My mac mini will not boot up from disc while holding down the "c" key AND Repair disk said "First aid failed" "vol. header needs minor repair."

My intel core2duo mac mini will not boot up from a disc whilst holding down the "c" key.  I ran  Disc Repair which  said "First aid failed" and "vol. header needs minor repair. The volume MacintoshHD needs to be repaired."  

Usually I fix these things by booting up from DiscWarrior, but now I can't boot up from any disc using the "C" key or the "option" key.  My computer seems to try it and then loads the desktop.  

Also tried booting up in target mode and nothing happened.  I'm using an Ativa PC non mac keyboard but have been told that it shouldn't make a difference.  

THANKS
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plifeAsked:
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strungConnect With a Mentor Commented:
I assume it is a USB keyboard. Do you have any other USB devices attached to the computer (other than the mouse)?  If so, try disconnecting them to see if that makes a difference. Perhaps they are drawing too much power.

Do you by any chance have a different keyboard you could try?
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strungCommented:
is it a wireless keyboard?
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strungCommented:
Try booting while holding down the Shift key to force a Safe Start. This automatically runs Disk Utilities repair disk with the disk dismounted.
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plifeAuthor Commented:
thanks for responding so quickly!
No, it isn't a wireless keyboard and I tried holding the shift key, but the computer, after remaining on the gray screen and thinking a bit, booted to the desktop.  
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strungCommented:
Does the Mac in fact boot completely from the hard drive?
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plifeAuthor Commented:
Genius!  I unplugged the keyboard and mouse from my monitor which was, in turn, plugged into my computer, directly attached them to the computer and unplugged my harddrives.  And it worked.  And I ran disk warrior.  and all is repaired.  
Thanks so much for your time and ideas. Yay!
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plifeAuthor Commented:
You're awesome
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strungCommented:
Keyboard should always be plugged directly into the computer. Mouse is usually plugged into the keyboard.

If you are using more than 2 or 3 USB devices, you should get a powered hub. But even so the keyboard should be plugged into the computer, not the hub.
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