CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

gjaky · Joined: 05 Jun 2010 Posts: 2790 Location: Budapest, Hungary

A friend of mine has a Macmini (1st gen) that generates a pretty weird problem. It seems to loose the OS after a while when not used, it only shows grey screen at startup in the middle with a toggling question mark and folder icon, nothing else. The system was reinstalled and it worked then even after a few days, and my friend put it away, when he tried to use it last time (after a few months rest) it only gave again the grey screen with the question mark.
The lithium battery holds the 3V, tried with safe mode booting - nothing, tried to reset the NVRAM -nothing... I've never heard of a HDD that forgetting its data, unfortunately there is no other mac around to assure the HDD's content.
So Macintosh gurus, how to solve this mistery?

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Did he try to repair permissions with Disc Utility?

Nashou

gjaky · Joined: 05 Jun 2010 Posts: 2790 Location: Budapest, Hungary

I tried, but it really looks from the setup side a blank install..

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

do it from the install disc.

Nashou

gjaky · Joined: 05 Jun 2010 Posts: 2790 Location: Budapest, Hungary

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Hmm, Did you try a MMU reset?

Turn of the mac, unplug it. Hold down the power button as you plug the
cord back in keeping the power button held down till you hear a beep or the mac "dong"
I can't remember which. Then let go of the button and restart it.

Then you might have to reinstall OSX and then do the same thing again.

Nashou