I recently bought a 2010 macmini with 8GB RAM running 10.8.2. I shut down from the menu and later attempted a re-start but all it does now is the rotating gear with the gray apple screen and will not complete the boot-up. Ideas?
Rich
Mac mini, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 8GB RAM 320GB HD
Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing the Drive
Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.
Did you happen to get the 10.6 Install and Application Disc set that originally came with the 2010 Mac Mini's?
I'm asking for a couple of reasons.
1. So you can run the Apple Hardware test from the original Disc 2 that came with the computer.
Intel-based Macs: Using Apple Hardware Test
2. So that you can wipe the hard drive, go back to 10.6, upgrade to 10.6.8, then setup the Mac Mini using your own App Store Account to legally obtain the Mountain Lion upgrade and other Applications. (legally as in App Store App's including OS X upgrades are tied to one account and are not transferable)
Is it "normal" to have to re-install 10.8? I have a 10.6.2 disk I could install insteadl. Since I did not originally install 10.8 will I even be able to re-install?
Rich
No, but something happened that corrupted system files which is why it is not booting and stalls at the spinning gear.
If you don't have a license for Mountain Lion then you will have to purchase and download your own copy of Mountain Lion.
Our responses "crossed" and your response has convinced me to go to 10.6 and stay there-- it reduces my out-of-pocket upgrade costs for several apps-- AND I don't have to learn as much new stuff. Yet.
Thanks for your opinion and the subtle hint!
Rich
Things have gone from inconveneient to irritating. The mini now only turns on the fan, and illuminates the front LED. Perhaps obviouw but I think that the HD has died. There is no longer any monitor output so I can't even watch the "spinning gear." The only mystery is how it managed any monitor output at all
If the collective opinion is the same conclusion I will approach the seller with this tale of woe.
Rich
Try ThisResetting the SMC for Mac Pro, Intel-based iMac, Intel-based Mac mini, or Intel-based Xserve
I tried resetting SMC-- now there is absolutely no sign of "life"-- no front LED, no fan sound, NOTHING. If someone who has been following this thread could tell me if 1) the machine needs a new hard drive and after formatting and loading system software everything SHOULD be OK, or 2) the thing has become an aluminum paperweight and needs to go back to the seller. Since it did not actually arrive DOA this will be challenging to say the least. If this is the conclusion I would appreciate some "talking points" to convinve him to take it back and refund the $600.
Thanks, Rich
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2622 Did you check this ?
The current situation: machine will not boot (eternal spinning gear) and the optical drive is dead-- precluding loading another OS. The safety backup via internet will only work if I pay for a 10.8 download.
THe case is is the hands of the ebay conflict resolution folks to decide about the optical-- since it was listed as working and did not arrive that way.
Stay tuned--
Rich
I recently bought a 2010 mini with 8GB RAM running 10.8.2. that will not boot- why?
