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Announced on October 16, 2014, identifiable by the model number A1347 and EMC 2840.

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Flashing question mark folder on boot up

I was gifted a Mac Mini model A1347, I believe its a late 2014 model. 2.6GHz Intel Core i5 with 8gb of LPDDR3. I was told the Mac has only been used a handful of times since its been purchased. When I tried to boot, I got a flashing ? folder, and after research I've found that this is most likely because the mac no longer has a working operating system. I'm not familiar with Apple products at all, so I'm wondering what my next course of action should be. Attempt to boot from a USB with a current OS? Would Geek Squad possibly still work on it even though its outdated? Thanks!

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If you have another Mac: https://macdaddy.io/install-disk-creator...

Download Your Desired MacOS (I recommend 10.14 Mojave) and Follow they're guide...


Otherwise Hold Down: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

When In MacOS recovery, Go to Disk Utility, Check for a Partition that could have MacOS.
If there isn't one, Try Partitioning it to MacOS Extended (Journaled). Then try to install MacOS.

IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, It's likely A failed Hard Drive/SSD.

Part: OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD or [linked product missing or disabled: IF107-098] or Crucial MX500 500 GB SSD
Guide: Mac mini Late 2014 Hard Drive Replacement or Mac mini Late 2014 SSD Replacement

Crucial MX500 500 GB SSD Image

Product

Crucial MX500 500 GB SSD

$41.99

OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD Image

Product

OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD

$99.99

Mac mini Late 2014 SSD Image

Guide

Mac mini Late 2014 SSD Replacement

Difficulty:

Moderate

—

15 minutes
Mac mini Late 2014 Hard Drive Image

Guide

Mac mini Late 2014 Hard Drive Replacement

Difficulty:

Moderate

—

30 minutes - 2 hours

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Lucky for you there's an entire page on this exact issue. It's for MacBook, but the concept is largely the same.

As a former Geek I can say with confidence, Geek Squad would also still work on this if you decide to go down this route. Although it's usually a pretty straight forward. Bear in mind your options may be somewhat limited depending on what they find. If it's a hardware issue, that isn't something they can take care of in store.

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1 Comment:

@flannelist - You Beat me to it! :-)

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Christian Berent will be eternally grateful.
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