Your current drive (if it's still functional) can be backed up using a program like Apple's Time Machine or the free utility SuperDuper. I also recommend picking up a can of compressed air to clean out the dust that has built up throughout the years.
Pre-2010 Mac Mini models support a single Serial ATA drive with speeds of 3 GB/s. You will need a putty knife or small paint scraper to remove the Mac Mini's casing, a Phillips head #2 screwdriver, a pair of tweezers, and either a replacement 2.5-inch solid-state drive or a hard drive with a height of no more than 9.5mm. Apple redesigned the Mac Mini line in 2010 to include a removable cover that gives users quick and easy access to the hard drive and memory. Here's what you need to know: Note: This how-to guide is for Mac Mini models from 2005 through 2009.
Rather than spending $600 on a newer model, you can swap out your full or faulty hard drive for a newer and faster one. There isn't a real need to upgrade, though. We were one of them, but wouldn't you know it, the hard drive in our 2009 Mac Mini has taken its last breath.
Given that Apple doesn't give Mac Mini owners many reasons to upgrade, there are a still a good amount of happy customers using older models.
In fact, the latest model hasn't even been updated to include Intel's newer and more efficient Haswell processors, despite the iMac, Macbook Air, and Macbook Pro receiving updates. Since it first debuted in 2005, the small computer has only seen one major redesign in 2010, and is often left out of the company's dazzling press events. Open Putty, and in the 'Host Name (or IP address)' field, enter: '127.0.0.The Mac Mini is like Apple's forgotten stepchild.You need to remember the username you created on your Guest! Remember, you CANNOT log in as root using SSH, so this will have to be the user you created. For Linux and Mac users, use the built in terminal. To do so, use the Putty terminal emulator (if you are on Windows). Now, it's time to try and connect to the Guest. This means that your Host is listening on port 2222 for connections. Use the space bar to move one page at a time, and look for a line similar to this: tcp4 0 0 0.0. Open a terminal on your Host (a DOS Command Prompt if this is Windows), and type the following command:.To verify that the change has been implemented:
Shut down the VM (Close -> ACPI Shutdown).You will probably need to restart the Virtual Machine so that the changes are applied: Click OK again to exit the Network Settings. You are back in the Network Settings windows. "If a TCP connection is received on the Host on TCP port 2222, send it on to the Guest on TCP port 22" Guest IP is left blank - there is no need by default to change this.It means that ANY MACHINE that can access your Host on TCP port 2222 will be able to talk to the SSH on your guest. Host IP is set to nothing - this is on purpose, and is equivalent to saying 0.0.0.0.You can do this from the VirtualBox Manager (right click on the VM name on the left side of the window, then choose Settings.), then choose Network.To enable port forwarding, open the settings for your Virtual Machine. access a service on the Guest, a web server for example ?.the Host, and other machines outside, cannot access the Guest.Įverything is fine while you are using the console, as we have done so far, but what if you want to:.in NAT mode, the Guest can access the outside world, but does so while being NAT'ed behind the IP of the Host.We have discussed this earlier, but as a reminder: 2 Why Port Forwarding ?īy default your VM is created with a network connection in NAT mode. You will use the Port Forwarding network feature of Virtual Box, and configure it to access your guest VM via SSH.