Mac Mini strange behavior in Recovery Mode

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Level 1

8 points

Mac Mini strange behavior in Recovery Mode

Obviously, my computer is acting up and it has something to do with the Wacom tablet. The computer does not does not allow login. It recognizes it every keystroke, but plays the error message as if a window was not selected.

Proceeding to the recovery mode, to reinstall the macOS, gives me an error, indicating that the mouse or keyboard needs to be plugged in and turned on. Putting aside the fact that Mac Minis don’t come with Apple keyboards or mouses, I actually have a wired Apple keyboard plugged into the Mac mini already, and this error does not go away. What should I do?

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Dec 11, 2022 4:14 PM

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Answer 1

davsot Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 13, 2022 8:04 AM in response to den.thed

Appreciate your comment. We had the keyboard. Was surprised I needed the mouse. Had that on hand as well. It's more of a shock question / comment than anything else. Maybe Apple should improve their support articles. The error shows to go to a URL ending in .../macsetup.

Look at this webpage. Why does the support article not begin with BOTH MOUSE AND KEYBOARD ARE REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES DURING MAC OS RECOVERY MODE, ALSO REQUIRED IN SAFE MODE, ALSO REQUIRED IN FALLBACK RECOVERY MODE.

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Answer 2

davsot Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 13, 2022 4:36 AM in response to davsot

I figured it out. It was my first time using the new Recovery. That being said, I still can't figure out why the login screen would not let me proceed on keyboard only. Long gone are the days of being able to login without a mouse?

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Answer 3

den.thed

Level 10

82,480 points

Dec 13, 2022 8:02 AM in response to davsot

Another work-around, is to keep an inexpensive USB keyboard and mouse handy.

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/combos/mk120-usb-keyboard-mouse.920-002565.html

Heck' I'll admit, that I prefer using the MK 120 over the fancy aluminum keyboard's and mm's.

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Answer 4

den.thed

Level 10

82,480 points

Dec 13, 2022 9:09 AM in response to davsot

Good point!

Something like:

"When all else fails plug in a USB Keyboard and Mouse"

Oh' but wait:

"If you have a new Mac with USB-C ports, then you'll also need USB-C to USB-A adapters"

As I recall, there were older support article renditions that suggested using USB input devices for things like macOS Recovery Mode. Like you, I'm also noticing that support articles are moving away from the older hardware and geared more towards the latest hardware.

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Mac Mini strange behavior in Recovery Mode

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