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michaelb · Mar 4, 2006, 12:57 AM

A relative bought a new Mac mini today and I've been setting it up for them, or rather, attempting to set it up - it's broken in a big way.

It was bought from a local Apple reseller and was the Core Duo model with a reseller upgrade to 1GB using 2x512MB sticks, which the reseller installed.

The first mini was DOA - as soon as the power cord was attached, the fan came on full blast, but the power button didn't turn the machine on. Back to the store, exchanged, RAM swapped, tested briefly, then back home.

The second mini powers up and the fan starts off quietly at first, but when the gray Apple logo appears, the fan starts revving up and when the Finder appears the fan is running at full blast and stays like that. Excessive fan noise on a mini is not normal (and no one else here has reported it), so that's the first problem.

The big problem is that the computer periodically freezes for long periods, the beachball appears at random, and then it often locks up completely requiring a manual power off. All this time the fan is blasting away at full speed.

I've run the Apple Hardware Test, which confirms there is a definite problem:

Code:
Alert!  Apple Hardware Test has detected an error.
4SNS/1/40000000: 'TAOP'

So it looks like another DOA and it will have to go back to the shop on Monday when they are open again. But I'm thinking it is the RAM which has made both minis go bad. The first one died completely and the second is exhibiting classic symptoms of bad memory.

Do you agree with my diagnosis?

Anyway, if you're getting a dealer upgrade for a mini, be very careful they are using memory which is up to spec.

Gordio · Mar 4, 2006, 01:21 PM

Who was your reseller? How knowledgable do you think they are? I never upgraded macs, but I have for PCs and they rarely mess up. My cousin once got generic ram, and it just didnt' work. It didn't crash his machine or anything severe other than he got ripped off.

michaelb · Mar 5, 2006, 12:48 AM

Macs are notoriously sensitive to RAM which doesn't come up to spec, which is why most people around here pay a few dollars more and buy from Crucial, a trusted memory supplier.

Usually the Mac will fail to boot if the RAM is bad, however sometimes it seems to work okay but there is erratic behavior and random crashes, as in this case.

It may be that the reseller here used cheaper RAM, sold it at the "Apple RAM" price, and pocketed the difference. The memory may have worked okay for the Intel iMac which takes the same 667MHz SO-DIMMs, but the Mac mini _may_ be more sensitive to under spec RAM (anyone able to confirm this?).

Just thought I'd warn people! All RAM is not equal, and the Intel mini may be fussy.

tecknobabble · Mar 8, 2006, 12:47 PM

I've gotten precisely the same error on my dual core intel Mac Mini.

Bought from an Apple retail store and the memory was upgraded in store - from the boxes that they put the original SO-DIMMS in the memory is Apple branded.

I've seen no panics or hangs but the fan is running constantly - they didn't have any on display in the store so I don't know whether that's expected behaviour with the new intel minis - the old G4 one I have is virtually silent.

The extra issue I have is that I cannot connect to my AP using Airport - something the g4 mini did without problems.

I've yet to get anything replaced.... but will be doing so....

tecknobabble · Mar 8, 2006, 01:25 PM

...and in addition in the hardware diagnostic tests it had finished testing memory and had moved onto the main logic board before the error turned up for me.

I've tried resetting the PMU and NVRAM and to no avail.

D'Espice · Mar 8, 2006, 06:45 PM

If your Minis are on full blast after you've upgraded the memory it's likely to be a forgotten cable

You need to disconnect the fan temperature control cable in order to install new memory and some people simply forget that cable while assembling the Mini back together.
Check for that cable, in most cases that's what causes the fan to go bananas.

michaelb · Mar 9, 2006, 09:46 PM

Original poster back again: a bit of an anticlimax. My relative took the second DOA one back, the store didn't have any more, so they got a cash refund and are currently rethinking whether they should have got one at all.

Sorry to hear of your similar problem, tecknobabble. Hope the dealer sorts it out without any trouble. It's very frustrating when you've started to install apps and files then find it's got to go back.

D'Espice, would the forgotten cable account for both the first mini failing to power on, and the second mini's random freezes, beachballing and lockups? Also, the hardware test fault report?

If so, then that's a very important little cable! I hope Apple's Service Manual stresses its importance (note that these were all DEALER upgrades, not ours).

D'Espice · Mar 10, 2006, 01:42 AM

Originally Posted by michaelb

D'Espice, would the forgotten cable account for both the first mini failing to power on, and the second mini's random freezes, beachballing and lockups? Also, the hardware test fault report?

If so, then that's a very important little cable! I hope Apple's Service Manual stresses its importance (note that these were all DEALER upgrades, not ours).

Well, it would definitely not account for neither a Mini failing to power on nor for random freezes. Only for fans going bananas which I have heard people complaining about a lot lately. And it's always been that dreaded cable.

I have to add one more thing though. When I got my Mini it also refused to power up at first. I got the white light but no chime, nothing else. Turned out to be the PMU which I had to reset (which is quite complicated to accomplish for the new Mini). After that it immediately powered on and has been running fine ever since.

Big Mac · Mar 10, 2006, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by michaelb

Macs are notoriously sensitive to RAM which doesn't come up to spec. . .

But these machines share much more in common in terms of hardware with Compaqs than they do traditional Macs.

DCapple · Mar 10, 2006, 02:02 AM

there is one thing i learn from my experience in upgrading,,if you want to upgrade your pc or any of your hardware....UPgrade the whole thing buy a new one just sell the old things..

D'Espice · 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by DCapple

there is one thing i learn from my experience in upgrading,,if you want to upgrade your pc or any of your hardware....UPgrade the whole thing buy a new one just sell the old things..

If you know what you're doing this is not true. I've upgrade many computers, both Macs and PCs in my life and never had any trouble afterwards that was not caused by either faulty hardware or stupidity on my part (like a forgotten cable

). Sure everybody makes mistakes but if you know what you're doing then upgrading is the cheapest way to get more out of your existing hardware

I can't wait for the Dual Core 2,16 GHz Intel CPUs to become affordable btw, as soon as they're down to a reasonable price I'm slapping one of those biatches into my Mini

mavherzog · Mar 10, 2006, 04:35 AM

Originally Posted by DCapple

there is one thing i learn from my experience in upgrading,,if you want to upgrade your pc or any of your hardware....UPgrade the whole thing buy a new one just sell the old things..

You can typically save some money by upgrading the memory yourself in many of the Macs. With the new Intel Macs, it appears that if you plan to go to 1GB, getting it from Apple is fairly cost-effective...however, if you plan to max out the ram, you can save yourself around $100 by doing it yourself.

Tuishimi · Mar 10, 2006, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by D'Espice

If you know what you're doing this is not true. I've upgrade many computers, both Macs and PCs in my life and never had any trouble afterwards that was not caused by either faulty hardware or stupidity on my part (like a forgotten cable

). Sure everybody makes mistakes but if you know what you're doing then upgrading is the cheapest way to get more out of your existing hardware

I can't wait for the Dual Core 2,16 GHz Intel CPUs to become affordable btw, as soon as they're down to a reasonable price I'm slapping one of those biatches into my Mini

Yeah... I just swapped out my mini's HD... but I ordered the 1GB ram with the mini, from Apple. Memory, especially these little laptop jobbies, are sensitive and have to be seated just right. Apple charges a fair sum, not discounting the original memory, but oh well.

It isn't all that difficult, you just need patience and some time, and a relatively steady hand.

But if you have never done something like that, I'd just ordered it preconfigured straight from Apple... That's the safest bet.

tecknobabble · Mar 20, 2006, 03:39 AM

Originally Posted by michaelb

Original poster back again: a bit of an anticlimax. My relative took the second DOA one back, the store didn't have any more, so they got a cash refund and are currently rethinking whether they should have got one at all.

Sorry to hear of your similar problem, tecknobabble. Hope the dealer sorts it out without any trouble. It's very frustrating when you've started to install apps and files then find it's got to go back.

D'Espice, would the forgotten cable account for both the first mini failing to power on, and the second mini's random freezes, beachballing and lockups? Also, the hardware test fault report?

If so, then that's a very important little cable! I hope Apple's Service Manual stresses its importance (note that these were all DEALER upgrades, not ours).

In my case an Apple Store in DC added the memory... and happily the Apple Store in London have exchanged the machine for another. They did confirm that the error message does mean that there is a problem with the main logic board. The new machine has the additional memory from the old one and is working without problems... Of course is impossible to know if the logic board was faulty before the guys in DC added in the memory...