April 4, 2005 6:22 AM PDT

Special Report: Troubleshooting the Mac mini

by CNET staff

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DVI Problems: "Snowy" displays; loose connections

The Mac mini's DVI display problems generally fall into two categories:

A distorted or "snowy" display that is most often triggered by playing DVDs or performing other video-intense operations
A seemingly loose connection that causes drop-outs in video throughput, resulting in a temporarily blank screen.

Distorted "snowy" display MacFixIt reader John Edwards has posted some images that depict the distorted DVI output delivered by some Mac minis.

John writes:

"I also have had the issue with the snowy display; most notable at higher resolutions (1024x768 or higher) and most notable on black backgrounds (looks really bad with a letterbox DVD)

"I'm using a Viewsonic VP201S monitor using DVI.

New ATI firmware required? In its documentation for a ROM update available for retail Radeon 9200 graphics cards (the same model used in the Mac mini), ATI says the update resolves the following issue:

"Users may see corruption in the form of green or other colored pixels appearing to the left of windows on the finder or randomly through-out a 3D scene. The issue is not reproducible in exactly the same way for everyone. Situations where this issue may occur include: wake from sleep; systems have been running approximately 20 minutes."

Unfortunately, as noted by a handful of readers, the Mac mini does not ship with the updated firmware. Instead of version 124, which fixes the issue, the mini ships with ROM version 116.

The retail version of the firmware will not update the card that is installed in the Mac mini, so a new update will need to be released by ATI or distributed by Apple.

Loose connections We continue to receive reports of loose display connections on the Mac mini.

MacFixIt reader Lynn writes:

"I went to an Apple Reseller a couple of weeks ago and found the same issue with a Mac mini that they had set up on display, connected to a ViewSonic CRT. If you moved Mac Mini at all, the CRT would shut off. If you moved the video adapter the monitor with come on again. I looked at and felt the movement of the adapter connection and found it to be fairly loose. You could push it in for a tighter fit, but once you moved the Mac mini, it would loosen up and the CRT would cut off or quit again."

Jeff Schoch adds:

"I too am having a problem using the DVI on the Mac Mini. With several applications open and switching between the apps in the dock or opening and closing windows the screen will go black for a second and then pop back up with no warning. It seems to happen more often when opening and closing windows but has also appeared when the computer is not in use. When the computer is not in use it usually rolls the video vertically (like you use to have happen with older TVs and the vertical hold). I have changes monitors and cables but it has affected all setups that I have used. It can get very bad at times with the screen blanking out about every 10 seconds or so. I have not been able to figure out why it is doing this.

Make sure thumbscrews are tightly fastened A number of readers have noted that there are indeed thumbscrews used to fasten the Mac mini's DVI connection, but they may be difficult to locate without thorough inspection.

MacFixIt reader Greg writes:

" There are thumbscrews in the body of the adaptor itself, on the sides toward the rear. I used them myself, although it took me a minute to figure them out as there's no documentation I saw. Without them, I'd agree that the connector is easily bumped when attaching a USB cable."

Another reader writes:

"I thought the adapter couldn't be tightened also, but the adapter has the screw locks on the side. Once I tightened up the adapter, my video connection improved 100%. I was having the same problem, video going off and on when accessing any of the ports on the back of the Mini.

Finally, MacFixIt reader Knut adds:

"The mini DVI/VGA adapter does have two screws that allow it to be snugly fastened to the DVI connector on the mini just like a VGA connector. These screws are very nicely integrated into the body of the DVI/VGA adapter so they may not be so obvious (and ugly) as on a typical VGA connector. Look closely on either side of the adapter."

Hard drive "clunking," other strange noises

With regard to odd noises emanating from the Mac mini hard drive, it appears that there are two different symptoms accompanying two separate issues.

In the first type, what can best be described as a "clunking," light thumping, or noticeable tracking noise can be heard. In some cases, the noise is accompanied by a brief pause in system responsiveness.

This is generally resultant of normal hard drive operation, and should not be cause for concern. Many potential causes exist, including thermal re-calibration, but no drive failure should occur.

MacFixIt reader Pedro writes: "I also have heard the marble dropping sound a lot on my PowerBook 1.5GHz 15" AL. It started when I swapped the drive with a Seagate Momentus 100GB 5400RPM drive several months ago. This sounds seems to be a thermal calibration of the drive. It happens when the PowerBook heats up due to extensive processing. I normally do not see a system slow down. However, once the noise intrigued my coworkers when I was doing a presentation in a quiet conference room.

"Seagate manual has this note: 'During periods of drive idle, some offline activity may occur according to the S.M.A.R.T. specification, which may increase acoustic and power to operational levels.'"

George adds:

"I have noticed the 'Clunk 'n Pause' on other machines besides the Mac Mini. My Dual USB iBook does the same the thing (although the problem is less noticeable under Mac OS X than it was under OS 9) as does my work laptop, a Dell Inspiron. My understanding is that the clunk is the laptop hard drive re-calibrating itself for thermal expansion. You will notice more clunks when the machine is not getting adequate ventilation and fewer if it is. Because the OS is probably accessing the hard drive when the thermal re-calibration occurs, you will notice a slight pause as the OS waits for the hard drive to finish. Other than the slight delay, I have notice no detrimental effects of the 'Clunk 'n Pause' over the years on my iBook or Dell.

In the second type, the noise is much louder, and more disruptive. User descriptions include "a large marble dropping onto a hard surface." This may, in some cases, be caused by the drive's arm stopping due to a mechanical issue.

If your drive is exhibiting such behavior, backup your data immediately and seek diagnostic services. Many users have reported eventual drive failure beginning with such noises, which are generally astonishingly loud.

Firmware Update coming from Seagate Most Mac Minis (all that we've received reports concerning so far) use Seagate hard 2.5-inch hard drives. We've now received word from Seagate that an upcoming firmware revision will eliminate the problem, and that the noise does not -- in their estimation -- represent a defect in quality or sign of failure for affected drives.

John Paulsen Senior Manager for Corporate Communications at Seagate tells MacFixIt:

"This is an issue of sound only -- contrary to (a portion of your report), there is no relationship between this sound and drive reliability or failure. This issue can occur with other hard drive brands as well, and only occurs with certain PC models. Seagate has a new firmware code for our drives that eliminates the occurrence of the sound, currently pending implementation into systems."

Another possible solution: Using APM Tuner Setting the APM (Advanced Power Management) setting to the maximum using the utility APM Tuner can resolve the minor, routine drive noises in some cases.

Advanced power management systems have been known to cause occasional system delays and "clunking" noises caused by excessive parking of the hard drive heads.

Technicians: Some sounds could be early stages of drive failure Meanwhile, a number of hard drive technicians warn that specific noises may represent the early stages of hard drive failure.

John Schofield writes: "I was really struck by the description of the sound as being like 'a marble being dropped on a hard surface.'

"I'm a former Mac tech who worked at an Apple Authorized Service Provider, now I'm doing other things. I always described that sound as "a ball bearing dropping on concrete" -- a sound I heard often from drives that were about to or were in the process of dying. (I stopped being an AASP long before the Mini came out, but I'm very familiar with the noise.

"Apple won't replace the drives until they actually die (which is a reasonable position, I think) but that means anyone with a Mac Mini making these kinds of noises should be really religious about backup -- those drives could go any minute, or get progressively wonkier as time goes on."

Adam Roberts adds: "Having serviced and worked on hard drives for almost 20 years.. I can tell you that any drive making a loud clunk sound is not good.. this is usually caused by the drive armature assembly slamming into the mechanical stop that limits its range of motion.. which is usually caused by the fact that the servo calibration is messed up and cannot properly govern the speed and position of the head assembly on the drive..

"Basically the drives are bad.. but it isn't an instant failure.. the drive will beat itself to death.. whenever I hear a drive 'clunking' as I call it.. I always advise the client to replace it ASAP. A lot of time, the problem is worsened by temperature. As the drive heats up, the electronics go out of spec and it has a harder time of keeping the servo mechanism on track. With the smaller drives in small confined spaces.. they get very hot.. also it just boils down to plain old bad hardware, poor quality.. bad components used in the drive manufacture."

Mac mini toolkit

The IT Enquirer reports that a company called Pacecar has introduced a tool set designed to help Mac mini users open their machines' cases easily. The tool set also includes a DVD manual.

Currently the toolset is only available to European customers at a price of 14.90 Euro including VAT. Pacecar says, however, that it is actively searching for partners outside the EU.

Problems with NTSC output

MacFixIt reader Bruce Hamilton reports an issue with the Mac mini's NTSC Composite/S-Video output -- a similar issue has plagued PowerBooks for several years.

"There is a problem with the NTSC Composite/S-Video output of the Mac mini when using the DVI to Video Out adapter. Black lines appear near the bottom of the video image in every other frame. This is the same problem that still exists with the PowerBook's Composite/S-Video output. Depending on the overscan of the monitor/projector you are using you may or may not see it but it is there.

"To see the problem, record analog video from this output to a DV camera and then bring this footage into Final Cut. You can also see it without recording if you have a professional monitor which has an underscan mode. I have details on this problem at http://internet.cybermesa.com/~hamilton/PB/ when I first reported this to Apple in April 2001 almost 4 years ago. I guess not enough people have complained to Apple for them to consider fixing it.

"ATI has software which fixes the problem on their retail Mac Radeon cards but the Mac mini is currently an 'Unknown' card."

Using standard PC keyboards/mice

For users with standard PS/2 keyboards and mice -- found on most current Windows systems -- there are a number of PS/2 to USB converters available that will allow such input devices to work perfectly with the Mac mini and Mac OS X.

Upgrading RAM

According to Apple's specifications, no. Authorized service technicians will have to install a larger module in the mini's single RAM slot. Any attempts at opening the case to install extra memory may void the computer's warranty.

Unfortunately, this means that Mac mini purchasers are technically locked into buying RAM through Apple, which is significantly more expensive in some cases than buying from a third-party vendor. Alternatively, users can buy third-party RAM, then pay US$20-$40 for an authorized service install.

However, Apple has stated on numerous occasions that though the warranty's wording states that any opening of the case may render coverage void, if nothing is broken during the process the warranty will remain intact.

If you are willing to risk opening the Mac mini, see the Mac mini toolkit and DVD set for opening and RAM installation instructions.

Audio-in capabilities

Several users have asked if the Mac mini sports audio-in capabilities. The 3.5mm audio input jack is a feature on the eMac and iMac G5, but not the Mac mini.

Users do, however, have the option of purchasing USB or FireWire-based input devices such as the Griffin iMic.

Multiple Displays

Though the Mac mini only has one display connection port, the included ATI Radeon 9200 (when ordered as a PCI card) does support multiple displays.

There are a number of "splitter" display adapters available that may be able to provide this functionality, but as of yet we've been unable to confirm whether or not this solution will actually work.

Core Image compatibility

Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), slated for release in the first half of 2005, will sport a new graphics technology called Core Image that provides enhanced optimization routines to developers and will result in greater performance from image-intense applications.

Unfortunately, the ATI Radeon 9200 card included in the Mac mini is not listed as a programmable GPU per Core Image's specs. However, the system will still be able to make use of Core Image to a limited extent, since Core Image (according to Apple) "dynamically optimizes for the CPU, automatically tuning for Velocity Engine and multiple processors as appropriate."

CD/DVD ejection problems (stuck discs)

A number of Mac mini users have reported problems with ejection of CDs or DVDs from their optical drives.

For some users, when inserting media, the Mac mini will not properly accept the disc, leaving it less than fully inserted with a small portion of the disc still extending out of the slot.

If you are having this problem, try using the suggestions found in our tutorial "Ejecting media in Mac OS X: Removing 'stuck' CDs/DVDs".

When inserting media in the future, remember to apply slight pushing pressure, and do not hold the disc back while it is being pulled in by the drive.

S-Video Output

The Mac mini provides S-video and composite video output, allowing the user to connect the unit directly to a TV or projector. This requires the Apple DVI to Video Adapter, sold separately)

Currently, Apple lists the DVI to Video Adapter as a US$19 accessory that is "for the Power Mac G5 only." We suspect that the same cable will work for the Mac mini, though we are awaiting confirmation.

Resources

DVI Problems: Sony display...

Hard drive "clunking," other strange noises

Mac mini toolkit

Problems with NTSC output

Using standard PC keyboard...

Upgrading RAM

Audio-in capabilities

Multiple Displays

Core Image compatibility

CD/DVD ejection problems (...

S-Video Output