Missing built-in audio controller on my Mac Mini?

[Imprezzy]

I just started my new job as a web designer and my boss knows I'm a Mac guy, also he wants to test out his new site on an Apple platform. He bought a Mac Mini for the office. I tried using iTunes to play my music, but for some reason, the volume's disabled, and I checked the system preferences under "sound" and the "built-in audio controller" for the sound output device is nowhere to be found. All the volume controls are all greyed out. I also noticed that iTunes refuses to play anything when there's no audio controller. Can anyone shed some light on this issue? I tried searching for answers on this board, but I've come up with irrelevant results.

It's weird, I hear the chime when I turn on the computer. So I figured it at least has a mini speaker built in, therefore it must have a built-in audio controller. I coulda swore on any Mac Mini you can just plug in speakers and you're good to go. He will be using the machine to edit videos using iMovie too and it would suck if he had no sound. I don't know if it matters much, but we're using a non-Apple keyboard (some random Compaq keyboard we found in the office) on that machine. I'm gonna talk to him about buying a Mac keyboard since we'd need that silly CD drive eject button, the sound controls, and the Apple keyboard's more familar to me. Using the "windows" key as my command key is weird. ^_^;

So in a nutshell. No built-in audio controller found on the Mac Mini I'm using. Just simply plugging in a pair of speakers doesn't help. So what do I do to get sound? It would be silly if one were to pay $600 for a Mac Mini, but someone would have to buy a $100 external audio card/device via USB or Firewire just to get sound. Any help? Thanks for your time.

 

[krollster]

Sounds like something's wrong there...

On my mac mini I haven't had any issues with sound...it either comes through the inbuilt speaker or via headphones if I've got them plugged in. Don't have any probs with iTunes, Garageband or any sound making program I've used.

I'd refer the issue to apple support if every logical thing (volume etc.) has been checked. Maybe it's a software prob? I did do a complete reinstall of OS X when I got my mini.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I would try to repair permissions (the wonderdrug against everything when dealing with Macs) before contacting Apple Support...

 

[SpaceMagic]

Yep repair permissions.. then really call apple that is NOT normal.. you dont even have to plug in speakers with the mac mini.. it has a crappy internal one.

 

[Imprezzy]

It's the stupidest thing. I brought my Apple keyboard from home, hooked it up at work, and viola! I have sound. Now I can play my music off my iPod on iTunes. Thanks everyone. It turns out that homeboy needs to buy an Apple keyboard. *shakes fist* I knew there was a catch to the cheap-o Mac Mini price! =)

BTW, the Apple keyboard kicks ass anyway. Haha.

 

[redeye be]

Very confused. This sounds weird, very weird.

So attaching the apple keyboard made the audio work? And now you have the necessary settings in your system prefs.
If you attach a non apple keyboard now, does it work then?

 

[alexprice]

It's the stupidest thing. I brought my Apple keyboard from home, hooked it up at work, and viola! I have sound. Now I can play my music off my iPod on iTunes. Thanks everyone. It turns out that homeboy needs to buy an Apple keyboard. *shakes fist* I knew there was a catch to the cheap-o Mac Mini price! =)

BTW, the Apple keyboard kicks ass anyway. Haha.

It depends on which verison of 10.3 its on, I performed an archive and install on a mini mac with a software fault, once the install had completed it was on 10.3.5 and the sound control had gone, I updated it to 10.3.8 and the problem was solved. Maybe somebody ran software update before you plugged you apple keyboard in. I wondor if it will work with the first keyboard that you tried now.

Also to eject cd's you should be able to press F12?

 

[Rod Rod]

Also to eject cd's you should be able to press F12?

That only applies to Apple laptops, which of course have built-in keyboards.

The alternative way to eject optical disks (without remapping) using a non-Apple keyboard is to hit the equivalent of "command" plus "e." Typically the command key will be the Windows start button.

Another method, and which is mouse-friendly, is to just double-click the "Eject.menu" file, which is inside Macintosh HD/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras.

You'll get an eject icon in your menu bar. If you have multiple optical drives (such as in a Power Mac G4), the menu bar item will show each drive.

 

[Yvan256]

That only applies to Apple laptops, which of course have built-in keyboards.

The alternative way to eject optical disks (without remapping) using a non-Apple keyboard is to hit the equivalent of "command" plus "e." Typically the command key will be the Windows start button.

Another method, and which is mouse-friendly, is to just double-click the "Eject.menu" file, which is inside Macintosh HD/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras.

You'll get an eject icon in your menu bar. If you have multiple optical drives (such as in a Power Mac G4), the menu bar item will show each drive.

Seems it works with other hardware too. I'm using a regular 101-keys IBM keyboard, connected with a PS/2-to-USB converter, and holding F12 does eject the CD. A single keypress doesn't work though, you need to hold it for about half a second.

 

[Rod Rod]

Seems it works with other hardware too. I'm using a regular 101-keys IBM keyboard, connected with a PS/2-to-USB converter, and holding F12 does eject the CD. A single keypress doesn't work though, you need to hold it for about half a second.

Oh cool. Thanks, I learned something new. Does cmd-E work for ejecting on that keyboard? That might be faster than holding F12.

 

[JeDiBoYTJ]

same thing happened to my friends brand new 2.5 G5. audio wasnt working. I was called over to help, but couldnt figure it out, so I decided to pull a last minute move by running the Hardware Test CD. no problems were found so im like "I dont know whats wrong". then it rebooted and BAM there was sound... I dont know what I did, but it worked....