Sometimes freezes on OS select screen

[mygb]

I bought a new mac mini in july. The second day I installed a genuine copy of vista 32 bit. To switch to vista I hold down the alt option key when the mac is starting up. In a few seconds a gray screen will show up with two options: Mac and Windows. Now about 5 separate times, the mac froze at this screen after I selected one of the two, usually or all the time I believe I selected windows. I waited but in the end I was forced to force shut down the mac.
Just recently I got rid of vista and installed Windows 7 ultimate 64bit and it just did it again at that screen.

Why is it doing this and is this really bad for my mac, I had no other choice.

 

[FourCandles]

Just a thought - are you absolutely sure it's freezing? I've found that the boot screen does have some considerable delays, both when selecting the boot disk and after hitting return. And you are double clicking / hitting return on the volume and not just single clicking?

 

[btbrossard]

Just a thought - are you absolutely sure it's freezing? I've found that the boot screen does have some considerable delays, both when selecting the boot disk and after hitting return. And you are double clicking / hitting return on the volume and not just single clicking?

I've noticed delays at this screen as well.

 

[analogkid]

I've had this issue and it's a pain... don't know a fix for it, I have better luck when i give my button pushes a little time on that screen, but I'm not sure if it is really helping. First I wait for the network bar to stop spinning, then arrow over to windows wait a couple seconds and then hit return. Strange bug.

 

[Baby Mac]

I have never seen that screen and I run Boot Camp. On the Windows side, I find the Boot Camp icon and tell it to boot straight into Windows. I am sure this can be done on the OS X side too. Also, I don't have a Mac keyboard so I would never be able to press that odd key anyways.

 

[mygb]

Just a thought - are you absolutely sure it's freezing? I've found that the boot screen does have some considerable delays, both when selecting the boot disk and after hitting return. And you are double clicking / hitting return on the volume and not just single clicking?

I think it is freezing. Next time it happens, I will wait at least 5 minutes. I think the most I have waited is about 3 minutes. When it works it only takes about 5 seconds after I select which OS I want.

Like another poster said, I usually wait till the wifi icon stops spinning before I select an OS, this seems to give it a better chance of actually working.

At least someone else has this problem, not just myself.

 

[Giuly]

I have never seen that screen and I run Boot Camp. On the Windows side, I find the Boot Camp icon and tell it to boot straight into Windows. I am sure this can be done on the OS X side too. Also, I don't have a Mac keyboard so I would never be able to press that odd key anyways.

Why do you use a Mac if you cripple it's soul with Windows? Mac OS X is what makes it a Mac, not some Jonathan Ive design.
The Option-key would be the ALT- or Windows-key on your keyboard, JFYI.

 

[analogkid]

Why do you use a Mac if you cripple it's soul with Windows?

I like games.

 

[Baby Mac]

Why I Windows on my Mac

Why do you use a Mac if you cripple it's soul with Windows? Mac OS X is what makes it a Mac, not some Jonathan Ive design.
The Option-key would be the ALT- or Windows-key on your keyboard, JFYI.

Long-time Windows sufferer (I was there at the beginning -- big improvement to DOS). I know where all the bodies are buried in the OS. Hate the iTunes-like "explorer." Want to use Microsoft Office 2003 for Windows. CrossOver did not work just right. I gave OS X a few days before buying Windows 7 to put on there. (I gave Office with ribbons less than a day.)

I like it mostly for being 1. quiet, 2. small, 3. cool. The smallest SFF (small form factor) with an optical drive. I have spent years at SPCR (silentpcreview.com) in search of a machine like this. Now I don't have to put it in my closet at home or put up with the fan noise under my desk at work