Mac Mini 2018 Perceived Problem

[tibas92013]

Yesterday, On Start-up my Mac mini 2018, 8GB, 256GB SSD is now making a "Chime" Sound" as has been silent on start-up since this purchase in June, 2019. Is this sound alerting me that my SSD is about to "crash"??

 

[Colstan]

Did you just install a system update, such as 12.3? Sometimes that gets reset when applying a new macOS update or doing an upgrade. In the past, I reverted to Mojave, then went back to a newer version. The "bong" sound was full blast afterward. Usually if there is an issue with your SSD, you'll get a boot error symbol that provides some general clues, such as a failing boot drive.

This is an older article, but a good place to start at diagnosing any potential issues based upon startup sounds. If it is just the regular chime, then there probably isn't an issue that you need to worry about. If you have reason to be concerned about it, do a Time Machine backup immediately, and take it to an Apple store or authorized repair shop for diagnostics. However, if it is just the standard chime then I don't see any reason to be concerned, at the moment.

Finally, go into sound settings and make sure that "Play sound on startup" is unchecked. That's the easiest way to disable the standard boot chime.

 

[tibas92013]

Did you just install a system update, such as 12.3? Sometimes that gets reset when applying a new macOS update or doing an upgrade. In the past, I reverted to Mojave, then went back to a newer version. The "bong" sound was full blast afterward. Usually if there is an issue with your SSD, you'll get a boot error symbol that provides some general clues, such as a failing boot drive.

This is an older article, but a good place to start at diagnosing any potential issues based upon startup sounds. If it is just the regular chime, then there probably isn't an issue that you need to worry about. If you have reason to be concerned about it, do a Time Machine backup immediately, and take it to an Apple store or authorized repair shop for diagnostics. However, if it is just the standard chime then I don't see any reason to be concerned, at the moment.

Finally, go into sound settings and make sure that "Play sound on startup" is unchecked. That's the easiest way to disable the standard boot chime.

Thanx for your reply! I am still on OS Mojave 10.14.6 and my Apple Care+ expires in June, 2022. Your recommendation on a diagnostics check is a good-one! Before I take it in for this check-up I plan on upgrading to OS Monterey.

 

[Colstan]

Thanx for your reply! I am still on OS Mojave 10.14.6 and my Apple Care+ expires in June, 2022. Your recommendation on a diagnostics check is a good-one! Before I take it in for this check-up I plan on upgrading to OS Monterey.

If you're concerned specifically about your SSD, you can run a diagnostic program to check for any errors. That could give you peace of mind about the security of your data and health of your hardware. It isn't infallible, but perhaps worth your time.

 

[tibas92013]

This morning I ran the Disc Utility "First Aid" on my Mac mini 2018 and received the following results:

"First Aid found corruption that needs to be repaired. To repair the startup volume, run first Aid from Recovery. Click done to continue".

Question; how do you run First Aid from Recovery??

 

[Fishrrman]

"my Mac mini 2018, 8GB, 256 SSD is now making a "Chime" Sound" as has been silent on start-up"

That's right.
You're hearing the "startup chime", which can be turned on or turned off in software using terminal.

Chances are, a software update has "turned it on" whereas it had previously been "off" all the time.

Open terminal and enter this (copy and paste from this msg):
sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=%0

Your administrative password will be required (you won't see this as you type it in).

This may or MAY NOT work.
But if you don't like the sound, it's worth a try.

 

[tibas92013]

"my Mac mini 2018, 8GB, 256 SSD is now making a "Chime" Sound" as has been silent on start-up"

That's right.
You're hearing the "startup chime", which can be turned on or turned off in software using terminal.

Chances are, a software update has "turned it on" whereas it had previously been "off" all the time.

Open terminal and enter this (copy and paste from this msg):
sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=%0

Your administrative password will be required (you won't see this as you type it in).

This may or MAY NOT work.
But if you don't like the sound, it's worth a try.

Thanx for your reply and recommendation. Question, Since I have Apple Care Plus for my Mac Mini 2018 which expires in June, 2022 do I need to update to the current MAC OS Monterey before taking it in for a check-up at my Apple Authorized Dealership?? I am presently On Mac OS Mojave.

 

[Fishrrman]

I don't think the installed OS matters.

But...
Again, the startup chime IS NOT "a problem".
It can be turned on ... or it can be turned off.

If it's currently on, and you want it off, try the terminal command above.

 

[tibas92013]

Fishrrman: Thanx for your reply but my main concern now is not the chime sound but the result message that I received after running the Mac Disc Utility and I quote: "First Aid found corruption that needs to be repaired. To repair the startup volume, run first aid from recovery. Click Done to Continue".

How do you run first aid from recovery??

 

[Icelus]

Fishrrman: Thanx for your reply but my main concern now is not the chime sound but the result message that I received after running the Mac Disc Utility and I quote: "First Aid found corruption that needs to be repaired. To repair the startup volume, run first aid from recovery. Click Done to Continue".

How do you run first aid from recovery??

How to start up from macOS Recovery - Apple Support

macOS Recovery is your computer’s built-in recovery system, with utilities to reinstall macOS, repair or erase your startup disk, restore from a Time Machine backup, and more.

support.apple.com

 

[tibas92013]

Did you just install a system update, such as 12.3? Sometimes that gets reset when applying a new macOS update or doing an upgrade. In the past, I reverted to Mojave, then went back to a newer version. The "bong" sound was full blast afterward. Usually if there is an issue with your SSD, you'll get a boot error symbol that provides some general clues, such as a failing boot drive.

This is an older article, but a good place to start at diagnosing any potential issues based upon startup sounds. If it is just the regular chime, then there probably isn't an issue that you need to worry about. If you have reason to be concerned about it, do a Time Machine backup immediately, and take it to an Apple store or authorized repair shop for diagnostics. However, if it is just the standard chime then I don't see any reason to be concerned, at the moment.

Finally, go into sound settings and make sure that "Play sound on startup" is unchecked. That's the easiest way to disable the standard boot chime.

Yesterday, I upgraded my Mac Mini 2018 to Mac OS Monterey 12.3 which took about one(1) hour and went A-OK. I still have the Chime Sound when booting but everything else seems OK as of now. Thanx for your reply!

Oh, i was wanting to upgrade both my Mac Mini 2018 and Mac Mini 2014(2.8GHz i5,8GB,256GB SSD) to Mac OS Big Sur but received many times the message in the Apple App Store that it was no longer available. My Mac Mini 2014 is still on Mac OS Mojave 10.14.6 and may upgrade at a later date to Mac OS Monterey 12.3???

 

[Boyd01]

My Mac Mini 2014 is still on Mac OS Mojave 10.14.6 and may upgrade at a later date to Mac OS Monterey 12.3???

I have the same Mini that's primarily an iTunes server but I also use it two watch iTunes and streaming video. It shipped with Mojave and I never updated. Decided to update to the final Mojave version (10.14.6) a few days ago.

What a mess! iTunes video was glitching and the mouse cursor kept disappearing. After trying lots of things that didn't help, I found a post on Apple's forums suggesting a PRAM reset. Luckily, it worked. That's it for upgrades on this Mini!

 

[tibas92013]

I have the same Mini that's primarily an iTunes server but I also use it two watch iTunes and streaming video. It shipped with Mojave and I never updated. Decided to update to the final Mojave version (10.14.6) a few days ago.

What a mess! iTunes video was glitching and the mouse cursor kept disappearing. After trying lots of things that didn't help, I found a post on Apple's forums suggesting a PRAM reset. Luckily, it worked. That's it for upgrades on this Mini!

Yesterday I also updated my Mac Mini 2014 to Mojave Version 10.14.6 with no glitches as of now. My minimal Non-tech knowledge leads me to the feeling that Mac OS Big Sur will be a better match on this machine rather than Mac OS Monterey.

 

[Boyd01]

Yeah, it's weird. I did not notice the disappearing pointer until a day or two after the upgrade. However, I am not the only one...

Mojave 10.14.6 Issue (mouse pointer disappears)

Howdy Folks, Noob (to the forum) here. Ever since I got the latest update to Mojave, my mouse pointer goes into Romulan Cloaking mode when I change to another website, or even return to a previous page. I can't see it, but as I move the mouse around different things change color/enlarge/etc...

forums.macrumors.com

cursor disappears after Mojave upgrade - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

 

[tibas92013]

Did you just install a system update, such as 12.3? Sometimes that gets reset when applying a new macOS update or doing an upgrade. In the past, I reverted to Mojave, then went back to a newer version. The "bong" sound was full blast afterward. Usually if there is an issue with your SSD, you'll get a boot error symbol that provides some general clues, such as a failing boot drive.

This is an older article, but a good place to start at diagnosing any potential issues based upon startup sounds. If it is just the regular chime, then there probably isn't an issue that you need to worry about. If you have reason to be concerned about it, do a Time Machine backup immediately, and take it to an Apple store or authorized repair shop for diagnostics. However, if it is just the standard chime then I don't see any reason to be concerned, at the moment.

Finally, go into sound settings and make sure that "Play sound on startup" is unchecked. That's the easiest way to disable the standard boot chime.

In my updated Mac OS Monterey on My Mac mini 2018 3GHz 6-Core i5; I Unchecked the little box in System Preferences>Sound which fixed the perceived Sound Problem. I then checked the little Box and the sound returned which is all normal. Again, Thanx for your excellent advice! Also, thanx to all who replied to this thread.

 

[tibas92013]

In my updated Mac OS Monterey on My Mac mini 2018 3GHz 6-Core i5; I Unchecked the little box in System Preferences>Sound which fixed the perceived Sound Problem. I then checked the little Box and the sound returned which is all normal. Again, Thanx for your excellent advice! Also, thanx to all who replied to this thread.

 

[tibas92013]

. That's it for upgrades on this Mini!

My only reason for considering an upgrade on my Mac Mini 2014 to Mac OS Monterey is that Mac OS Mojave is no longer supported by those Apple Folks.