Mac Mini late 2009 Firmware upgrade: Apple support isn't clear

ed-hawco

I have a late 2009 Mac Mini. It was shipped on August 27, 2009, three days BEFORE the last firmware update was posted on Apple's firmware update support page.



I checked the system profiler, and it says I have these boot ROM and SMC versions:

Boot ROM VersiontMM31.0081.B06

SMC Version (system)t1.35f0



The last Mac Mini firmware update on the support page (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1237) is this:

MM31.0081.B06 (EFI 1.2)

(The SMC field is blank.)



The main part of the number is the same, but the update says "(EFI 1.2)." My system profiler doesn't say what EFI I'm using.



So do I have the latest version or not?



Note: the fact that the firmware was posted three days AFTER my machine shipped might mean nothing. After all, they might have been using it internally for days or weeks before posting it on the web.



Is there a way to determine what EFI I'm using, so I can determine for sure if I already have the latest firmware?

ed-hawco

I didn't get an answer to the above, so I decided to go ahead install the firmware update.



I downloaded the package, unplugged all USB/Firewire devices (as per instructions), closed all apps and ran the .PKG.



The .PKG quit unexpectedly. I read the "info" and it was a bunch of debugging info that's way above my head. I saw at least one mention of an "illegal instruction."



I tried running the .PKG again, and the following message popped up:



THIS MACHINE DOES NOT NEED THIS UPDATE.



OK, is that because the machine really does not need the update, or is it because the PKG started to run and quit, but the machine does not KNOW it quit without installing?



I installed 8 GB RAM, and system profiler reports the 8 GB RAM, but how do I know the machine is fully USING the 8 GB of RAM? (I've seen reports of 8 GB showing in profiler by only 4 GB being used.) Is there some kind of test or diagnostic I can run?



Any help is appreciated!

kingofsomewherehot

Use the "Activity Monitor" app in your Applications->Utilities folder (it came with the computer)... play around with it until you figure out how to "see" the memory it is using ... If that App shows all 8GB, then the computer has access to it all.



Not sure what to tell you about the firmware update.

tallest skil

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot


Use the "Activity Monitor" app in your Applications->Utilities folder (it came with the computer)... play around with it until you figure out how to "see" the memory it is using ... If that App shows all 8GB, then the computer has access to it all.

Or just use About This Mac rather than obscure instructions.

kingofsomewherehot

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil


Or just use About This Mac rather than obscure instructions.

Except that the OP already said he could see the RAM there, but was concerned (wrongly so) that that might not necessarily mean it could USE all that RAM. I was trying to assuage his fears.

(yep... it helps to actually READ the thread before you post. )

tallest skil

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot


Except that the OP already said he could see the RAM there, but was concerned (wrongly so) that that might not necessarily mean it could USE all that RAM. I was trying to assuage his fears.

(yep... it helps to actually READ the thread before you post. )

It wouldn't see it if it couldn't use it.

kingofsomewherehot

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil


It wouldn't see it if it couldn't use it.

I agree... but some folks are hard to convince; so I pointed him to an application that could actually show his machine using/accessing that RAM.