slow boot up on mac mini

Hi Peter,

Open console in Applications>Utilities, check the system log for the date/time of the last problem Startup right after that for clues.

We're looking for big gaps in the time between events, & words like failed, etc.

Also, if it ran fine before Mavericks was installed... you don't say... it could be a 3rd party App is no longer compatible.

Hello and help.

I upgraded my older but compatible Mac mini (>2001) to Mavericks, and now I can't open my MM at all. It will only load as far as the grey "apple" screen, spin for a bit and then stay on the screen. I can't access anything. Suggestions?

Hello,

First try this...

Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partition & use Disk Utility from there to Repair the Disk, then Repair Permissions.

Then...

One way to test is to Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, Test for problem in Safe Mode...

PS. Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive

Reboot, test again.

If it only does it in Regular Boot, then it could be some hardware problem like Video card, (Quartz is turned off in Safe Mode), or Airport, or some USB or Firewire device, or 3rd party add-on, Check System Preferences>Accounts (Users & Groups in later OSX versions)>Login Items window to see if it or something relevant is listed. Or an errant process eating up RAM.

Check the System Preferences>Other Row, for 3rd party Pref Panes.

Also look in these if they exist, some are invisible...

/private/var/run/StartupItems

/Library/StartupItems

/System/Library/StartupItems

/System/Library/LaunchDaemons

/Library/LaunchDaemons