MAC Mini 10.4.8 update crashed my system

Please remain polite.

What kind of keyboard/mouse combo do you have (Apple wired, Apple wireless, thrid-party) ? Will your computer start at all now ?

P.S. if you'd like some help with your problem, I'll be glad to help. If you just want to shout at us because your're unhappy with your experience with Apple and their products, then please leave. Constructive comments and critics are welcome, but bad language isn't.

Also, note that this is a user-to-user forum, so it's unlikely that your post be noticed by an Apple executive ...

Mac mini1.25 Ghz G41 GB RAM40 GB HDDAirPort Extreme Mac OS X (10.4.7) External 250 GB LaCie HDDLaCie FW DVD-RW DL 16x20 GB iPod w/Color Display

Sorry to hear that your system crashed with an update. I don't think, however, that switching over to linux will make things easier will it? If you can't figure what crashed your system or how to eject the CD on your mini, either hold the mouse button when ya reboot or try holding down the f12 key on boot, then I don't think linux will help you.

-Seed

Yesterday a message popped up on my screen, said I
should update to 10.4.8. I did and after rebooting
the system locked up in trying to find the
mouse/keyboard. I then called Mac support and was
told that I would have to buy support contract before
they could help.

Do you have a wireless keyboard & mouse? Also, do you know for sure this is why it locked up? If you hold command-v while booting, it might give you some idea as to where it is hanging. To repair it, you don't have to get mac support. Just start up from your CD and archive and install back to what came with your machine then update to 10.4.7.

I don't figure how they can **** up my system and
then want me to pay for it. I was almost an apple
convert. But now I think Linux is the only way to
go. MAC ***** and I will inform anyone I know not to
buy one.

Who are you gonna call when Linux messes up? Ghostbusters? 'Cos they use Macs too so you won't get any help from them.

All computers suck to a certain extent because they all mess up at some point. Macs just tend to mess up less.

The MAC mini does not even have a cd eject button, if
the OS does not start you can't get the cd out. Can
I load Linux on the system.. Will have to check on
that.

That's the least of your worries with the Mac Mini. You can't upgrade the GPU and even if you could, you can't even open the thing without putty knives. What kind of design is that? Y'know the official manual actually tells you to use putty knives. I've never seen anything like it.

Can you imagine the board meeting they had about that one. So, we're thinking about putting 4 screws in the bottom to hold the lid on, that way you flip it over unscrew it and just lift the lid off. Nah, we'll mould special clips that you have to prize the thing open with uh... what can you prize stuff open with? Putty knives. Ok good, yeah putty knives'll do it. But won't that make it harder for our customers and service reps to avoid cracking the case? Well, we don't care about that so long as it's different. Forget tried and tested, we always have to be thinking different. Look at the Mighty Mouse, you'll see what I mean.

Now I only get a blue screen. Sounds like Microsoft.

Haha, I think that sometimes when I see the blue loading screen. We still get 'bluescreens' anyway but they're grey and called kernel panics - you'll know when you get one. It's just Apple's marketing saying we don't get bluescreens, which is technically true given that they're not blue.

If I put the cd in it will not boot from it and
restall, and I don't have a menu to do anything else.

Try holding the alt-key before starting the machine. I assume you tried holding the c-key already which is the usual way to boot the install disc. This is different from Windows where you set the boot order in the bios right? Remember, you have to hold it before the chime and you can let go when it starts from the CD (c-key) or it shows up a list of bootable drives (alt-key).

Don't have a command-v key. But all the Sound
buttons work fine.. Pop up on the blue screen
letting me know they turned off sound or back on.
yeah.

If booting doesn't work, you can go into verbose mode if you hold down command-key (AKA the Apple-key/clover-leaf-key or Windows key on a PC keyboard - which I use, 'cos Apple keyboards suck. They should make a desktop powerbook keyboard) and the v-key. This will make a Windows style boot assuming it can get this far and scroll lines of text telling you what it's doing.

You can also get into a command-line by holding command-s (command-key and s-key) before boot. This takes you to single user mode - basically a command-line.

If you're system is messed up though, it's unlikely either of those will help in which case you need to get the CD booting. If it still isn't after trying c-key and alt-key, you need to use open firmware to help you. It's called EFI now - not sure if the commands are the same.

Mac Mini

As ajr650 pointed out, holding the C key while booting will tell Mac OS X to start from the CD. If that doesn't work, then holding the Option/Alt key will bring you to Startup Manager, where you will be able to select a startup volume from a "list". If you have an Intel-based Mac, holding the D key should start the Apple Hardware Test, if the Install disc is in the drive.

Unfortunately, while most wired PC keyboards will work well under Mac OS X, not all of them work well with Open Firmware (Intel-based Macs use Intel's EFI instead, not sure if it makes a difference) : in case your keyboard doesn't work, you may want to borrow an Apple keyboard from a friend. The Apple knowledge base article(s) advise you to hold the key right after the startup chime, but not before. In my experience, holding the key before the chime still allowed me to boot to the CD or Startup Manager.

William,

As someone who has updated a rather large number of Macs to 10.4.8, I can tell you without any doubt at all that there is nothing wrong with the update. What tends to happen in these situations is that updating a system brings to light issues that pre-existed and which should have been fixed before updating took place. There are instances, for example, where as a result of utilities used or add-ons installed, the software update process may mis-identify the particular model of Mac you are using or the components it contains, and download the wrong, or incomplete, update. The easy fix is to download the full 10.4.8 'Combo' update from the apple/support/downlaods page and install that. This resolves most updating issues because the combo update contains all the components and recourses for all systems.

By the way, what you read here is primarily going to be complaints about faulty systems or software, so while it's informative to look at what other people are posting, it isn't indicative of anything much other than that some users are having some problems. It's a bit like a hospital waiting room, where the people are typically going to be sick other wise they wouldn't be there - but you can't, of course, infer from their presence that the entire city is sick!

MacOS 10.4.8 doesn't slow systems down at all. Bad cache files, poorly maintained systems, conflicting fonts, out of date prebinding, erroneous permissions, damaged properly lists, etc etc, are all capable of causing system performance issues and all need to be examined and resolved. As a Linux user, no doubt you are familiar with these concepts.

As to Apple support - your perception may vary, but they still score consistently high on the consumer satisfaction surveys of such people as JD Power and PC Magazine. There is always room for improvement of course and Apple is far from perfect, but one thing that we do see happening a lot is that as new users join the throng of Mac owners, they tend to bring their expectations of need to run maintenance and utility software with them from other platforms. What is often needed in Windows, for example, to keep a system running well is rarely needed in MacOS - and can actually create issues rather than resolve them.

Oh, and:

I have done nothing to my system.
Setup 7/24/2006, used it for web, creating doc's and email.
Got no help from Apple because it's been 90 days.
10/28/2006 or 10/29/2006 looks like they timed
the update to cause systems to crash so they
could charge for support in fixing it.

Is just plain childish. Firstly, that supposes everyone bought their systems at the same time as you did, which I'd imagine you can see is a bit unlikely. Secondly, it flies in the face of the majority of users who report no issues. Thirdly, Apple wouldn't survive long if they had that sort of business practice. Fourthly, it abdicates all responsibility you have for your own system.

Recent 10.4.x updates (from 10.4.6 on, I think) trigger a double reboot, which should probably not be interrupted. It looks like Macx OS X hanged during the first reboot, looking for a keyboard and mouse, and since the computer was probably shut down before the reboot could complete, this could have broken the OS X installation somewhow.

I would definitely suggest installing the Combo update (available here), and using a wired (or Bluetooth wireless) keyboard until at least the update is complete and the computer has rebooted twice.

Likely even less complex - one issue that is cropping up is that the reboot after the 10.4.8 install is so long, mostly in the blue screen phase, that some users are assuming a crash and powering off before it completes. It seems a bit variable in the updates I have done, but on one system the reboot was several very l-o-n-g minutes!

Just adding to what AndyO said, you could have updated to 10.4.8 a month ago, when you still had a waranty. You can't blame Apple because you decided not to update until your waranty expired. I've been pretty happy with my new mini. Don't make stereotypes based on the few things you've read about the mac minis that have something wrong with them. Most of the people on these forums just need help figuring something out or can't find a setting, only a few of them actually have faulty systems.

Dean

"looks like they timed the update to cause systems to crash so they could charge for support in fixing it."


Are you serious? A conspiracy theory with Apple? Do you think they would be in business long if they sent software that crashes all their hardware? Your situation is a sad one but I don't think it's Apple's fault. I think it's more of a problem on the user end.

10.4.8 has no problems for me and I have one of the first Intel Minis out and I have hacked it up 50 times to Sunday with new hardware and different OSs and what not, never a problem.

Go buy something else then and sell it if you're so unhappy with it.