Here goes...
From earlier:
None (zip, zero, nada) optical drive problems here with any of the Minis that I’ve installed THE OS 9 upon… and unaware that anyone else (to date) has reported any similar problems either. (I do pay pretty close attention to such Mini-related / reported problems. Perhaps more so, in this case.
And in the interest of complete and total transparency here, TheGrandPubaa got his Mini from moi. So I am very interested in the possible cause(s) of this problem, whether it’s repeatable and the results of further testing with other discs. Perhaps just as one may wonder about the possible relation of the OS 9 install, I wonder about the possible effects and function of the Mini overall, with the lesser-than-original hardware performance from the SD mod install… over the standard performance HD? Again, also considering his overclocking of said Mini… does it now require more power?
Ninester? And/or other Mini overclockers care to comment?
Lots of wondering perhaps, without the results of further testing with other discs?
And now (later), shooting completely from the hip here… a couple of things.
(1). Disk read/write performance. SD mod QuickBench results versus a 5400 RPM conventional HD. Seems that it may be ≥ 25% slower. If this is indeed the case, perhaps basic OS boot and mount instructions are possibly not fast enough with the SD mod as it goes through boots and re-boots, with and without a disc in the drive? AND… see #2.
(2). Power requirements after overclocking. IF the CPU is demanding more from the available power and no adjustments have been made for this, the optical drive might be demanding more than what’s necessary / available or straining, after overclocking’s increased power demands… coupled with all the above?
(3). Maybe the optical drive is dying?
(4). I’ve no clue.
So, as it may be easier to re-install the original HD (as opposed to say, “un-overclocking” the Mini)… I would put the old drive back in and test the optical drive and other general functions as well. Of course, run QuickBench again and save that report to compare to the old HD’s QuickBench new report after its’ re-installation. Then there’s always overclocking reversal.
It just seems that with such sporadic results now with the optical drive (when it worked fine before the SD mod and the overclocking) maybe taking it all back to as close as one can get to “square one” might be the option path to first travel. And an external USB optical always works fine? Send me the internal optical drive and I’ll test it here and/or exchange it for another.
The Mini functions fine and stable otherwise… without a disc in the drive? And, cold boots from total complete shut down without a disc provides an otherwise all stable machine.
Try to insert a disc, only AFTER… one of those dead-stop-off states and total boot.
And of course… there’s your non-Apple mouse and keyboard to consider in conjunction with all of the above. You might be suffering from the “SD-Overclock-Combo-Mambo, Non-Apple-Blues”.
Many variables to consider.
Below, 1.25GHz Mini with a Western Digital 5400RPM conventional drive AND TGP’s previous SD mod results.
ZAP that PRAM! Rebuild that desktop. Cross yer fingers and spit.