APPLE Mac mini 2009 User Manual

Congratulations, you and your Mac mini

were made for each other.

Say hello to your Mac mini.

www.apple.com/macmini

Finder

Browse your ﬁles like you browse your music with Cover Flow.

Mac Help

ﬁnder

Mail

Manage all your email accounts in one place.

Mac Help

mail

iCal and Address Book

Keep your schedule and your contacts in sync.

Mac Help

isync

Mac OS X Snow Leopard

www.apple.com/macosx

Time Machine

Automatically back up and restore your ﬁles.

Mac Help

time machine

iLife

www.apple.com/ilife

iPhoto

Organize and

Organize and search your

search your photos by faces,

photos by faces, places, or events.

places, or events.

iPhoto Help

photos

Quick Look

Instantly preview your ﬁles.

Mac Help

quick look

iMovie

Make a great-

Make a greatlooking movie in

looking movie in minutes or edit

minutes or edit your masterpiece.

your masterpiece.

iMovie Help

movie

Spotlight

Find anything on your Mac.

Mac Help

spotlight

GarageBand

Learn to play.

Learn to play. Start a jam session.

Start a jam session. Record and mix

Record and mix your own song.

your own song.

GarageBand Help

record

Safari

Experience the web with the fastest browser in the world.

Mac Help

safari

iWeb

Create custom

Create custom websites and publish

websites and publish them anywhere with

them anywhere with a click.

a click.

iWeb Help

website

Chapter 1: Ready, Set Up, Go

What’s in the Box

Setting Up Your Mac mini

Setting Up DVD or CD Sharing

Migrating Information to Your Mac mini

Getting Additional Information onto Your Mac mini

Putting Your Mac mini to Sleep or Shutting It Down

Chapter 2: Life with Your Mac mini

What’s on the Front of Your Mac mini

What’s on the Back of Your Mac mini

Using the Apple Remote

Getting Answers

Chapter 3: Problem, Meet Solution

Problems That Prevent You from Using Your Mac mini

Reinstalling the Software That Came with Your Mac mini

Reinstalling Software Using Remote Install Mac OS X

Ready, Set Up, Go

www.apple.com/macmini

Mac Help Migration Assistant

Your Mac mini is designed so that you can easily set it up and start using it right away. If you’ve never used a Mac mini or are new to Mac computers, read this section for instructions about getting started.

Important:

Read all the installation instructions and the safety information starting on

page 57 before you plug your Mac mini into a power outlet.

If you’re an experienced user, you may already know enough to get started. Be sure to look over the information in Chapter 2, “Life with Your Mac mini,” to find out about the features of your Mac mini.

Answers to many questions can be found on your Mac mini in Mac Help. For information about Mac Help, see “Getting Answers” on page 33.

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What’s in the Box

Your Mac mini comes with the following components:

Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter

AC cord

Power adapter

Before you set up your Mac mini, remove the protective film from the outside of your computer and power adapter. Follow the steps on the next several pages to set up.

Important:

Don’t place anything on top of your Mac mini. Objects placed on top may

interfere with the optical drive or the AirPort or Bluetooth® wireless signal.

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Setting Up Your Mac mini

Position your Mac mini so that it’s right side up or on its side, but not upside down. Use the power adapter that came with your Mac mini; other power adapters may not work.

Step 1: Plug the AC cord into the power adapter, plug the cord from the power

adapter into your Mac mini, and then plug the power adapter into a grounded power outlet.

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Step 2: To access the Internet or a network, connect one end of an Ethernet cable

to your Mac mini and the other end to a cable modem, DSL modem, or network.

Your Mac mini comes with AirPort Extreme technology for wireless networking. For information about setting up a wireless connection, choose Help > Mac Help, and search for “AirPort.”

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Step 3: Connect the USB cable from your keyboard and mouse.

Your Mac mini doesn’t come with a keyboard or a mouse, but you can use almost any USB keyboard and mouse. If your keyboard has a USB (d into the USB port on the keyboard. If it doesn’t, plug the mouse into a USB (d

) port, plug your mouse

) port on

the back of your Mac mini.

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You can use Keyboard preferences to change the behavior of the Caps Lock, Control, Option, and Command (x Apple (

) > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Modifier Keys and follow

) modifier keys. To open Keyboard preferences, choose

the onscreen instructions.

If you use a USB keyboard that isn’t specifically designed for the Mac OS, it may not have a Command (x

) or Option modifier key, which are standard on Apple keyboards.

If you have a keyboard from another manufacturer:

The Windows key (the icon on the key looks like a Windows logo) is equivalent to the Command (x

The Alt key is equivalent to the Option modifier key on an Apple keyboard.

) modifier key on an Apple keyboard.

Using a USB mouse or keyboard from another manufacturer may require software drivers. Check the manufacturer’s website for the latest software drivers.

Using a Wireless Keyboard or Mouse

If you purchased an Apple Wireless Keyboard or Mouse with your Mac mini, follow the instructions that came with the keyboard and mouse to set them up with your Mac mini.

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Step 4: Connect a display cable to the Mini-DVI port or Mini DisplayPort.

Your Mac mini doesn’t come with a display. You can connect a display that has:

A Mini DisplayPort connector. Connect directly to the Mini DisplayPort.

A DVI connector. Use the Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter that came with your Mac mini to connect to the Mini-DVI port.

A VGA connector. Use the Mini-DVI to VGA Adapter to connect to the Mini-DVI port or the Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter to connect to the Mini DisplayPort. Adapters are available at www.apple.com/store or your local Apple Store.

Mini-DVI

port

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Mini DisplayPort

Ready, Set Up, Go

Step 5: Press the power (®

) button on the back to turn on your Mac mini.

Step 6: Configure your Mac mini with Setup Assistant.

The first time you turn on your Mac mini, Setup Assistant starts. Setup Assistant helps you enter your Internet and email information and set up a user account on your Mac mini. If you already have a Mac, Setup Assistant can help you automatically transfer user accounts, files, applications, and other information from your previous Mac using an Ethernet, FireWire, or a wireless connection.

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If you don’t intend to keep or use your other Mac, it’s best to deauthorize it from playing music, videos, or audiobooks that you’ve purchased from the iTunes Store. Deauthorizing a computer prevents any songs, videos, or audiobooks you’ve purchased from being played by someone else, and frees up another authorization for use. For information about deauthorizing, choose iTunes Help from the Help menu in iTunes.

If you don’t use Setup Assistant to transfer information when you first start up, you can do it later using Migration Assistant. Go to the Applications folder, open Utilities, and double-click Migration Assistant.

Step 7: Customize your desktop and set your preferences.

You can easily make your desktop look the way you want using System Preferences, your command center for most settings on your Mac mini. Choose Apple (

) > System Preferences from the menu bar, or click the System Preferences icon in the Dock. For more information, open Mac Help and search for “System Preferences” or for the specific preference you want to change.

Setting Up DVD or CD Sharing

If your ordered your Mac mini without the optional SuperDrive, you can use DVD or CD sharing to partner with another Mac or Windows computer that has an optical disc drive and is on the same wired or wireless network. Use this other computer to:

Migrate information to your Mac mini, if the other computer is a Mac (see “Migrating Information to Your Mac mini” on page 18)

Share the contents of DVDs or CDs or install applications (see “Sharing Discs with DVD or CD Sharing” on page 21)

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Remotely install Mac OS X (see “Reinstalling Software Using Remote Install Mac OS X” on page 43) or use Disk Utility (see “Using Disk Utility” on page 46)

The computer with the optical drive can be a Mac with Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later, or a Windows XP or Windows Vista computer. If the Mac has Mac OS X v10.5.5 or later, DVD or CD Sharing is already installed. You can partner with more than one other computer.

If the other computer is a Windows computer or a Mac with a Mac OS X version earlier than 10.5.5, insert the

Mac OS X Install DVD

that came with your Mac mini to install the DVD or CD Sharing Setup, which includes software for DVD or CD Sharing, Migration Assistant, and Remote Install Mac OS X:

If the other computer is a Windows computer, choose “DVD or CD Sharing” from the Install Assistant that starts automatically.

If the other computer is a Mac, double-click the DVD or CD Sharing Setup package on the

Mac OS X Install DVD

Important:

After you install the DVD or CD Sharing Setup package on your other Mac,

make sure you have the latest software by choosing Apple (

) > Software Update.

Install any available Mac OS X updates.

Migrating Information to Your Mac mini

You can migrate existing user accounts, files, applications, and other information from another Mac computer.

To migrate information to your Mac mini:

Configure the other Mac (see page 17), and then make sure that it is turned on and that it is on the same wired or wireless network as your Mac mini.

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Check the AirPort (Z

) status icon in the menu bar at the top of the other Mac screen to see what wireless network you’re connected to. Choose the same network for your Mac mini during setup.

On your Mac mini, follow the Setup Assistant onscreen instructions until you get to the “Do You Already Own a Mac?” screen. Select “from another Mac” as the source of the information you want to transfer. On the next screen, choose your wireless network, and then click Continue.

When you see the Connect To Your Other Mac screen with a passcode displayed, do the remaining steps on the other Mac. You will enter the passcode in Migration Assistant on the other Mac.

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On the other Mac, open Migration Assistant (located in /Applications/Utilities/), and then click Continue.

When you are prompted for a migration method, select “To another Mac”, and then click Continue.

On the other Mac, quit any other open applications and then click Continue.

On the other Mac, enter the six-digit passcode displayed in Setup Assistant on your Mac mini.

You can choose the items (user accounts, documents, movies, music, photos, and so on) that you want to migrate to your Mac mini.

Click Continue to start the migration.

Important:

Don’t use the other Mac for anything else until the migration is complete.

If the connection is terminated during migration, you can resume the migration at a later time using Migration Assistant on your Mac mini and your other Mac.

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Getting Additional Information onto Your Mac mini

Your Mac mini comes with several applications installed, including the iLife suite. Many other applications can be downloaded from the Internet. If you want to install thirdparty applications from a DVD or CD, you can install applications onto your Mac mini or share information using the optical disc drive on another Mac or Windows computer (if DVD or CD Sharing is set up and enabled). Read the next section for more information.

Sharing Discs with DVD or CD Sharing

You can enable DVD or CD Sharing on a Mac or Windows computer to use the Remote Disc feature of your Mac mini. Remote Disc allows you to share the discs you insert into the optical disc drive of the other computer. Some discs, such as DVD movies and game discs, may be copy-protected and therefore unusable through DVD or CD Sharing.

Make sure DVD or CD Sharing is enabled on any Mac or Windows computer you want to partner with. For information, see page 17.

To enable DVD or CD Sharing, if your other computer is a Mac:

Make sure the other Mac and your Mac mini are on the same wireless network. Check the AirPort (Z

connected to.

) status icon in the menu bar to see what network you’re

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On the other Mac, choose Apple (

In the Sharing panel, select “DVD or CD Sharing” in the Service list. If you want other

) > System Preferences and then open Sharing.

users to request permission to share a DVD or CD, select “Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive.”

To enable DVD or CD Sharing, if your other computer is a Windows computer:

Make sure your Mac mini and the Windows computer are on the same wireless network.

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On the Windows computer, open the DVD or CD Sharing control panel.

Select “Enable DVD or CD Sharing.” If you want other users to request permission to share a DVD or CD, select “Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive.”

To use a shared DVD or CD:

On the other computer, insert a DVD or CD into the optical disc drive.

On your Mac mini, select the Remote Disc when it appears under Devices in the Finder sidebar. If you see the “Ask to use” button, click it.

On the other computer, when prompted, click Accept to allow your Mac mini to use the DVD or CD.

On your Mac mini, use the disc as you normally would once it becomes available.

If you try to shut down the other computer or eject the shared DVD or CD while your Mac mini is using it, you’ll see a message telling you that the disc is in use. To proceed, click Continue.

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+ 53 hidden pages

APPLE Mac mini 2009 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Ready, Set Up, Go

What’s in the Box

Setting Up DVD or CD Sharing

Sharing Discs with DVD or CD Sharing