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User profile for user: Octo142
Octo142 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Unknown issue with mac Mini 2012

My Mac Mini 2012 decided to stop working* one day and didn't show any signs of life other than the fan immediately starting while plugging in. I took the p-ram battery out and tried to boot it. I got a chime, but no video, then it shuts down 5-10 minutes later. I had the thought that it could be a corrupted bootloader, HDD or something else but searching around has yielded me no results. Yes, I have tried Cmd + R and all of that, but nothing happens. Hopefully this can get me to the bottom of this. (Also in advance, Nothing important is on that computer, so it's okay if everything gets reset somehow.)

Earlier Mac models

Posted on Sep 23, 2024 4:12 PM

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1 reply
User profile for user: den.thed
den.thed
User level: Level 10
81,724 points

Sep 23, 2024 5:29 PM in response to Octo142

Try the following.

Put in a new PRAM battery.

Close it up and plug the power cable.

Connect a known working monitor or HDMI TV.

Connect a Logitech or PC USB keyboard and mouse.

Connect it directly to your Router using an Ethernet cable.

Power it on holding the Option-Command-R keys for Internet Recovery.


If you get to internet Recovery, see > Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support

If you get to some other startup screen, see > If your Mac doesn't start up all the way - Apple Support

If you get nothing at all, follow the steps including step #7 at > If your Mac doesn't turn on - Apple Support

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Unknown issue with mac Mini 2012

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