Mac Mini Firmware Upgrade Utility Needed (help request).

[lucho]

I tried to boot from USB but only MacOSX (when I tried to install 10.7 and 10.8, with chameleon, without chameleon, with refit or without anything ...).
I noticed no problem so far.

Booting Mac OS X from USB works for me too. The problem occurs when trying to boot in BIOS emulation mode.

Thank you for this report, I will try to reproduce it ...

Thanks in advance!

[Sebinouse]

The problem occurs when trying to boot in BIOS emulation mode.

 OK ... and how can I try that ? I have no idea how to do so ! (live version of ubuntu maybe ?)

[lucho]

Yes, as far as I know, Ubuntu boots exactly in BIOS emulation mode. You can follow for example the instructions here (just try to boot the LiveCD).

[maclb]

Regards,

I have to same problem, before viewing other for the boot drive after the firmware actulizacion only shows me where it is installed snow leopard, I installed the lion, I was reading as you boot the liveCD but do not understand much, agrederece the help I can provide, I'm new to this.

[airdrummer]

just installed a t7200 c2d on my mini1,1, followed the instructions found here, but i too don't see the progressbar, it just boots into osx...

i also followed the steps here http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,874.msg7242.html#msg7242 altho

Change "MM11.88Z.0055.B03.0604071521" into "MM11.88Z.0055.B08.0610121326" (around offset 0x7449)

was already done(altho in the hexeditor each char was 2 zero-padded bytes), and i couldn't find these:

Change crc32 checks from "67 BC 27 43" to "1C 65 1E DD" (4 times around offset 0x73B0)

and the "compliant MM21.fd" (MM21.88Z.009A.B00.0706281359.s02.fd) is the same size as LOCKED_MM11_0055_08B.fd but differs....

so any ideas?

[airdrummer]

so i reset pram, rebooted to find my network access hosed, network prefs beachballing:-( recovered by trashing /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.network.identification.plist & rebooting, but on reboot i got a long progressbar, then an extremely long reboot time, but firmware remains @ 1,1:-\

[airdrummer]

turns out the missing step was smc reset: unplug power for ~15sec
 

Code:

  Model Name: Mac mini
  Model Identifier: Macmini2,1
  Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
  Processor Speed: 2 GHz
  Number Of Processors: 1
  Total Number Of Cores: 2
  L2 Cache: 4 MB
  Memory: 2 GB
  Bus Speed: 667 MHz
  Boot ROM Version: MM21.009A.B00
  SMC Version (system): 1.3f4
 

[jimmyspenser]

Try preceeding your command with sudo.

[jonathanloaiza]

Hi guys I've read almost the entire topic and now I'm praying that you can help me.

I have a Mac Mini 2.0 Mid 2007 that has ben upgraded to C2D 2ghz and its room seems to be Updated to MM21.009A.B00 but it has SMS 1.19f2 and I believe it should be 1.3f4

This Mini never booted successfully any OS, it only shows the cursor on a black screen o a blue screen and the beach ball. I managed to boot on safe mode but this way I can't use the terminal code for mm1.1 to 2.1 because it trows an error with "msdosfs.kext failed to load.. msdos fiesystem is not available"

So. any ideas?? Thank you very much patience and time

[Firedawg]

Hello, I just register to say that I successfully completed the following upgrades on a 2006 Mac Mini:

First the OS:

Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger to Mac OS X v10.6.8 Snow Leopard

Second Swapped CPUs:

Intel Core Duo T5600 (1.83GHz) to an Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 (2.33GHz)

Third Updated Firmware: Using steps from the "Simple Guide...."

Boot ROM Version from MM11.0055.08B to MM21.009A.B00

Forth Swapped Memory: (SoDimm 200 pin SDRAM)(2GB to 4GB):

Qimonda HYS64T128021EDL-3S-B2 1GB 2Rx8 PC2-5300S-555-12-E0 DDR2 667MHz Non-ECC Unbuff CL5
to
Samsung M470T5663EH3-CF7 2GB 2Rx8 PC2-6400S-666-12-E3 DDR2 800MHz Non-ECC Unbuff CL6

All steps went  without a problem, not to say reseating the heatsink was quite the bitch, but hey well worth the hassle;-)

Everything is running very well and I do notice a lot more pep in the old girl's step.  The combined cost of completing this upgrade was $95, and that includes the purchase of Snow Leopard from Apple.  Very pleased with the performance to cost.  Now, thinking of SSD and Lion, but I will have to do my homework on that as I did on this project.  

I'm reading of folks having problems with the firmware.  All I can say is understand the steps and what you are doing and making sure you are doing the steps in accordance to the instructions.  Do not stray!

Also, I have built and worked on computers for over 25 years and from experience know that making sure you have working components and proper installations is key to having a successfully build.  It is hard to validate components if you have only one system to test them on.  Make sure everything is seated properly and everything that was disconnected was reconnected at completion.  

[imanobe]

hello i'm looking to see if i can get some help with the firmware update. i've tried the following the guide numerous times but cannot get to the progress bar.

i'm on 10.6.8 with the swapped intel core 2 duo cpu.

my mac mini model id is  m40adp1,1    With Boot Rom version  AAPLM401.0042.B00 

how is this possible?  does this guide apply to my version of mac mini?
thank you

[pinelli]

Thought I'd add my own interesting experience here.

I went through the process of flashing my own Mac Mini, quite successfully, sometime last year, and got Lion installed.  At some stage, the hard drive stopped being recognised, so I put it away.

Pulled it out again recently and have worked out there is no hardware fault anywhere, but it refuses to boot any version of OS X.  Windows and Ubuntu are fine, but it won't recognise the OS X install DVDs (either 10.6 or 10.4), a hard drive that already has OS X installed on it, or an OS X install thumb drive.

Message is something along the lines of there being no boot drive in the system.  I also can't use the Option key to get to the Apple boot loader, and I don't get the big grey apple on booting.  Just goes straight to Windows or Ubuntu.

I'm only using the machine to stream movies, so Windows & iTunes is fine, but a very odd problem that I thought I'd share for consideration.

[Sebinouse]

Thanks for sharing your issue ... It reminds me of another issue : someone reported problems to boot USB/ISO linux distributions after update 1,1>2,1. I have never been able to recreate this issue and my MacMini has been working 24/7 since the very beginning ...

I'll try to dig deeper and I hope to find out something ...

The fact the DVD isn't booting anymore is strange ... did you try a PRAM reset ?

[pinelli]

Yep, but I've got a wireless keyboard. I've got to try and borrow a wired mac keyboard & try it again.

OS X worked fine initially, it's only when I had to replace the hard drive it stopped booting in OS X. Any chance there needs to be a line added to a plist file somewhere, adding a 2,1 line, or something?

Edit: The DVD drive boots fine with the Windows 7 install disc.  It just doesn't recognise OSX install discs.