Startup problem mac mini

the Mac mini doesn't start. The gray screen, first with the apple logo and later on, while the wheel is turning an gray screen without anything. Is there a way to find out why the Mac mini doesn't start ? ( something like safe-modus?) Thancks

Thanks, Lanny. I confused Safe and Single-User modes.
Startup key combinations for Intel-based Macs

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On startup of Mac Mini running OS Mavericks login windows are invisible. Login is possible but there are no white boxes for username and password. Keyboard inputs also do not display.

Mac Mini with 2 Ghz Intel Core i7 running OS X 10.9.1. Recent problem with startup screen where I get a gray startup screen that is blank and does not show the login windows for username or password. Mousing over where they should be does provide a cursor change and I can click into the invisible window and login. Also, I can just type the information and hit enter and login without problems but the keystrokes do not appear either. This is not a big problem if I make sure that I type my login information correctly, but if I make a mistake it can be difficult make sure I am in the right place before I retype. Any ideas why the screen is just gray and does not show the windows? Once I type in the login info in the invisible windows and hit enter the computer starts up, loads finder, and runs without any other noticeable problems.

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you boot, and again when you log in.
Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually login 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.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, reboot as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

Problem Mac mini G4 with Panasonic 52" Plasma using s-video (composite)

I am upgrading my mac mini but until then I'd like to watch some movies on my new Panasonic 50" Plasma (TH50PZ80U). The first I connected them together using a DVI-to S-Video adapter it worked but with low resolution (can't remember). The resolution was fine for movies but not reading. When I tried to increase the resolution the screen became all grey and black (like when there's no the TV channel in the old days). I tried all of the following but nothing has worked:
1) Played with the mouse for an hour to try to change the resolution but kept starting new programs instead
2) Connected to my apple display cinema, change resolution to the minimum, and then reconnected it and nothing
3) Asked a friend to bring his laptop to do screen sharing but my OS 10.4.11 doesn't support this functionality
4) Tried starting in safe mode and it won't start in safe mode. It gets stock on the gray apple screen at launch
5) Tried getting an HDMI cable but this mac mini is not strong enough for the plasma screen. It kept going black after a few minutes
6) Tried using keyword shortcuts with SwitchResX but I couldn't seem to find the right sequence.
Remember that I tried to the above blind since the screen was all blurry.
Can someone help. Thanks

+I tried with an HDMI cble, through a DVI adapter, but it seems that my 1st generation mac mini is not powerful enough for that. It comes out at first but as soon as I start any application, it looses signal+
I'll ask again; what happens if you try starting in Safe mode connected by HDMI? I understand that with a normal start and running 1080p, the mini is not necessarily stable. But if you start safe, or start normally, and quickly change the resolution to something lower than 1080p, the mini should be "powerful enough" to run the Panasonic at 720p for example. That should not present a problem.
If you really just want to get back to using the S-Video interface at 640 x 480, you should be able to throw out the display preference files to get back to a clean start. That usually works. Try the following; in /Library/Preferences find the file com.apple.windowserver.plist and throw it in the trash or drag it to the desktop. Find also in /Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences/ByHost the file com.apple.windowserver.xxxxxxxx.plist where xxxxxxx is a string of letters and numbers and yourusername is the name on the main user account and throw that in the trash, too (or drag it to the Desktop). Then restart and see if function returns to S-Video when connected to the Panasonic.

Strange resolution problem mac mini 2010 w lion 10.7.3

Hi!
I use XBMC as a media center client, and did the update to 10.7.3 yesterday. This update gave me a problem with the resolution on a 55 "LED TV.
If xbmc is running and I switch the source on the television to for example, tuner or blueray player, and then switch back to the mac mini running xbmc, the resolution changes, everything is so big on the screen that you cant read it. I need to force down xbmc and turn back to lion, and then start xbmc again.xbmc is running 1080i 50 Hz PAL, the same for lion.
My mini is always on, and if i leave it over night or some hours, the resolution in lion changes to 960x540 60 Hz NTSE by itself. therfore i belive the problem is lion and not the xbmc. it looks like the mini forget the settings. I tried to format the mini and installed a frech copy of lion 10.7.3 Still problems!
Anyone? please help me, I use the Mini very much and this is an annoying problem

I ran a few more tests and this problem has something to do with the Video Card sensing the TV (or at least I think). The resolution drops to 960x540 HiDPI 60 Hz NTSC when I return from TV to HDMI (Mac Mini) after any of the following:
1. Screen saver was activated
2. Screen was switched off by Lion Power management
I don't beleive this to do with any application running like Plex or XMBC. I tested this with no applications running just what ever Lion loads in the begining.
I tried reseting the PMU but that didn't help.
The only workarround I found was not to uese any screen savers and not allow the screen to switch off (Power Saving Options)
I have submitted a bug report to Apple hopefully they will look into it.
Hope this helps.

Sleep problems, Mac Mini

Ever since I upgraded to 10.4.10, my Intel Mac Mini refuses to sleep. It starts to go to sleep, but then something happens and the login screen returns. Has anyone else had this problem?

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
There are a couple of things that you might try:
Firstly, open Disk Utility (in Applications>Utilities) and with the internal drive selected, click the button for 'repair permissions'.
Secondly, since sleep issues are often caused by USB-connected devices, try starting the Mac, then unplugging all devices and waiting to see if it sleeps OK in that instance. If it does not, then it is clear the issue is with the system, while if it does, then it's with a device connected to the system and you can then try connecting each to see which one then prevents sleep.
Thirdly, download and install the appropriate 10.4.10 combo update from http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/macosx_updates/ The combo update is regularly known to resolve issues of this sort, so while it's a long download, it's worth trying if 1 and 2 above don't help.

Lion Grafik Problem Mac mini 2010

Hallo,
ich habe Lion erst jetzt (Okt. 2011) nach Lösung des NAS & AFP Problems aufspielen können und ringe mit einfachen Hindenissen.
Mein Mac Mini aus 2009(4GB) spielt Videos (aus EyeTV oder aus iTunes Video download) ziemlich unrund (leichtes Ruckeln) ab.
Es ist kein Vergleich zum Snow Leoparden, der einen Film aufnimmt, den anderen gleichzeitig in bester Qualität abspielt.
Was kann ich machen? Zurück auf 10.7?

Lion ist halt voller Fehler. Warte auf 10.7.2. Ansonsten zurück zu 10.6.8.

Bluetooth range problem/mac mini

hello , i have a mac mini with the bluetooth/ airport installed. i have the mini connected to my 36 inch tv. i recently purchased an apple wireless keyboard and mouse. now as i can recall the range of bluetooth should be somewhere in the 30ft range. i was hoping to be able to sit on my couch and use this setup. now when i go more then 1 foot away from the mini with the mouse and keyboard they nolonger work. i updated everything and it still dosnt work. the mouse gets unconnected and the keyboard dosnt work then at all. can someone please help me for now i feel i have wasted my money and am going to return the mini, keyboard and mouse

I fixed this last night (Mac Mini, Late 2009). If you have upgraded your RAM there is a strong possibility that the bluetooth antenna came loose while reassemling the mini. I was very careful installing ram, but last evening when I dissassembled the mini I found that one of the bluetooth antennae was disconnected. Popped it back in, reassembled, and my reception went from 1 foot back up to the full extent of the room. If you are having range problems, take it apart (ifixit.com) and check it.

HP Pavilion 27xi Monitor: Display problem Mac Mini running Yosmite

Image quality is very poor for Mac Mini running Yosmite connected via HDMI.
Adjusting overscan helps scaling, but pixelation and poor image quality is not changed (very blurry)
Using VGA/mini display route with same devices, image quality if far better showing that somehow mini conncected to HP monitor via HDMI could be improved via driver update.
Is there a driver update for Yosmite?
Only drivers found were for Windows:
http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-Pavilion-27-inch-Displays/7274719/model/5304250/drivers
Please help
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hello @adsben,
I understand that the image quality for your HP monitor is poor when connected to your Mac Mini, and I would be happy to assist you in this matter!
According to this document on using HP Monitors on a Mac:
"HP monitors are not supported in a Mac environment. However, newer Macs use graphics with VESA modes and can display to most HP LCD monitors. To do this, connect the monitor to the Mac while the Mac is off, and then turn on the MAC. The monitor should operate at 60Hz. The INF and software for the HP monitor are for Microsoft Windows and cannot be run in a standard MAC OS environment."
I hope this helps!
Best Regards
MechPilot
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
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Display Problem: Mac Mini no longer shows up on my Hitachi TV

Everything had worked just fine for a couple of months and then I started importing a bunch of my CDs. During this process, I did something that made the desktop image from the mac mini larger than that of the TV (So I couldnt see the upper menu and the lower one was partly cut off.
To try to fix it, I went into the display preferences menu and chose a different resolution (I think was something X something interlaced). When I did that, the screen faded black and I couldnt see anything. For a while, I could see the initial load screen for the mini, but the desktop would never show up and my TV would just say No Sync. Signal.
Any thoughts? Thanks a ton for your help.

hermanherman, welcome to Apple Discussions. Generally when this type of issue crops up it can be corrected by starting up in Safe Mode. To start the mini in Safe Mode, after pressing the mini's power button, immediately press and hold down the Shift key on the keyboard until you see a message on the display that Mac OS is starting in Safe Mode. When you see that message you can let go of the Shift key. Hopefully you will have a useable screen at that point. Go into Displays preferences and select your desired resolution. Then restart the mini normally (don't hold Shift) and hopefully your last resolution setting will persist and you will have your screen back.
By the way, what you were looking for in the first place is an "Overscan" check box within Displays preferences. This controls whether the edges of the Mac desktop will be beyond the borders of the screen or not. Good luck.

ITUNES WIFI SYNC PROBLEMS (MAC MINI)

Hi Guys recently purchased a mac mini & loving how good it is compared pc.
I had iTunes on pc but transfered all music etc to mac mini & setup iTunes from scratch. Synced IP4 manually no probs & I then went in & ticked the option to sync this IP4 over wifi.
When I then try to sync over wifi on IP4 it says its looking for my mac mini but doesn't find it & also IP4 isnt showing in iTunes either (as it did when I used to do it on my pc).
My wifi is definitly working & connected on both mac mini & IP4. Could it be to do with an the pc that i used to sync it to being on the same network?
(I have updated Mountain Lion & Itunes to the newest versions & IP4 to ios6)
Any advice would be appreciated.

You may be getting interference on your wifi. Mountain Lion has an inbuilt tool to help with this
Details Here
http://9to5mac.com/2012/07/31/use-mountain-lions-new-wi-fi-scan-utility-to-optim ize-your-home-wireless-network/

Display problems Mac Mini 2013

Hi, I have a MacMini 2013 which 3-4 times a week stop working leaving the display like this..... Now this is the second display so its not that. Any idea's?

Reset the SMC and PRAM
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
About NVRAM and PRAM
Does it happen in Safe Mode?
OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?
Run Apple Hardware test
Using Apple Hardware Test
Try reseating the RAM. It could be bad RAM since Your Mini uses some system RAM as video RAM

Mac mini occasionally boots in startup volume screen (SOLVED).

Here is my original message from March 08:
"I've had this problem since I've had my Mac mini (about a year now). Sometimes the startup volume screen appears despite not having any other Hard Drives connected apart from the boot drive (which is the internal Hard drive) and despite not pressing any keyboard keys on startup.
I am using 10.5.2 with the latest mini firmware and am unable to think what could be causing this? I have selected my main hard-drive in the startup disk preferences and have no permissions/hard drive problems (so says disk utility) but the problem persists. It's a minor annoyance but one I would welcome any help with."
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1433640&tstart=0
Because the original post is archived I thought I would post the answer in a new thread. The answer to this problem was to replace the network cable connecting my Mac mini to my Apple router.
I think the previous faulty cable was causing the mini to do a phantom network boot and that's why the startup volume screen came up from time to time.
Since, the cable change no more startup volume screen problem.
Phew, this has been bugging me ever since I bought my mini. It's nice to know sometimes it's the simple answers that work

I have a similar problem. Whenever I startup my Mac Mini, an icon of the "Macintosh HD" appears in the middle of the screen. It doesn't go away until I click on it. After that, every thing works fine... until I use Safari. If I use Safari long enough, some type of glitch occurs that doesn't let me type correctly; Safari will stop working as it should be, and every time i try to type, some really weird symbols appear, like these ones: ßêÄ©¶¢. The only option I have left is to restart the computer, over, and over, and over again. Please help!!!!

Accessing Mac Mini from Air in Startup Manager

I currently have a white macbook from the early 2008s and my computer is no longer capable of upgrading it's OSX. SO, I'm back in the market for a computer.
My needs are quite specific as I write music and would like to use my computer (with midi hook-up and software running) during live performances, so I need reliability and speed. That being said, as a musician, I'm on a budget.
Although a MBP would do me just fine, I'm considering the option of a mac mini. I have all the needed accessories but could also use my current mac by plugging into the firewire, logging on to Startup Manager, and accessing my mac mini that way.
The mac mini is affordable and LOADED with storage, speed, and ports. I pondered using an ipad as a screen (splashtop looks promising but I fear the lag), a portable external screen could work, but are expensive and I'd still be left without a keyboard and mouse. But what about a macbook air?
My questions are:
1) could I use the thunderbolt connection of a macbook air to connect to a mac mini and, through Startup Manager, access my mini via my air?
2) are the new macbook airs sturdy enough to handle live music performance/manipulation? The lack of full software access deters me from the ipad...
Thanks for you help.

I have a similar problem. Whenever I startup my Mac Mini, an icon of the "Macintosh HD" appears in the middle of the screen. It doesn't go away until I click on it. After that, every thing works fine... until I use Safari. If I use Safari long enough, some type of glitch occurs that doesn't let me type correctly; Safari will stop working as it should be, and every time i try to type, some really weird symbols appear, like these ones: ßêÄ©¶¢. The only option I have left is to restart the computer, over, and over, and over again. Please help!!!!

Mac mini intel shut down problem !! please help !!

hi !
following problem, mac mini intel single core does not shut down, shut down process last 10 min and more (bluescreen, black wheel running) but does not shutdown at all!!
When I log off my user and then press the shutdown button at the login window, it shuts down normally.
Any ideas???
Feeling like being in windows times???
please help
thanks
tobias

Good catch. I would never have though of that since I eagerly anticipate each chance I get for a clean install.
I much prefer to get a clean start and consciously change the things I need to work - often I find that the defaults really are better and would otherwise be stuck in habit...

3 times loud beeping sound after press on button but never startup (mac min

I'm having trouble startup my mac mini(not intel duo core)... i had a hard reboot (popup a grey/black on the screen asking to restart by pressing the start button) which i did hold the start button then release then press to start up... but after that, there's 3 times loud beeping sound which i've never heard before and after that screen in blank and my mac mini wont start up.. The LED light indicator is on but i'll keeping blinking 4 times every 30 seconds or so... could anyone help me to resolve the issue?
Mac Mini Mac OS X (10.3.9)
Mac Mini Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Three beeps at startup indicate 'no good banks', meaning the system can't access the RAM.
It may be that your RAM itself is bad, or that it has come unseated. It could also indicate a more serious motherboard fault which prevents the RAM being accessed, but that is unlikely.
If you have opened the mini in the past it may be that the best way to check is to do so again and ensure the RAM is properly seated by removing it and reinserting. If you replaced the original RAM and still have the original stick, try putting that back in. Also note that Macs are typically very sensitive to RAM incompatibilities, and there have been cases where systems fail as yours appears to have done for no reason other than that a RAM stick was marginal in compatibility.
If you upgraded the RAM yourself and bought the replacement stick from a source such as Crucial.com which permits unconditional exchanges, contact them and arrange to have the memory replaced.
The link to the Apple page referring to the startup error beeps is at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58442

Startup problem mac mini

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