Tried to update my 2010 ML mac mini today. Downloaded the "free update", but instead of proceeding with the install tried to reboot the system to see if it will now appear in the recovery mode (Cmd+R). All I got was a white screen and non-functioning keyboard (wired or wireless) - the computer would not react to any key combos. Any advice is much appreciated.
Mac mini, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)
Are yo saying that yo can't ootinto the recovery partition?
and reinstall the OS?
Can't do anything at all - the mini doesn't react to keyboard (so there's no cmd+R or PRAM reset), doesn't boot from any media, etc. Burned a Maverick install DVD on another Mac, didn't load as well.
Tim0thy wrote:
.....Burned a Maverick install DVD on another Mac, didn't load as well.
How was the DVD created?
You need to follow this process to create a bootable installer
as there have been some structural changes to the Mavericks
installer: http://osxdaily.com/2013/06/12/make-boot-os-x-mavericks-usb-install-drive/
Also, if you have another Mac available, you could try starting the
Mini in Target Disk mode and connect it to the other Mac and use
Disk Utilities to see if there is an issue with the drive and repair it.
Thank you for your help, woodmeister50. I followed the same process except for these two:
- When finished, go to Finder and navigate within the newly created USB drive to System > Installation > and delete the file (alias) located here named “Packages” – keep this window open
- Go back to the ‘OS X Install ESD’ mounted drive, and drag & drop the “Packages” folder into the /System/Installation/ directory you just deleted the Packages alias from, let this large folder copy
since it was a DVD... possibly this was the reason it didn't boot up.
As for Target Disk mode... will read up on that, never tried it before, although from what I'm seeing, it involves pressing "T" on the keyboard - and my mini doesn't respond to it.
Also, I did check the drive by removing it from the mini and attaching to the USB box... seems to be ok. I also tried another drive that was originally there, also in perfectly working condition (I upgraded this mini to SSD about 6 months ago, and everything was working great on ML).
Another idea I had is to use bootable SD card, since it doesn't seem to rely on the now-disfunctional USB interface. Although I might be wrong.
Btw, is there any way to force-eject the DVD without a keyboard/mouse?
Tim0thy wrote:
Thank you for your help, woodmeister50. I followed the same process except for these two:
- When finished, go to Finder and navigate within the newly created USB drive to System > Installation > and delete the file (alias) located here named “Packages” – keep this window open
- Go back to the ‘OS X Install ESD’ mounted drive, and drag & drop the “Packages” folder into the /System/Installation/ directory you just deleted the Packages alias from, let this large folder copy
......
That is the critical item as that Packages folder contains all
the drivers, software, etc. to make a system work.
You basically installed a bootable "nothing" system without those
pakages.
Mac mini 2010 died (?) during Mavericks install gone wrong
