Apple Mac mini Late 2009 (Technician Guide) - Manual (Page 17)

Mac mini (Late 2009) General Troubleshooting — Common Reset Procedures 17 2009-11-03
Starting Up in Safe Mode
A Safe Boot is a special way to start Mac OS X when troubleshooting. To start up into Safe Mode
(Safe Boot),
Make sure the computer is shut down. 1.
Press the power button. 2.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, press and hold the Shift key. 3.
Note: The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone but not
before.
Release the Shift key when you see the screen with the gray Apple and progress indicator 4.
(looks like a spinning gear). During startup, ”Safe Boot” appears on the Mac OS X startup
screen. To leave Safe Mode, restart the computer normally, without holding down any keys
during startup.
For more information:
http://www.apple.com/support
HT1564—What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode? < http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564 >
TS1884—Safe Boot take longer than normal startup < http://support.apple.com/kb/
TS1884 >