My mac mini wont boot from disk

My 2010 Unibody Mac Mini wont boot from disk, i need to open disk utility to repair my drive but it wont boot, any ideas?

it started yesterday, and nope, not changed anything apart from the apple update for S.L. a week or two ago, and its stuck at the spinning gear, this has never happened before

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  • New Mac Mini wont boot after OS upgrade

    I bought a Mac Mini Yesterday i7 1tb disk
    Wire keyboard and track thingie
    my first mac
    First decided to upgrade OS to latest version
    Its been 24 hours and I have not gotten past the grey screen with these 2 spinnung wheels
    Dave

    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 Recovery by holding down the key combination command-R at the startup chime, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in the support article linked below, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
    How to back up and restore your files
    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 by holding down the key combination command-T at the startup chime. Connect the two Macs with a FireWire or Thunderbolt cable. The internal drive of the machine running in target mode will mount as an external drive on the other machine. Copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
    How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode
    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
    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 3
    Boot in safe mode.* The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
    Shut down your computer, wait 30 seconds, and then hold down the shift key while pressing the power button.
    When you see the gray Apple logo, release the shift key.
    If you are prompted to log in, type your password, and then hold down the shift key again as you click Log in.
    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.
    *Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode. Post for further instructions.
    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 damaged and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to step 5.
    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 4
    Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
    Step 5
    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 6
    Boot into Recovery again. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, follow the prompts to 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.
    Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with proxy servers, or with networks that require a certificate for authentication.
    Step 7
    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 backup.
    Step 8
    A dead logic-board battery in a Mac Pro can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
    Step 9
    If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

  • Folder with question mark + wont boot from disk

    Hi
    I am trying to reinstall a powermac g5 from the disk, using a old hard drive that works.. (formatted in NTFS) (hoping that when selected to boot from disk, mac will then erase and reformat it)this image is presented when i hold down the option key and the disk ejects this other image is presented when i hold down C (folder with question mark blinking) and the disk ejects... also presented if i boot normally.... Could some help be offered please??????
    Powermac G5
    Thank you in advance

    Yes, you must Format it HFS+ first...
    1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
    2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
    *Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
    How to format your disks...
    http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html
    (To Install OSX on an IntelMac the Drive it needs the GUID Partitioning scheme mentioned at the bottom.)
    Thanks to Pondini, Formatting,  Partitioning, Verifying,  and  Repairing  Disks...
    http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/DU.html

  • Formatted Mac Os X accidently. Now wont boot from disk or hard disk. Help!

    Hello,
    Last weekend I managed to stupidly and accidently wipe my mac os x part of the HD when it was meant to be for the partition I had freshly made for boot camp. Since the mac os x part of the HDD was formatted as NTFS, I now cannot boot to that and have been trying to get on to disk utility to sort this mess out... by booting to disk... problem is... it wont.
    Long story short.
    After insertng the Mac Os X Tiger install disk and holding C it does not force boot the disk and all I see is a grey folder icon with a question mark which flashes several then vanishes... I've tried inserting the disk and holding the Option key, and C... and also tried tapping both option keys fast to no avail... the cursor appears however when I do both and it then freezes and the screen stays white.
    Tried phoning Apple tech UK to discover i'm out of applecare cover and it'll cost me £35 to get incident cover for this incident. She then said at the end,.... you just need to get to disk utility and sort it from ther... problem is.... I cant get there.
    Apologies for the mini-rant... I've just tried every solution and I'm still at square1.
    Thanks in advance..

    +Any other suggestions?+
    You didn't mention whether or not it still sounds the start-up chime when you try to boot.
    Also, will it boot to the Apple Hardware Test (located on one of the grey-labeled original system discs) - hold down the d key instead of c key. Has it ever run the AHT prior to this problem?
    Were you successful at performing a PRAM reset? Only this will cure the iMac of its propensity to search for the old startup disk. Had you ever done one prior to this problem? If you can do that and then immediately switch to holding the c or d key, it must force a boot. Since all you need is for it to boot, you should have no external device connected to your iMac.

  • Mac mini 2014 - boot from usb key/drive

    Hi,
    I've just unpacked the latest mac mini, bought two days ago.
    I am trying to get it to boot of a bootable usb key, bootable usb hard drive and PXE server to install another OS.
    All methods failing so far; I always get into OSX. I've tested the PXE server with another client and this was working just fine.
    Any hint for me please? (besides buying an external cdrom)
    Thanks.

    Thanks Gary. Given your confirmation that it should be possible, I've taken the fact that the external drive doesn't appear as a choice in "startup disk" as an indication that my disk is the issue. I did try two alternatives method to get the .iso to disk given your hint,
    The first, using UNetbootin rather than my linux distribution and it does come back with a message rather specific after it finishes:  "The created USB device will not boot off a Mac.  Insert it into a PC, and select the USB boot option in the BIOS boot menu".
    The second, using Disk Utility but the restore section for the target volume doesn't seems interested in me dragging the .iso to the 'source' field.
    And that's with two different OS's .iso. so assuming that's not the right alternative either.
    Few questions from there if I may,
    Is there anything special I should take care off while doing the formatting to boot from a mac (mini)?  (I'd welcome any link to a validated method)
    what do you do when you have a non mac keyboard? (I had used "C")
    should the PXE method have worked as well on the mac mini?
    (Thanks again for that first response Gary)

  • Mac mini stuck booting from Superdrive

    I have a PowerPC Mac mini and a wired Apple keyboard.
    I was testing a Linux LiveCD the other day and chose to boot up from the Superdrive through the System Preferences Pane.  The LiveCD worked, but then when I tried to restart and use the keyboard command to choose to boot from the OS on the internal HD, I realized that my keyboard isn't responsive during the startup procedure.  Therefore, I can't reset the pram either, which is what I imagine would be the easiest way to solve the problem.
    Unfortunately I don't know anyway to change the boot method from the Linux end either.
    I have various install and utility CD's from several generations of Macs, but the mini will not use any of them to boot.  I have the mini installation disc and it does not work.  Would an OS upgrade cause it to not boot from an older version's install disc?  I know the superdive (and RAM, logic board, etc.) is functional because I can run Linux of a LiveCD.
    Unfortunately I can not find any old keyboards to use at the moment, so I can't immediately test whether or not a different keyboard would be recognized.  When I looked up this problem, some people said it did and others said it didn't.
    The error I'm receiving without a LiveCD in is "No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key."
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    Try starting up holding the mouse button.
    see > The ultimate guide to ejecting a stuck disc from Mac SuperDrive | MacYourself

  • Intel mac mini wont boot after system restore

    Hi,
    I ran the system restore on my intel mac mini using the genuine leopard cd that came with it.
    Now it wont boot. When you press power the light comes on but it does not chime and there is not video output to any monitor.
    Anyone know what could be wrong?

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    You picked 10.4.1 in your profile.
    Intel Mac Minis at minimum came with 10.4.4.
    If it came with a 10.5 genuine DVD, it most certainly was not running 10.4.1 or 10.4.4. Perhaps you mistook one Mac Mini install DVD for another? Does your Mac Mini have 4 USB ports on back? What does the 10.5 installer disc you used look like?

  • Mac Mini Wont Boot up

    I've been having issues with my Mac Mini for quite a while now. When I press the power button, the power light turns on and the fans spin up, the CD/DVD drive spins up as well. But I never heard the boot up chime and nothing ever displays on the screen (not even the no operating system found sad face).
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    The computer is out of warranty, and I've worked with computer innards in the past, so I'm not worried about cracking the case if anyone has any suggestions on what may fix this problem.
    Thanks,
    ~Jaren

    Welcome to the Apple discussions.
    Have you tried a safe start, where you hold the shift key down when you start? Have you tried a start where you hold the alt/option key down, which would be to choose where to boot from? If neither of those work, normally you look to the hard drive causing issues, however, if starting with the alt/option key down doesn't get you anywhere, then the logic board would be suspect. You might want to take it the Genius bar at your local Apple store for diagnosis. If the logic board is bad, you can buy a replacement via the web, or have the Apple store do it.

  • MAC mini wont boot

    So last night we had a pretty bad storm. I actually shutdown my Mini and unplugged it just to be safe incase we took a power hit or anything. Well I never took a hit but once I plugged it back in and started it back up, it won't boot back up. I am getting power, it is trying to boot, screen comes on shows me its booting then shuts off.
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  • Mac mini wont boot! HELP

    hi,
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    This happens when something goes wrong with Boot Camp. You should be able to get to the boot loader by holding the option key, and hopefully from there you can load the install DVD.
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  • Lenovo T61 wont boot from disk or blue button but it will run pc doctor

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    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
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