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Mac Mini 2011 - Wireless Keyboard During Initial Setup

F

floridonet

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 5, 2011
150
17
Irvine, CA
Has anyone tried running through the setup using the Apple wireless keyboard (Bluetooth)? I spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure it out. The setup seemed like it was searching for a wireless keyboard. I had the keyboard in discovery mode. There was even a message warning the user to make sure batteries are inserted properly, etc...

I finally gave up and plugged in a USB wireless keyboard and completed the setup. Once in Lion, I added the Apple wireless keyboard as a Bluetooth device.

Unfortunate that I couldn't get it working during setup.
 
No, the pop up screen came up showing me it was searching and to put the device in discovery mode. Once I did that, it found each one and I was done.
 
Interesting. I had the keyboard paired up with my iPad, but I put it into discovery mode and shut off BT on the iPad. Still to no avail....
 
floridonet said:
Has anyone tried running through the setup using the Apple wireless keyboard (Bluetooth)? I spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure it out. The setup seemed like it was searching for a wireless keyboard. I had the keyboard in discovery mode. There was even a message warning the user to make sure batteries are inserted properly, etc...

I finally gave up and plugged in a USB wireless keyboard and completed the setup. Once in Lion, I added the Apple wireless keyboard as a Bluetooth device.

Unfortunate that I couldn't get it working during setup.
Click to expand...

I had the same problem with my Trackpad. It was previous paired with my old Macbook but I unpaired it and shut off the MB. The screen came up on my new Mini Server instructing me to turn on a BT mouse or trackpad and put it in discovery mode--did so repeatedly (including removing/replacing batteries) to no avail. I also ended up plugging in a mouse with USB dongle and later paired the trackpad.
 
Had exactly the same problem: couldn't discover the bluetooth keyboard or the magic trackpad during setup. Once up and running with Lion could pair via system preferences with no problem at all. Luckily, since I had a usb keyboard and mouse lying around anyway, it was only a minor annoyance, And now all works fine.
 
In the brief days I was a mini owner, I had this issue as well. It was just finicky... I think I wound up restarting the computer... but at a point the input devices and the computer found each other... didn't seem like there was any good reason they didn't pair immediately.
 
I had the same during initial set up. Could not find keyboard or trackpad. I also connected mouse and keyboard trough USB and then in settings I managed to pair.
Quite annoying since this was my first Mac and all is supposed to be so easy.
 
Again, exact same problem here and same solution. Everyone should have a spare usb mouse and keyboard lying around somewhere for these situations!
 
Same problem here, probably because I didn't unpair mouse and keyboard first. Ended up remoting in for the install which worked a treat, particularly as I didn't have a spare usb keyboard lying around.
 
Same problem here, with both keyboard and trackpad. Still, every time I have to reboot, the mini takes at least 30 seconds to recognize the trackpad after the boot process is finished.
 
I had exactly the same problem with my Apple wireless keyboard when setting up my 2011 Mini for the first time over the weekend.

I was actually planning on using a USB keyboard and mouse for the setup process and assumed I had a USB keyboard lying around when I didn't. I tried using the Apple wireless keyboard I had been using with my 2009 Mini but it just wouldn't connect and the same message kept popping up. I hadn't bothered trying to use the Track Pad as I had an Apple USB mouse.

In the end I had to run down to a local store and buy a cheap £10 Logitech keyboard whilst leaving the Mini on. I did disconnect it from my old Mini but I guess maybe I needed to actually unpaid it. Anyway at least now I have a USB keyboard and mouse at hand just incase I need them again sometime.

On a related note a couple of times I've restarted or turned on the new Mini and it hasn't recognised the keyboard automatically and I've had to manually reconnect it.
 
Catch22 with the mini server

More or less the same story in that the mini just kept cycling back and forth looking for the wireless keyboard/mouse once it had determined there was no wired one hooked up. I happened to haves USB mouse in my junk box and clicking on the keyboard picture brought up a box that said "found keyboard" but never cycled to connecting it. There was a button in the box that said "continue" but assumed that was for after it connected. Wrong!

After pushing continue immediately upon the keyboard being discovered it hooked up and I was in business and the wireless mouse hooked up the same way but if I haden't had the old USB mouse hanging around I would still be looking at the pictures cycling away.
 
Just to expand further on this issue I am still having similar related issues. I have an Apple Magic Mouse, Track Pad and wireless bluetooth keyboard connected. Whenever I turn on or restart my Mini the Magic Mouse connects automatically just fine. However neither the keyboard nor Track Pad will connect. It seems like they are not pairing automatically. I have to turn them on and pair them manually. I never had this problem on my old 2009 Mini running Snow Leopard. Is this a bug in Lion or is there something wrong with my setup.
 
Are your devices set to be favorites? I found that mine weren't but making them favorites let them reconnect automatically.
 
saulinpa said:
Are your devices set to be favorites? I found that mine weren't but making them favorites let them reconnect automatically.
Click to expand...

I don't think they are. How do you set them as favourites ?

Also any ideas on how to give them proper names. In Snow Leopard they appeared automatically under Bluetooth preferences with their actual names. In Lion they appear as alpha numeric based names and you can't tell them apart. There is an option in Bluetooth preferences to rename them but it doesn't work.

Edit: OK I figured out how to make them favourites but I still can't assign them their actual names.
 
Last edited:
I had to do the same as you, get out my USB keyboard and mouse to set up my bluetooth ones, probably a Lion bug, like the sleep one :-(
 
ditto

same here with my BT mouse. going to go and buy a usb mouse for set up and then take it back.
 
I had this problem too, but fortunately I have a lot of USB devices hanging around. After setting everything up, though, I still have a persistent Bluetooth issue in that Lion isn't able to get the human-readable names, vendor ID, or device ID of any Bluetooth devices, which is really annoying (so e.g. it doesn't report battery status correctly or tell me whether it's my keyboard or mouse that's complaining about low battery, and when I do disconnect a device it's a crapshoot as to which one I'm disconnecting since it's not like I can remember which one is which).

I suspect it's a problem due to a bug in the new Bluetooth 4.0 driver.

At least the devices work, but it's a pain to keep track of them.
 
I actually found a mouse usb and that was all i needed thank god to be able to get far enough to actually sync with my dinovo edge.
 
infamous said:
I actually found a mouse usb and that was all i needed thank god to be able to get far enough to actually sync with my dinovo edge.
Click to expand...

good that you got it to work and this is a pita. but you need a usb mouse or keyboard in a mac or pc home and you need one optical device for programs.

I do many many many builds and usb mice usb keyboard usb dock usb dvd player plus cat 5 wire net have bailed out problems time and time again.
 
The initial setup of my Mac Mini worked OK with my Microsoft bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

What I can't get to work is when you need to restart and hold a key. For this I really do need a USB keyboard.

D.
 
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