Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Possessed Mac Mini

V

Volkswagen04

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 19, 2014
9
0
SLC, UT
I just bought a new Mac Mini about a month ago and some of the things that it does is starting to drive me crazy. I wanted to see if anyone had any ideas or could help me fix my issues.

1. I get the dreaded snow screens quite a bit and have to restart my computer over and over again. I have searched for this problem before but I have never found a solution.

2. My screens change colors randomly from a bluish hue to a pinkish one. My 2011 MacBook Pro does the same when switching between the graphics card and Intel graphics but since my 2011 Mac Mini has no graphics card I have no idea why it does it. It is not the monitors either. I have use a 23 inch 1080p SamSung Monitor, a 27 inch 1080p Dell Monitor, and even My 42 inch 1080 Sony TV. Also, there is no particular event that changes the color like my MacBook. On my MacBook when opening Photoshop, VLC, video conversion software, it triggers the color change. My Mac Mini will just randomly do it.

3. Any and all video lags and skips. If I am watching VLC, YouTube, Quick Player, iTunes, any type of video, it skips. It is unbearable to watch anything because of the constant skipping. It is like playing a DVD with scratches.

And 4. When I have dual monitors set up sometimes it will only recognize one and I have to turn it on and off repeatedly until it will finally recognize both.

I am running 2012 Mac Mini with the 2.3 i7 processor.
I maxed out the memory - Total of 16GB Crucial DDR3 RAM
I installed iFixit's second hard drive kit and have my OS and apps there. It is a 240GB Intel SSD.
My 1 TB Hard Drive is used for storage.

I have been thinking about completely wiping my Hard Drives and reinstalling everything since I basically mirrored over my MacBook via a thunderbolt cable and that might be why the Mini is acting so weird but I wanted to get some feedback before I did all of that.
 
Last edited:
Where did you buy the new one from from ? Take it back there. If you bought it from Apple you can make a genius bar appointment online.

I have never had such problems with my 2009 Mini in all the time I've owned it. I use mix of 23 Samsung monitor and 1080 TV like you. It doesn't sound like a software issue to me so the reinstall wouldn't be top of my list of suggestions.

Are you using cheap cables, are they properly connected (ie securely seated)
 
[[ I am running 2011 Mac Mini with the 2.3 i7 processor.
I maxed out the memory - Total of 16GB Crucial DDR3 RAM ]]

Put the original factory-installed RAM back into the Mini.

Run it this way for three days.

Any differences?
 
Argreed with Fishrrman. I think there is something wrong with your RAM.

Also are you sure of your specs? I thought 2011 only made it to 2.0 ghz in the i7?
 
I have 2 2011 minis and no such issues. I have heard issues with cables crapping out or ceasing to work with this mini though.
 
Thanks guys for all the help. I bought it brand new and seeing as I took it apart to do the upgrades I voided the warranty. When I first started the computer I merged everything over from my MacBook Pro and that is where I think the issue started. I completely erased the HDs and reinstalled everything and it didn't fix anything. I listed it on eBay on Thursday and sold it for $999 shipped. I spent about $1200 putting it together but it was frustrating the heck out of me. I bought the brand new MacBook 15 inch Retina with the Graphics card and connect it to the same to monitors and I have had 0 problems. I just think that Mac Mini had a personal problem with me. ::D
 
Volkswagen04 said:
Thanks guys for all the help. I bought it brand new and seeing as I took it apart to do the upgrades I voided the warranty. When I first started the computer I merged everything over from my MacBook Pro and that is where I think the issue started. I completely erased the HDs and reinstalled everything and it didn't fix anything. I listed it on eBay on Thursday and sold it for $999 shipped. I spent about $1200 putting it together but it was frustrating the heck out of me. I bought the brand new MacBook 15 inch Retina with the Graphics card and connect it to the same to monitors and I have had 0 problems. I just think that Mac Mini had a personal problem with me. ::D
Click to expand...
Did you disclose the issues to the buyer ? If you sold me such a machine without disclosing the issues I'd be pursuing you for a refund.

BTW as I posted I am not surprised the HDD erase/reinstall did nothing as it sounded to me like hardware problem of some kind, perhaps you dislodged something doing the upgrades.
 
No, I lied on the post so that I could just get rid of it. It didn't matter to me that I have over a 350 positive seller rating. I decided that it was about time I added a negative mark just to mix things up.

And PayPal..... So what.... I could spend the thousand dollars and repay it back a week later interest free. Even my bank can't do that without charging me some kind of fee. Got to love interest free loans!

That poor sucker who bought the computer is in for a world of hurt when we finds out what I did.....
 
Volkswagen04 said:
No, I lied on the post so that I could just get rid of it. It didn't matter to me that I have over a 350 positive seller rating. I decided that it was about time I added a negative mark just to mix things up.

And PayPal..... So what.... I could spend the thousand dollars and repay it back a week later interest free. Even my bank can't do that without charging me some kind of fee. Got to love interest free loans!

That poor sucker who bought the computer is in for a world of hurt when we finds out what I did.....
Click to expand...

Humanitarian of the year award goes to.....
 
This is quite funny. I agree with the above, it was definitely a hardware issue. I would have started with the RAM since you said it all started after you Maxed out the RAM (in addition to other mods). If that didn't fix it, then move on to re-seating the hard drives, or disconnecting one of the hard drives.

This aside, I'm sure you are being sarcastic about non-disclosure.
 
Volkswagen04 said:
No, I lied on the post so that I could just get rid of it. It didn't matter to me that I have over a 350 positive seller rating. I decided that it was about time I added a negative mark just to mix things up.

And PayPal..... So what.... I could spend the thousand dollars and repay it back a week later interest free. Even my bank can't do that without charging me some kind of fee. Got to love interest free loans!

That poor sucker who bought the computer is in for a world of hurt when we finds out what I did.....
Click to expand...

Let's hope he isn't reading this.
Let's hope he doesn't live nearby.
Let's hope he doesn't like to get even.
 
I'm still wondering how someone buys a brand-new 2011 Mac Mini in 2014. Something doesn't add up. Oh well, guess the OP solved their own problem.
 
Just because Apple hasen't updated it recently doesn't mean they stop selling it. You can go to Best Buy, an Apple Store, or an authorized reseller and buy a BRAND NEW Mac Mini that launched in 2012.
 
Volkswagen04 said:
Just because Apple hasen't updated it recently doesn't mean they stop selling it. You can go to Best Buy, an Apple Store, or an authorized reseller and buy a BRAND NEW Mac Mini that launched in 2011.
Click to expand...

No, actually, you can't. The mid-2011 Mac Minis were discontinued in Oct of 2012. All NEW Mac Minis are the late-2012 generation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back