geekbench tests), although I don't know if you would notice in real-world testing.
Besides the performance, what really sold me on the 2012 is that I can pop open the bottom (by DESIGN) and install up to 16gb of ram in 2 minutes. I also like having the firewire 800 port to communicate with my old mac mini (early 2009 C2D--also a great little machine). The 2012 also has a thunderbolt port should I want an external SSD at some point. I've read the 2012's are easier to upgrade the internal drive, but I doubt I'll ever do that and may simply use thunderbolt. The 2014 on the other hand is practically impossible to upgrade.
With the (much) discounted entry level 2012 still around, the new entry level model does not justify the price premium for what you get (which some would argue is a SLOWER, non-upgradeable machine). Good luck!

Similar Messages

Mac Mini Core Solo with Logic Express 7.2.1 ?

Hi
I am just curious to know how well will perform Logic Express 7.2.1 with the new Mac Mini Core Solo.
Thanks

Hi
Guys thanks for the response. I own a trusty G5 which is doing an AMAZING job at the main studio running Logic Pro 7.2.1. Its just I need a small Mac such as the most basic Mac Mini Solo fully expanded memory to be used as a "Musical Notepad" and wanted to know if the recent advances with Apple Intel Mac Minis with faster bus speeds has actually given this model a boost over the previous Mac Mini G4. Surely there must be performance increases.
Apple Keep it Up!
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Expand volume on mac mini

Can I expand and contract the volume at will using a combination of the internal and external drive on a mac mini? For example, I'm considering purchasing a mac mini with a 500GB HD and later add contiguous volume space by adding an external USB or Thunderbolt drive. Is this possible?

It is, but "involved", 2012 Mini same as 2011 Mini...
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/mac_mini2011_hd/
But I wouldn't waste my time, especially since you mentioned thunderbolt in your forst post, just boot off a bigger/faster external drive.

Expanding the Mac Mini (2009) over due?

I, and I guess many more, need to discuss the expansion of the current Mac Mini (2009). By it's very design the MM depends on expansion.
Currently discussion of the 2009 MM expansion issues are taking place in the 'prior to 2009 MM expansion' sub-forum.
I feel the introduction of a dedicated sub-forum for this is particularly important given the differences between the current and previous models, and the introduction of the server version.
Please will someone consider this request?

Dave Sawyer wrote:
Epochmaker wrote:
Practice with the Preview tab before posting. And switch back to the Compose tab if you make an >error.
Thank you, that wasn't intuitive! but once you know, it's quite easy. All I have to do is remember it!
You can also just click the "quotes mark" icon in the Reply window (it's in the line of icons - B, I, U, etc.). That will quote the post to which you're replying, as in this post, and you can then edit as you desire.
Regards.
Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer
Ha! that was easier!
Thank you Dave. I expect once you are used to it manual, is a easy.

Mac Mini Server with Sonnet Mac Mini Expand rack (2 PCI-e..).

Hi i`m about to set up a general server for a video editing company. I`m pretty much a Windows server guy, and the options on hardware to run, or i would say the lack of hardaware to run mac os server on, is really bad.
So i`m just wondering, if im gonna be able to run this tasks on a mac mini server (15 users).
Open Directory, Filesharing, Profilemanager. I will use an SAS Raid PCI-e card connected to 2pcs hdd backbone (4 hdds in each). And setup with Raid 6.
disks will be spinning in 7200 rpm. This is just for day to day use, it`s about 700gb of data at the moment (they look at already mastered video, document editing, Picture editing, and maybe some small video editing (all clients here run on the newest Mac Air, so no heavy editing). General day to day things).
Will the Mac Mini with the SAS Array card be able to handle 15 users? I`am looking to maybe put in a 10GB/s networkcard aswell, but will thi be necessary?.
As for the 5 Mac Pro that handle the heavy videoediting, we are building their setup with storage/san seperately.
So in short, will the macmini with external SAS card and 8 hdds (7200rpm) handle day to day filesharing, for 15-20 people.
If it would have been possible, or if it was an Windows environment, i would have used an HP DL380 with the internal disks(8).

very briefly, you'll want wired connections for network homes and/or netboot clients.
in your case, this wouldn't make sense, for many reasons.
you could use portable homes over wireless, though.
plan your config based on your anticipated needs and don't rush into it. be sure to read the documentation, get familiar with the command line, and post here for tips if you're in a bind.
with the release of the "official" mini server build, i anticipate many more questions like these in the forums.

Expanding power of mac mini

Why does Apple put Intel HD cards in Mac Mini cant they use other cards!!

Apple has not said, nor or they likely to discuss design decisions, but given the intent behind the Mac mini from the beginning the answer would be fourfold, the physical size of the mini, ultra low power consumption, reduced heat generation, and above all cost. But that is, of course speculation, and one of the terms of these discussions is a prohibition on speculating about Apple products.

A few questions before I buy a new iMac/Mac mini and sign up for Creative Cloud.

Hello Everyone,
I am looking to purchase a new Apple computer and sign up for Creative Cloud within the next week and I have a few questions that should be answered before I proceed.
My wife and I own a business and we will be using the CS6 apps to create brochures, Constant Contact mailings, product package inserts, edit product photography for print and web use, and short HD how-to videos. We are not graphics professionals or power users and wont be doing anything too complicated.
Any help and answers will be greatly appreciated.
I will start with the hardware questions first:
I am trying to decide between the iMac and the Mac mini.
The iMac is a 2.7Ghz Quad-core Intel core i5 and comes with 4GB of memory that is expandable to 16GB, which I will do for sure. It comes with a Radeon HD 6770M graphics card with 512MB of GDDR5 memory(not upgradable), and a 1TB HDD that runs at 7200RPM. This unit meets the specs required.
The 2.5Ghz Mac Mini comes with 4GB of memory that is expandable to 8GB, I will also do this. It has a Radeon HD 6630M graphics card with 256MB of GDDR5 memory(not upgradable), and a 500GB HDD that runs at 5400RPM. This unit meets all the spec(I think) except for the speed of the HDD.
Question: Will the mini run the software without too much of an issue considering the speed of the HDD?
Question: Will the iMac run the software significantly better to justify the price difference?
I already have 1 mini(purchased 4 months ago, with the same specs listed above) and will be purchasing a second computer for my wifes desk. If the mini will run CS6 fine, that is great and we can save a few bucks. If my mini will not run CS6 well, I will get the iMac for her desk as she will be doing the bulk of the work in that regard anyway.
Now a couple of software questions.
After reading hundreds of reviews and forum posts over the last few days I have seen many people having this or that issue. It seems to me that most of the issues are because of upgrades from Lion to Mountian Lion after installing CS6 first or trying to open CS3,4,5 files in CS6.
If you want to know what issues have me concerned take a look at just this one forum:
http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2012/07/adobe-cs-apps-mountain-lion-no-known-issues.html
Similar issues are discussed in the Apple forums as well as many other places around the web.
I am not a computer professional but I know enough to maintain my systems and keep them running smoothly.
We do not have any Adobe software installed on my mini and will not be opening any files from previous versions of Adobe product in the new CS6 software. These will be a clean installs on pristine systems running fully updated Mountian Lion OS's on both machines and creating new files from scratch.
Question: Should I be expecting any issues like the ones I have read in the forums and blogs or are these just the normal things that happen when upgrading to new software with multiple hardware configurations?
My feeling is that we will not be having too much of a problem due to the clean installs and no files from previous versions.
Next up, the Creative Cloud(CC) FAQ states that you can install on 2 machines but can't open stuff at the same time.
Question: Does this mean we can't be using any CS6 apps at the same time or just not using the same app at the same time?
Example: PS and PS on both machines at same time = No, PS on one and Dreamweaver on the other at the same time=Yes?
The CC FAQ page says Adobe will add Lightroom 4 later in 2012 while the main CC page lists it as available now.
Question: Which is true?
My mini is registered to me, with my name, iTunes account, Apple ID etc.
Question: Do I need to do the initial set-up of the new machine with all my information to ensure the CS6 suite works on both machines? Do the computers need to be registered(as far as Apple configuration is concerned) to same person for them to work on one CC account or can I install CS6 on any 2 machines regardless of how they were initially set-up?
This may seem like a silly question but I want to avoid any problems before they happen.
Well, those are all of my questions at the moment. To anyone who made it this far in my looooong post, Thank You so much for your time. I appreciate your expertise and knowledge and hope that you can help me make this decision.
Cheers,
Alex Bogdan

Alex,
I'll try and answer your questions as best I can.
Qn 1 Which Mac.
Ans:- As I understand it both units will run Adobe CS6.
          Which one really depends on what you wand from CS6. If you are looking for high end demand and performance, then I would go for the IMac
          Your Specs for the Imac are right. However if you buy your IMac straight from Apple there are even higher specs.
          You can get:-
                              3.4 GHz i7 processor rather than the i5
                               2GB video card as opposed to a 1Gb video card.
                               Of course such a model will cost you more.
          In the end it is needs compared with money to spend. That is only a decision you cam make.
Q2:- Will the higher cost for the Imac justify copst.
Ans:- Again it depends on what demands you intend to make on the hardware and software.
          But I note you have a business and if that businees expects to high demand and high speedy performance then I suspect the Imac would be more able to provide your needs.
          Again only you will know the answer to that.
Q3:- Questions about CS6 reliability
Ans:- I have been with Adobe for way over 10 years.
         Speaking, only for myself, it is the most reliable software on the market.
          It is true that if you look down this form, like any other and I am thinking about the Apple discussions forum, you will find numerous instances of problems.
          Again this is only my opinion, but although all these problems are real for the individuals:-
          First it is not clear why they have the problem e.g. what have they done or not done.
          Second, they are in the minority of the total users using the hardware / software.
          The only problem I am aware of with CS6 is Acrobat X. I understand it has been sorted Adobe, however it cost me so much work I have removed it from my system and reverted to Acrobat 9
          So what I am saying is that there are only two comapnies I rely 100% on: They are Adobe and Apple.
         So if you are happy with my opinion I would not worry about Adobe CS6
Qn 4:- CS6 0n 2 machines.
Ans:- Yes you will not be able to run the same program similtaneosly.
           I believe, if it is important that you do run the same program together, that you can acquire a further licience from Adobe to do that.
           You would need to contact Adobe about that.
Qn 5:- Lightroom 4
Ans:- Lightroom is now available as part of Creative Cloud.
Qn 6:- Set up for individual machines
Ans:- I do not believe you do. Once you have set up your Creative Cloud account you go to the apps site and download the apps for each machine.
          Each machine downloads the apps and your machine and the apps are registered by Adobe.
         Here is something that you may want to know:-
          Because I was so unhappy loosing all the Acrobat data with Acrobat X I ended up deleting Acrobat X
          However as far as Creative Cloud is concered Acrobat X is still on my machine.
          It is not a problem for me because I am happy with Acrobat 9, it fullfils my needs and has not crashed and lost me all my bookmarks.
          However here is the point:-
          Adobe, when there was a problem with Acrobat X requested that no-one deletes the application.
         Though I do not know for certain I believe registration of the apps you have with Creative Cloud are registered with Creative Cloud in their database. Therefore were you to delete an app, it will still be registered with Creative Cloud and you will not be able to download a further copy even though the app is no longer on your    machine.
          Therefore it maybe not a good idea to delete an app when you no longer have a use for it. If you want it back I suspect you will have to contact Adobe Support
Personal Comment:-
          It is true many unfortunately have had all sorts of problems, including me with Acrobat X.
          That said, Creative Cloud in my view has been a major advance in how Adobe delivers software. I have no regrets with signing up to Creative Cloud and I expect to remain with it.
Hope all of that goes some way to answering your questions.

Putting new memory in the Mac Mini - tips and (especially) pitfalls

I had some problems in expanding my Mac Mini's memory. If you're about to do the same thing, you might find my experiences useful. So here they are.
*Opening the case*
I followed advice to use a plastic putty-knife and bought a one specially, but ran into a couple of problems. First, the plastic knives aren't as sharp as the metal ones, so they don't push into the available gap. I had to sharpen the edge before it would go in. The second problem was that, once in, it wasn't rigid enough to open the case; it just bent.
At this point I should have left it and gone back to the drawing board, but I was frustrated and flustered and casting about for anything that would do the job, I ended up using the metal blade of a set-square. This worked, but either because it wasn't flexible enough or because I was a bit coarse in my technique, I did some damage to the clips.
When I had to open the case a second time, I used a small, very thin and flexible cheese-grater and the case popped open like a dream.
*The four corner screws*
A magnetic screwdriver would have been a godsend for this, but since I didn't have one, I just had to tip the Mini up when the screw was loose and hope it didn't disappear into the workings. Fortunately none of them did. So not everything went wrong. Three of the screws were easy to put back - they could either be pushed or dropped into the holes, but the fourth couldn't be got in either way. Thinking about it afterwards, I realised I could have turned the mini upside down and put the screw on top of the screwdriver and got it in that way. But what I actually did was bite the end off a toothpick, jam it into the screw head and then push it in the hole. Worked a treat.
Note. My instructions said not to worry about the spring on the Airport antenna -"It's not going to fly off." Maybe not, but it can come loose and is then a pain to put back. Suddenly the wire holding the antenna doesn't seem long enough. Before you know it the antenna cable has come off completely, leaving you with the choice to undo all the screws again or forget about using Airport.
*Lifting the chassis*
Some advice tells you to undo all cables and take the chassis off completely, but the advice I followed suggested just undoing the fan control wire and propping the the chassis on a book with the others still attached. This worked fine. I was nervous about pulling on the wire to release the fan control, so I used a fingernail to get under the rim of the plug itself and popped it off that way.
*Fitting the RAM*
This was the easy part, though it didn't snap in as positively as some I've done.
*Putting back the fan control wire*
I put the wire back, as I thought, and powered up the Mini with the lid still off. I checked that the memory was properly installed and was delighted that it was. I vaguely noticed that the Mini was making a lot of noise, but thought that might be because the case was off. In my defence, none of the instructions identified the wire I was disconnecting as the fan control wire; they just called it "the little wire in front". Anyway, I put the lid back on, then realised I had a problem and took it off again. I learned (from Boece) that "the little wire in front" was indeed the fan control wire and saw that it was loose. It took me several tries to get it in. It's in an awkward place, is very small and sometimes appears to go in when it really hasn't. But whereas a few times I thought it had gone in, when it did go in I knew it was in. One of those things you only ever do once, but could do so much more easily the second time.
*Putting the lid back*
Some advice suggests just pushing the lid back, but you can cause damage that way. The clips can get bent out of shape. The best way is to use your cheese-grater or whatever, to gently ease the lid back on.
Conclusion
This was a bad experience; I had visions of ending up with an unusable machine and a void warranty. But in fact it I now have a quiet, working 2GB Mac Mini - and the nightmares have almost stopped. If you're about to try it, take comfort from the fact that you couldn't have as bad an experience as I had. Probably.
Michael

Pretty much describes my experience. I used a relatively thin metal putty knife to take the case off. Not to difficult doing one side at a time. I totally agree, a magnetic screw driver would have been very helpful when replacing the bracket. By far the biggest problem I had was the fan control wire. Very short cord in an awkward location. End of story - all back together with 2gb or ram. Probably toook 35-40 minutes (Including 10-15 fooling around with that lousy fan control wire.)

Which adapter do I need to connect my new Mac Mini to my old Apple Cinema HD monitor?

I have a perfectly good Apple Cinema HD monitor (model M8536), but it has an ADC connection, and my new Mac Mini isn't compatible with it. I've bought a new screen for the Mac Mini, but there are going to be times when I need to run two screens in parallel on the Mini. Can anyone tell me which adapter I need to do this? I've looked at the Apple DVI to ADC connector (M8661LL), but I'm not sure this is what I need, and they're quite pricey, even second-hand on eBay, so I don't want to make a mistake!
Thanks!

Thanks, dwb ... unfortunately I don't think I'd get very much for my old display, it's so old (> 10 years)! But it still works perfectly, and I'm loathe to throw it away ... and there are going to be times when I need the two screens, so even though I've bought a new 27" Philips monitor, it would be good just to buy an adapter to hook up the old screen ...

Mac Mini: DVI+TOSlink- HDMI Adapter, still fiction?

Hello
I've been studying for a while the best solution for connecting my early 2009 Mac Mini to my LCD TV and Blu-Ray 5.1 System. I didn't took long to figure out the "Mini-DVI->HDMI Adaptor for video" and "Mini-TOS->TOSlink for audio" scenario. The problem is that I'm short on optical inputs. After thinking it through for a while, it dawned upon me that a "DVI+TOSlink->HDMI" adapter would crack this one. This adapter would take the DVI video and the TOSlink audio signals from the Mac Mini and composite them into one single HDMI stream. It seemed far fetched that such an adapter would even exist, but I decided to give it a go.
At first, after some initial research, I only found adapters like the following:
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-SPDIF-Toslink-Converter-Adapter/dp/B0015YYOQQ/ref=sr11?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258995241&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Toslink-HDMI-Converter-Adapter/dp/B002N8PVTM/ref=sr14?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258995241&sr=8-4.
Although they do convert the DVI signal to HDMI, the same can't be said in regard to the TOSlink audio signal. The audio part is not encoded into the HDMI stream, getting out through the same optical port it got in.
I was about to let it go when I found this adapter:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?cid=101&cp_id=10114&cs_id=1011405&pid=5369&seq=1&format=4#feedback
The are a few customer reviews that specifically state it works flawlessly with the Mac Mini.
The questions are: has anyone tried one of these? Does it really works? It it really possible to composite an HDMI stream from DVI+TOSlink inputs? If so, will it be any quality loss associated to the conversion process?
Thanks in advance

Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
There is not really much converting going on with regard to DVI (D) to HDMI. I use the mini-DVI to DVI (D) adapter that came with my Mac mini and a Belkin cable that is DVI (D) on one end and HDMI on the other. The signals are compatible. But as you say I run a separate audio cable from the mini to my HDTV. That is the real conversion that is taking place in the "black box" devices to which you are linking; adding the audio to the video.
There is another route that skips the video output from the mini altogether, but it is a bit more pricey, USB. I know of two USB to HDMI "black boxes" that give you both audio and video in the HDMI stream.
Atlona USB to HDMI Converter. Model: AT-HDPiX
Grand HD Cinema
Dah•veed

Seeking successful DVI to HDMI Conversion at 1920x1080 on a Mac Mini

I've seen lots of posts related to this topic, but nothing definitive, and I'm still trying to figure this out. Let me start by saying that:
1) I understand the option of going from DVI to VGA. That works fine on my equipment (late model Mac Mini to Sony 46" LCD XBR3).
2) I've validated the HDMI port on my TV at 1080i and I'm sure it does 1080p (i.e. 1920x1080 non-interlaced) as well, based on the specs
3) I don't care about integrating audio into the HDMI signal at this point
4) Sony support provides no help, saying it must be a computer problem
5) Apple support provides no help, saying they don't support 3rd party monitors
The lousy looking output (i.e. interpolated, shrunk, expanded, based on the combination of driver and tv "modes") I'm getting is described elsewhere on this forum. Some other things are:
1) The Mac Mini recognizes the display as "Sony TV" but only offers resolution choices up to "1090 x 1080 (interlaced)". Although that suggests that either the driver isn't current or the tv and driver aren't talking to each other properly about the tv's capabilities, that still doesn't explain the visual results I'm getting.
2) The DVI-to-HDMI converter cable says it is based on the HDMI 1.1 spec. The TV says it supports HDMI 1.3. I don't know if that's an issue.
Any help would be appreciated. This isn't the end of the world, as I can still connect through VGA, but I'd like to get the DVI-to-HDMI working so I can reserve my TV's VGA port for computers that don't have the DVI option.
Pete
P.S. Anyone have any idea when Apple is coming out with a version of the Mac Mini (or some Mac-based settop box) that supports HDMI with integrated video/audio?

Does the Sony manual make any reference to a computer connection? If so, which port does it recommend? On a lot of TVs the HDMI port can't be used successfully for a computer connection because there is always a scaler/processor active that cannot be bypassed.
You might want to check at the AVSforum.com and search for your specific Sony model number to see if anybody there is reporting success connecting a computer to the HDMI port.

FileMaker Server problem on Mac Mini Server - Mac Mini won't boot

I just installed a brand new Mac Mini Server today, and also FileMaker Server 11. A first-timer for both Mac OS X Server and FileMaker Server, I made an error as explained below, and right now I don't know how to get back on track with the system. It won't boot.
So, how did this happen?
At first everything was proceeding according to plan. I configured the pre-installed Mac OS X Server on the Mac Mini with users, groups and services. This was tested from clients and this seemed to work just fine. Then I installed and configured FileMaker Server. This was also tested from a client, and the example database that came with FMS was served up just fine.
The problem arose when I tried to install my existing FileMaker databases. I simply checked to see where in the file system the example database was located, and then copied my old databases to that location (I think it was Library > FileMaker Server > Data > Databases or something close to it - can't check it now...). I had the FileMaker Server Admin Console running, and hit the Refresh button hoping that this would make FileMaker Server find the databases.
This was my first error. I should have read ahead in the instructions to see that one is supposed to use an Upload Database assistant instead...
What happened when I hit refresh was that the FileMaker Server Admin Console became completely unresponsive with a spinning ball as cursor. I left it for about an hour hoping it would terminate, but gave up and tried to shut it down. It wouldn't close, so I force quit it from the Finder. Then I tried to shut down FileMaker Server, but I needed to force quit this as well. After this I thought it would be best to reboot the Mac Mini, so I shut it down, but now it won't even boot, it just stays on the screen with the spinning wheel for ever!
I have tried all the keyboard options while booting, but nothing seems to help. In safe mode, the grey progress bar just grows to about one third, then disappears and leaves the eternally spinning wheel.
The server version of the Mac Mini doesn't have an optical drive, only two internal hard drives. I tried to reinstall from scratch using the optical drive on another Mac on the network. The startup disk appeared when I tried to boot the Mac Mini holding down the option key, and after about 20 minutes or so of the spinning wheel I could actually access the discs. I started by running Disk Utility to check disk permissions. There were a lot of repairs concerning permissions and groups, especially on "Library". It said "ACL differs on Library", I don't know what this is but this was repaired. I then ran Repair Disk. The volume appeared to be OK.
When I tried to reinstall Mac OS X Server however, this failed with the message
"You can't upgrade this version of Mac OS X because a newer version is installed. Mac OS X Server couldn't be installed on this disk." I don't know how this can be, but I may have run software update earlier today.
What should I try next? Should I erase the primary HD and try to install again? Or should I install the system software on the secondary HD? Or should I just try to reboot as is in the hope that the disk permission repairs did the trick...?
Any helpful pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Hello there, I came across your post when browsing the forum for passive advice. I am in the same boat as you and am a first timer for both of these tools. I work for a company who now needs to expand its network and database capabilities. I have been assigned this task and these are the tools i have opted for. I have not yet purchased them and i am pleased to find someone who has my desired setup. Could you please advise on the simplicity of the setup and whether an advanced knowledge is required.
I want to use it in a mixed operating system environment. Is this possible?
Regards
Matthew

How do I set up my Time Machine and Mac Mini with Lion Server so i have one wifi loop in the house?

HELP!
So I have had a Time Machine wifi loop at the house for approx. 6 years. I run two Macbooks, 2 iPhones, 2 iTouch and a Samsung Smart Blueray on the loop.
I just bought a Mac Mini with Lion Server. When setting it up I'm not sure what or how I managed to do, but I now have 2 wifi loops, one doesn't lock and niether will support the Samsung BlueRay. Also, each time I want to go online with one of the other Mac devices i have to relog into the wifi loop.
Can someone please walk me through the fix. The mac Mini is plugged straight into the Time Machine to recevie its internet connection.
Thanks!
John

You often see this limit of 10 clients in wireless hotspots but I have yet to see it in an adsl modem.. most strange way to pay for a service that is really irrelevant how many clients you use.
Have a go .. I recently setup a TC to help a guy run his Roku.. and this setup worked well.. I have no idea if it can work in your case.
Lets say the IP you get is 192.168.2.1-10 .. doesn't matter what it really is. And the adsl modem is 192.168.2.254
(Assuming they are private addresses.. if they are public IP you can just use the DHCP and NAT. )
But go to the airport utility.. I think you need to run v5 at least to change DNS.. but you can do the same thing in v6 using static but no dns changes.
Now you set the IP of the TC manually.. This address might need to be in the dhcp range of the modem to work. You can set the DNS to same IP as the router address.. ie home address of the modem. Or you can use another DNS.. whatever you like.
Then set DHCP for clients that will join.. this can then expand the scope of addresses..
It worked without a NAT error.. although I am not sure exactly how.. on paper it should not be able to work but did.. have a go.. otherwise there is perhaps another way.. but it is complicated.
Give us an example from a computer plugged into the modem of what IP .. subnet mask .. Gateway and DNS you get. Then I can fine tune the values for it.

Using a Mac Mini with my Panasonic CT-30WC14J

Please excuse the length of this question, but theres a lot of info that may be relevant.
I have a Widescreen HDTV, Panasonic CRT 30 inch Model CT-30WC14J, and have been using it connected to my iMac for a while to watch TV shows etc. For Christmas I decided to get a Mac Mini for this TV so we didn't need to constantly bother whoever was using the iMac to watch TV or whatnot. Anyway, I hooked the Mini up using the same cable I've been using for the iMac and although it is the same TV, OS (Leopard), and HDMI cable, the Mac Mini only offers 3 resolutions. 640x480 720X480 and 1920x1080. The first two being way too small the last being an insanely high resolution. The on the iMac I had it running in 1280x720 (and had the choice of a few dozen other resolutions if I'd wished it) . However I can't get the Mini to show any but those 3 resolutions. I found a program (SwitchResX) that can change the Mac to a resolution that is not normally selectable but any of the resolutions I need are not default. When I try to use it's custom resolution I'm way in over my head because I need timing parameters for my TV. I decided to install the program on my iMac and see if it could show the correct parameters for the resolution when the TV is hooked up to the iMac but that does not seem to work when I use those numbers on the Mac Mini, so that was a dead end.
I doubt anyone could help me but is there anyone who thinks they might have an idea on what I can do, like what would be all of the timing parameters etc to input for 720p/i for the Panasonic CT-30WC14J? Maybe any other suggestions?
Thanks for looking.

Here is one thing I recommend trying since it has worked for other people under Leopard. Go into Displays preferences and click on the "Show displays in menu bar" checkbox. Go to the menu bar and click on the display icon. In the resulting drop down menu, scroll to "Number of recent items" and select 5 (or possibly try 10 if 5 doesn't work) and then restart the Mac. Hopefully this will expand the list of choices and you will see the 1280 x 720 timing that shows up on your iMac.

Using Time Capsule and Mac Mini to replace a PC.

I have 4 macs of various vintage in the house and 1 PC. I use the rather robust PC as the server for my itunes library. I'm fully uploaded to iCloud. I'd like to replace this final PC with a Mac Mini but none have a harddrive large enough to accomodate my iTunes library. (about 785G of music and video) Can I use a Time Machine as the storage device for my iTunes library? Can I connect the Time Machine and Mac Mini via Thunderbolt for fast data access? Also, if I can use the Time Machine for storage of the iTunes library, should I consider the iCloud to be my "Back Up" or should I get an additional Time Machine for back up? Also, I use and AirPort Extreme as my wireless router with 2 AirPort Expresses to expand my wifi network. Can I simply add Time Machine to my existing network or will I need to replace the AirPort Extreme with the Time Capsule?

Can I use a Time Machine as the storage device for my iTunes library? Can I connect the Time Machine and Mac Mini via Thunderbolt for fast data access? Also, if I can use the Time Machine for storage of the iTunes library, should I consider the iCloud to be my "Back Up" or should I get an additional Time Machine for back up? Also, I use and AirPort Extreme as my wireless router with 2 AirPort Expresses to expand my wifi network. Can I simply add Time Machine to my existing network or will I need to replace the AirPort Extreme with the Time Capsule?
Don't use Time Capsule for media storage.. it is not suitable and although pressed into service it is a pain. (Time Machine is software backup on the computer and is completely unrelated to the TC).
The problem with using Time Capsule to Time Capsule, is simple.. it doesn't have any software to do it.. The TC is a backup device.. not a NAS. Do not try and use it as a NAS.
You can add a TC to the network without doing much.. just bridge the TC and it will work fine plugged into the AEBS.. but again it is expensive waste. You are buying a router with enclosed hard disk drive and turning off the router.. so all you have is a hard disk which is networked.
If you get a mini use firewire external drive.. you can get 2 or 3 TB fairly cheaply and plug it in. Then back up to a TC if you really want, but any NAS with Time Machine extensions will do the job. Or a hard drive in another Mac made available to the network.

Mac mini pricey to expand

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