OSX Tiger not loading on Mac Mini 2007

E

evaplatinum

Registered
Hi there,

I'm really sorry to trouble anyone and I would normally try and sort the issue myself but I'm at a complete loss.

I have an old Mac Mini from 2006 still under tiger. I decided to upgrade to leopard in order and then snow leopard.

Upon installing Leopard, I chose the option upgrade, selected the disc. I received an error message saying that it couldn't do it. Upon asked to retry I accepted and then upon selecting the disc on which to install I get a yellow triangle saying that I have to format the disk. I try to quit the installation application and remove the disc.

1) OSX Tiger won't boot. I get the apple logo and the loading signal and the computer shuts down
2) I cannot eject the disc. none of the key commands I tried and force eject won't work
3) None of the key commands work. I can't start from disc as it doesn't read it, I tried starting it in firewire mode in order to copy al the files but it doesn't respond. I tried starting from a clone disc it doesn't respond.

All it does it shut down after a while of loading nothing.
 
Where did the OS X Tiger disc come from -- is it a retail version? A gray-colored disc that shipped with the Mac mini?

This page specifies that the Mac mini needs, at a minimum, a disc with OS X 10.4.4 to boot -- a retail Tiger disc with 10.4 (or 10.4.1, 10.4.2, or 10.4.3) won't boot it.

http://lowendmac.com/mini/mac-mini-jan-2006.html

In short, you need to boot the mini with a version of OS X that either:

a) Came bundled with the computer, or
b) is a retail version of OS X (non-gray colored) that is greater than the software that shipped on the computer (which is 10.4.4 for an early 2006 Mac mini, maybe something else for a later 2006 mini).

You cannot use gray-colored discs that came from another Mac model to boot the mini, even if they are versions of OS X that are later than what the mini came with. You've got two options: a retail OS X installation CD/DVD, or the gray-colored discs that came with the mini. Nothing else will work.

To get the CD out, try powering off the machine, then powering it on and holding down the mouse button (and keep the mouse button held down). Let us know if that succeeds in getting the disc out.
 
AFAIK, all retail versions of Tiger are PPC-only. Therefore, the OP's Mac mini can be booted only from its [gray] System Restore DVD or from a retail version of MacOS X 10.5 or later.
 
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