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No output devices found error on Mac mini.

I came back from a two week vacation, and when I booted up my mini there was no beep. Everything seems to be OK except there is no audio output. Sound preferences say, "No output devices found", and the system profiler says there is no built-in audio.
Has anyone seen this. It is as if the sound chip has been removed.

Intel Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.5.8), No external sound devices conected.

Posted on Jan 20, 2010 7:05 PM

Reply
5 replies

Jan 22, 2010 10:29 PM in response to BSteely

Thanks for the reply BSteely, not likely, the room has been locked during our vacation. As I said the sound preference pane says, "No output devices found". This would not happen if the software could find the internal sound hardware. A disconnected speaker wire would mean no sound from the internal speaker, but I would still have sound from the sound jack on the back of the machine. Does anyone know how the Mac software determines what sound devices are installed?

Jan 23, 2010 5:32 PM in response to Mike Swift

I did not go on vacation. I did use MS iLife USB earphones and a Logitech USB sound bar. Dunno if that was it.

When I changed my Mac mini from my office to my home theater to play through the projector using the miniplug out, it happened.

No sound devices at all. I plugged the A/V receiver with a miniplug (My iPod's by Monster)... I brought my USB earphones and they were OK, recognized immediately by OSX. Then I read the forums... and elsewhere... and read even more forums... I did try a couple of resets. With no miniplug out the back. Again nothing. I was not convinced of the available solutions discussed so I...

1. Disconnected the DVI to the projector.
2. Disconnected the AC power plug.
3. Picked up the Mac mini with my two hands
4. Shook the **** out of the mini
5. Placed it back on the table
6. Gave it three knocks on right over the apple logo
7. Reconnected the AC power plug upside down from what it was before
8. Reconnected the DVI while it was starting to boot up

Then I suddenly heard that lovely sound the mini makes when it comes to life

I waited and saw the speaker logo where its meant to be, all black and healthy.
I changed the volume and the mini speaker did its beep/tic/quack thing noise

Then I plugged it to my A/V with the same Monster Miniplug and voila.

Macmini Shaken not stirred.

SOLVED

Mar 27, 2010 9:40 PM in response to Mike Swift

Tried shaking, no improvement. Before I took it apart I went to my local Apple store to see what the people at the Genius Bar had to say. They looked at it, then took it into the back room, and presto they brought it back working. When I asked just exactly what the problem was he said the connector to the board containing the sound chip had come lose. When this happens the fix is to open the mac like you were going to add memory find the audio board and remove then re seat the connector. This is apparently a known problem, and they fix it for free. His comment on shaking, and thumping the Mac mini is it may make the connector reconnect, but it will probability shake lose again next time it is bumped.

No output devices found error on Mac mini.

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