Mac Mini (2009) not recognizing internalHDD

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Level 1

6 points

Mac Mini (2009) not recognizing internalHDD

Hi,

My 2009 Mac Mini had been having peformance issues. Then it stuck on the boot up screen. After some work I figured it was the HDD, so I bought a replacement.

Now the mini won't recognize any drive installed internally. Even Disk Utilities from the boot DVD can't find the drive. Its optical also doesn't work.

If I put either the new or the old HDD into a USB enclosure I can boot from the external -- so the drives themselves seem fine.

This is a 2009 mini, and I already bought a new 1TB drive I don't really need, so I'm not anxious to sink more cash into it. But it is a good file/media server and I would like to get it running again.

Any ideas on what could be the problem, and what I should replace?

This is the unit I have:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-2-duo-2.0-ear ly-2009-nvidia-specs.html

Posted on Aug 13, 2013 11:55 AM

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Answer 1

lllaass

Level 10

210,417 points

Aug 13, 2013 1:52 PM in response to niblettes

I would look at the HD cable and where it connects to the HD and the logic board. If it is caused by a problem with the logic board then there is nothing you can do.

you also said " Its optical also doesn't work.". Are yu saying that the internal optical drive does not work? That could indicate a problem with the logic board.

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Answer 2

niblettes Author

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6 points

Aug 13, 2013 2:20 PM in response to lllaass

Are there any utilities available to pinpoint the problem?

Is this something the folks at the Apple Store can test for me?

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Answer 3

niblettes Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 13, 2013 2:33 PM in response to lllaass

The optical will take a DVD, spin up, not read anything spin down, then spin up again and repeat a few times until it errors out and ejects the DVD.

So the optical isn't non-responsive, it just won't read any media.

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Answer 4

lllaass

Level 10

210,417 points

Aug 13, 2013 2:43 PM in response to niblettes

When you boot from the install disk, do you have access to the the About this Mac (click on Apple iPod in upper left). If yes then click on that and get more information. What yo get depends upon if yo have Lion or later or earlier. You want to look under Serial ATA and see if that find the STA controller and if it find either the HD or optical drive.

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Answer 5

niblettes Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 13, 2013 7:34 PM in response to lllaass

The mini is running Leopard -- but i have a bootable CCC backup from my Air with Lion. Leopard says

Under Serial-ATA

- NVidiea MCP79 AHCI

- Optiarc CVC RW AD-5670S

Under USB

- USB Receiver (likely the IR for the wireless mouse)

- Keyboard

- USB 3.0 SATA Bridge (likely the external bootable drive)

- MacBook Air Super Drive (external DVD drive)

Does any of this help?

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Answer 6

lllaass

Level 10

210,417 points

Aug 14, 2013 6:49 AM in response to niblettes

The computer is not seeing the drive at all. If it were than you would have an entry under Serial ATA and says

- NVidiea MCP79 AHCI

- The hard drive usually staring with the manufacturer.

What id not not know is if a drive were not attached, would you still have the \

- NVidiea MCP79 AHCI

entry. I just looked an my 2102 Mini and it lists

- Intel 7 ChipSet

The one hardrive connected

- Intel 7 ChipSet

With nothng else listed since nothing is connected to the second available Serial ATA connection.

That implies to me tht y have a problem with second NVidiea MCP79 AHCI port on the logic board.

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Answer 7

niblettes Author

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6 points

Aug 14, 2013 9:21 AM in response to lllaass

just to be sure...

there are two serial-ata nodes labeled NVidia MCP79 AHCI. The first has no child nodes. The second displays a child node for the DVD-RW.

- Serial-ATA

- NVidia MCP79 AHCI

- Optiarc CVC RW AD-5670S

Sorry for the sloppy posting earlier.

Does this change anything? Still a logic board problem? is there anyway to find out for sure?

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Answer 8

lllaass

Level 10

210,417 points

Aug 14, 2013 9:26 AM in response to niblettes

Now maybe it is only a cable or connector problem. Time to take it apart again and see if problem with the cable or connector, or maybe just a bad new HD

Also, can you hear the HD spin up?

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Answer 9

niblettes Author

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6 points

Aug 14, 2013 11:00 AM in response to lllaass

the fan noise masks the HD spin, so I'm not sure. But the mini will boot from the HDD when its connected by USB -- so I'm pretty sure that the HDD is okay. I'm going to take a close look at the connector.

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Answer 10

lllaass

Level 10

210,417 points

Aug 14, 2013 11:05 AM in response to niblettes

I asked about the spinup tp help determine if the SSD is getting power when n the Mini

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Answer 11

niblettes Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 14, 2013 11:31 PM in response to lllaass

Ok, this might make it either simpler, or way more complicated...

I have an 80gig HDD in a USB enclosure with a bootable CCC backup of one of my Airs.

I removed that drive from its enclosure and mounted it internally, and the Mini booted up. So by that I can assume that the Mini's internals are functioning fine.

I then took the new drive the Mini would not recognize when mounted internally and mounted it in the USB enclosure. I then booted from the install disk and using System Profiler the Mini recognizes the drive. So by that I can assume that the HDD is functioning fine.

The problem is how can both of the Mini's internals be fine and the HDD be fine, yet the new HDD cannot be recognized when mounted to the Mini internally?

I am now very confused.

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