User profile for user: huwon9
huwon9 Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Big Sur 11.2.3 bricked my 2018 Mac mini

2018 Mac mini, 6-core Intel i5 3.0 GHz, 256GB, 32GB RAM, eGFX Breakaway Puck RX 560, OWC TB3 dock, etc.


I have chime turned on because I use the chime as a simple diagnostic tool to know if the computer is booting or dead,

How to turn your Mac startup chime back on | AppleInsider

https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/02/22/how-to-turn-your-mac-startup-chime-back-on


The mini bricked after I installed Big Sur 11.2.3 and refused to boot.


I tried the startup key combinations suggested by Apple without success,

Mac startup key combinations - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201255


By chance, one of the key combinations chimed but it was not apparently reproducible.


I repeated every key combination several times without success. Next, I recorded the duration the keys were held down.


I shut down the computer by holding the power button down 10 seconds.


I held Option-Command-P-R for 20 seconds until there is one chime.


I held Option-Command-P-R for 40 seconds. There was no second chime.


The Apple logo appeared, the progress bar moved half-way and stopped.


I released the keys and waited for the startup to complete. It was slow progress. The generic desktop appeared. I acknowledge any generic popup warnings.


The custom desktop eventually appeared, the menu bar items loaded, and the startup completed.


I did a CleanMyMac Smart Scan lest the many Forced Quits corrupted a system file.


I rebooted several times. The boot time got faster but it is significantly slower than the previous version of OS X. There is a long pause with a blank screen after the chime which is disconcerting.


I don't know if my experience is applicable to other models but it may give others insight to sort their bricked computers.


I have no explanation why resetting the NVRAM worked. If anyone has an explanation, please let me know.




Mac mini, macOS 11.2

Posted on Mar 9, 2021 5:33 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: den.thed
den.thed
User level: Level 10
90,988 points

Posted on Mar 9, 2021 7:13 PM

huwon9 wrote:

2018 Mac mini, 6-core Intel i5 3.0 GHz, 256GB, 32GB RAM, eGFX Breakaway Puck RX 560, OWC TB3 dock, etc.

I'm a little curious, as what Display(s) and/or what are you ding that requires using the eGFX Breakaway Puck RX 560

The mini bricked after I installed Big Sur 11.2.3 and refused to boot.

Sometimes pre-existing issues can cause problems when upgrading the macOS. Especially if you use a lot of third party utilities, app's and other junk-ware that make system modifications.


If you have and are using those, then you should remove them from your system and use Safe Mode to repair the startup disk.

I tried the startup key combinations suggested by Apple without success,
Mac startup key combinations - Apple Support
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201255

By chance, one of the key combinations chimed but it was not apparently reproducible.

I repeated every key combination several times without success. Next, I recorded the duration the keys were held down.

I shut down the computer by holding the power button down 10 seconds.

I held Option-Command-P-R for 20 seconds until there is one chime.

I held Option-Command-P-R for 40 seconds. There was no second chime.

The Apple logo appeared, the progress bar moved half-way and stopped.

I released the keys and waited for the startup to complete. It was slow progress. The generic desktop appeared. I acknowledge any generic popup warnings.

What keyboard and mouse are you using? Sometimes the wireless keyboard and mouse can be slow re-connecting or not connect at all and it's a good idea to keep around an inexpensive USB keyboard and mouse.I released the keys and waited for the startup to complete.

The custom desktop eventually appeared, the menu bar items loaded, and the startup completed.

macOS has a lot of things to do after an upgrade.

I did a CleanMyMac Smart Scan lest the many Forced Quits corrupted a system file.

CleanMyMac is not going to help. If anything, it is making matters worse.

I rebooted several times. The boot time got faster but it is significantly slower than the previous version of OS X. There is a long pause with a blank screen after the chime which is disconcerting.

I've seen the same thing with each macOS upgrade. Heck' 10.4 thru 10.6 started up from an HDD faster than Catalina on an SSD.

I don't know if my experience is applicable to other models but it may give others insight to sort their bricked computers.

Run the free version of EtreCheck on you Mac and post back here with the Report.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/etrecheck/id1423715984?mt=12

https://etrecheck.com

I have no explanation why resetting the NVRAM worked. If anyone has an explanation, please let me know.

If you experience issues related to these settings or others, resetting NVRAM might help. For example, if your Mac starts up from a disk other than the one selected in Startup Disk preferences, or a question mark icon briefly appears before your Mac starts up, you might need to reset NVRAM.


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063


View in context

Similar questions

5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: den.thed
den.thed
User level: Level 10
90,988 points

Mar 9, 2021 7:13 PM in response to huwon9

huwon9 wrote:

2018 Mac mini, 6-core Intel i5 3.0 GHz, 256GB, 32GB RAM, eGFX Breakaway Puck RX 560, OWC TB3 dock, etc.

I'm a little curious, as what Display(s) and/or what are you ding that requires using the eGFX Breakaway Puck RX 560

The mini bricked after I installed Big Sur 11.2.3 and refused to boot.

Sometimes pre-existing issues can cause problems when upgrading the macOS. Especially if you use a lot of third party utilities, app's and other junk-ware that make system modifications.


If you have and are using those, then you should remove them from your system and use Safe Mode to repair the startup disk.

I tried the startup key combinations suggested by Apple without success,
Mac startup key combinations - Apple Support
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201255

By chance, one of the key combinations chimed but it was not apparently reproducible.

I repeated every key combination several times without success. Next, I recorded the duration the keys were held down.

I shut down the computer by holding the power button down 10 seconds.

I held Option-Command-P-R for 20 seconds until there is one chime.

I held Option-Command-P-R for 40 seconds. There was no second chime.

The Apple logo appeared, the progress bar moved half-way and stopped.

I released the keys and waited for the startup to complete. It was slow progress. The generic desktop appeared. I acknowledge any generic popup warnings.

What keyboard and mouse are you using? Sometimes the wireless keyboard and mouse can be slow re-connecting or not connect at all and it's a good idea to keep around an inexpensive USB keyboard and mouse.I released the keys and waited for the startup to complete.

The custom desktop eventually appeared, the menu bar items loaded, and the startup completed.

macOS has a lot of things to do after an upgrade.

I did a CleanMyMac Smart Scan lest the many Forced Quits corrupted a system file.

CleanMyMac is not going to help. If anything, it is making matters worse.

I rebooted several times. The boot time got faster but it is significantly slower than the previous version of OS X. There is a long pause with a blank screen after the chime which is disconcerting.

I've seen the same thing with each macOS upgrade. Heck' 10.4 thru 10.6 started up from an HDD faster than Catalina on an SSD.

I don't know if my experience is applicable to other models but it may give others insight to sort their bricked computers.

Run the free version of EtreCheck on you Mac and post back here with the Report.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/etrecheck/id1423715984?mt=12

https://etrecheck.com

I have no explanation why resetting the NVRAM worked. If anyone has an explanation, please let me know.

If you experience issues related to these settings or others, resetting NVRAM might help. For example, if your Mac starts up from a disk other than the one selected in Startup Disk preferences, or a question mark icon briefly appears before your Mac starts up, you might need to reset NVRAM.


https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063


Reply
User profile for user: huwon9
huwon9 Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Mar 10, 2021 10:06 AM in response to den.thed

den.thed:

Thank you for the information.


I've used several Macs over many years and this is the first time I can recall that a Mac bricked this severely. I am not a computer geek so I have to look at problems empirically.


I have three Dell monitors connected to the eGPU. I have concurrent projects either CPU or GPU intensive and I monitor processes using iStat Menu. With an integrated CPU, 6 cores running 100% and temperatures of 97C for 5 days, it seemed a good idea to separate the workload with an eGPU. I do the usual things to cool the mini like raising the computer an inch and using a 140mm fan on top of the enclosure to cool the heat sink. The results are surface temperatures of the enclosure dropped 10C, CPU core temperatures averaged 20C lower and the studio cooled 2C. The computer is not stalling and work is getting done on time.


I had occasion to ask CleanMyMac what exactly their software does and they answered it basically does functions OS X already does. I use the software for its convenience. It hasn't done any harm that I have observed. I periodically use other utilities like Onyx, TinkerTool System, and TechTool Pro.


I invested in a cheap PC keyboard and mouse when I had occasion to beta test OS X Sierra on an 2011 iMac encountering endless lockups requiring endless reboots. I tried the keyboard to sort the bricked mini when I observed the mini chimed with a particular keystroke combination that I promptly forgot. However, I eventually sorted the problem using the bluetooth keyboard. The latest version of bluetooth connects okay but it was the chime and the fact that the bricked mini warmed to operating temperature that gave me the clue how to proceed. The process was almost a corollary to the infinite monkey theorem.


I ran EtreCheck and the performance is 'excellent'. It's only complaint is I have the gateway turned off.


Thank you for helping.


Reply
User profile for user: huwon9
huwon9 Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Mar 10, 2021 1:07 PM in response to den.thed

I'm using iStat Menu ver 6.51.


I used MacFanControl to manage the three fans in a 2011 iMac individually. In that respect I find it superior to and more manageable than iStat Menu.


I adopted iStat Menu because it included fan control with all the data that Marcel Bresink Hardware Monitor harvested in neat, colourful pulldown menus. If I need to number crunch on the iMac again, I'll turn on MacFanControl for sure.



Reply

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Big Sur 11.2.3 bricked my 2018 Mac mini

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up