2009 Mac Mini audio problems

A few people who have purchased the 2009 Mac Mini have noticed a variety of audio problems with the computers. Some people have reported the sound appears to crack and distort, and on others say the device is not outputting audio.

Apple Discussion user Colin Nederkoorn writes:

"I just bought a new mac mini and the sound stopped working. In the system preferences under Sound -> Output, it says 'No output devices found'. However, in system profiler there is [a device listed] under sound"

These problems seem to be some sort of hardware fault in the systems, and may be as simple as a loose connector in the computer that's preventing the output of the audio. Some people have found that this problem has occurred after upgrading the computer's RAM, which may have caused some hardware to be jarred out of place. However, this also can indicate a problem with the computer's PRAM. The PRAM contains audio settings, and can be affected by RAM upgrades and other hardware modifications. Therefore, the first thing people should try if they're experiencing this problem is to reset the PRAM.

This problem has happened to people who've had the audio working properly before, but for others, the audio didn't work right out of the box. This problem may be easily fixable, but if you have just recently purchased the computer, we recommend you take it in for a replacement while it is under warranty. Apple store employees should be able to transfer your data to a new system very fast.

Potential fixes:

1. Reset the PRAM

Resetting the PRAM may help, though it has not been a solution for all affected people. To reset the PRAM, reboot the computer and immediately hold down the options-command-P-R keys. Let the system reset a few times and then release the keys and let it boot normally. Hopefully, you will hear the boot chimes for one of the resets, which should indicate a properly functioning audio system.

2. Try other standard fixes.

Some people have had programs like "GarageBand" display driver-related error messages, which may be because of driver files not being accessible. As a very last resort before taking the computer to an Apple store, you might try reinstalling the operating system using an Archive and Install method of installation. This will clear any core system software problems that may be leading to this issue.

Before doing this, however, you should try booting into Safe Mode by holding shift while booting up, and then repair permissions on the boot drive using Disk Utility. It may also help to download the popular "Onyx" system maintenance tool and run all the scripts available in that package.

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