Ticket Options
Question Profile
| DATE | Jan 24, 2008 |
| TICKET | #335798 |
| STATUS | Closed |
| SUBJECT | aqua not loading |
| CAT | Computers, Operating Systems, Applications or Connected Devices |
| TYPE | Operating System Features, Bugs and Problems |
| DESC | Apple |
| DESC | 10.4.X (Tiger) |
| PLATFORM | Apple Macintosh (PowerPC G3,G4,G5) |
| MODEL | Apple/ibook |
| PROC | |
| RAM | 512 |
| DRIVE | 60? |
| NAME | Tim |
| USERNAME | ezek346 |
| TECHNICAL | Little Experience |
| ISSUE | Lots of Troubleshooting |
Question Details
TICKET ARCHIVE -> aqua not loading
ezek346 - Jan 24, 2008 - 5:12 pm
this one stumped the apple store,
ibook g4 tiger
somewhere in an option list on my computer i selected that i wanted to bypass the login screen, however i did not remember that my computer was set up as a single user login.
now i am forced into a screen that says Damian/BSD and asks me to login like DOS.
it is BASH.
i have tried many commands, however the desktop environment never loads.
i tried the open command and it responded that i could not load the desktop environment from the text console because i was not the root.
please help.
ibook g4 tiger
somewhere in an option list on my computer i selected that i wanted to bypass the login screen, however i did not remember that my computer was set up as a single user login.
now i am forced into a screen that says Damian/BSD and asks me to login like DOS.
it is BASH.
i have tried many commands, however the desktop environment never loads.
i tried the open command and it responded that i could not load the desktop environment from the text console because i was not the root.
please help.
tubajensen - Jan 25, 2008 - 8:07 am
Have you tried the commands "exit" or "logout" ? (Without the quotation signs of course.)
Allan
Allan
ezek346 - Jan 25, 2008 - 9:31 am
yes, i have tried those commands.
it went to a blue screen for ever and the mouse arrow showed up.
i left it like this for a long time and nothing else happened.
i ran disk utility on the cd and it found some minor problems with the hard drive and resolved them.
when i force the computer to quit, wait 30 seconds, and reboot it starts up like it normally would (white screen, gray apple, spinning wheel, then it shows the osx box with the login tabs for about 1/10th a second and goes right to a blue screen with a spinning wheel, then the screen goes to black and shows the Damian/BSD text and asks me to login.
i can login.
i can do some things.
my disk will not lot me install the os over because it says a newer version of the os is already installed.
obviously the os has updated some since 2005.
i also have only 1.1 gig free on my hard drive and i really need to get my information off of the hard drive.
i will try to reply faster next time.
thank you
it went to a blue screen for ever and the mouse arrow showed up.
i left it like this for a long time and nothing else happened.
i ran disk utility on the cd and it found some minor problems with the hard drive and resolved them.
when i force the computer to quit, wait 30 seconds, and reboot it starts up like it normally would (white screen, gray apple, spinning wheel, then it shows the osx box with the login tabs for about 1/10th a second and goes right to a blue screen with a spinning wheel, then the screen goes to black and shows the Damian/BSD text and asks me to login.
i can login.
i can do some things.
my disk will not lot me install the os over because it says a newer version of the os is already installed.
obviously the os has updated some since 2005.
i also have only 1.1 gig free on my hard drive and i really need to get my information off of the hard drive.
i will try to reply faster next time.
thank you
tubajensen - Jan 25, 2008 - 9:37 am
If you can login you could try starting the loginwindow from the black screen. I am not sure about Tiger but in Leopard you would do something like:
cd /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS
hit the return key
and then type:
./loginwindow
and hit the return key.
I think the above has to be done as root.
If you have that little free space on your hard drive it will probably be part of the problem. It is a good idea to leave at least 10% of the total hard drive space free.
You may also want to look here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307005
Allan
cd /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS
hit the return key
and then type:
./loginwindow
and hit the return key.
I think the above has to be done as root.
If you have that little free space on your hard drive it will probably be part of the problem. It is a good idea to leave at least 10% of the total hard drive space free.
You may also want to look here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307005
Allan
ezek346 - Jan 25, 2008 - 9:56 am
i am unsure of how to login as root.
the computer seemed to indicate that if i were signed in as the root then i could load aqua from where i was.
could you tell me how to log in as the root?
thank you
the computer seemed to indicate that if i were signed in as the root then i could load aqua from where i was.
could you tell me how to log in as the root?
thank you
tubajensen - Jan 25, 2008 - 11:20 am
Try to avoid logging in as root user. Note that root account should NOT be used if you don't know what it is. In root, you have the ability to completely destroy OS X. There are NO restrictions as to what root can do. ONLY use root if you absolutely HAVE to. Generally, the sudo command can be run from an admin account. In your case try using the sudo command in the second of the two commands from my last answer:
sudo ./loginwindow
( after having cd to /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS )
When you press the return key you will be prompted for your (admin) password. Enter this and press return again.
Allan
sudo ./loginwindow
( after having cd to /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS )
When you press the return key you will be prompted for your (admin) password. Enter this and press return again.
Allan
ezek346 - Jan 28, 2008 - 9:42 am
cd /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS
the above command does not work
it says it is not a valid command
SO
i tried it with just the first titles as below:
"cd/system" it shows system before the ":"
then i tried typing library and it did not work.
the above command does not work
it says it is not a valid command
SO
i tried it with just the first titles as below:
"cd/system" it shows system before the ":"
then i tried typing library and it did not work.
tubajensen - Jan 28, 2008 - 11:25 am
Don't forget the space between "cd" and "/System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS" !!!
The command "cd/system" (which you tried) will not work either. There has to be a space after cd !!! cd means change directory. The expression after the space is the directory you want to change to.
Allan
The command "cd/system" (which you tried) will not work either. There has to be a space after cd !!! cd means change directory. The expression after the space is the directory you want to change to.
Allan
ezek346 - Jan 28, 2008 - 3:19 pm
i am kind of sure i did it without the space and with the space.
i will try it again and this time i will make sure that there is a space
i will try it again and this time i will make sure that there is a space
tubajensen - Jan 29, 2008 - 4:34 pm
OK. Let me know if you want me to reopen your ticket for other techs' opinions.
Allan
Allan
tubajensen - Jan 29, 2008 - 4:36 pm
ezek346 - Jan 31, 2008 - 3:13 pm
now it will not load the console,
it just opens to the white screen with the gray apple and the spinning wheel, then the apple gets replaced with 0 with a slash through it.
it just opens to the white screen with the gray apple and the spinning wheel, then the apple gets replaced with 0 with a slash through it.
tubajensen - Feb 1, 2008 - 2:18 am
In this case I would try and save my data and reinstall the system. If you have access to another mac you could mount the hard disk of your iBook in Target Disk Mode using a firewire connection cable between the two macs. Then you can transfer data from your iMac's hard disk to the other mac. Afterwards reinstall the system software and update to the version you were using before you started having problems. At last transfer the data back to your iMac.
Allan
Allan
ezek346 - Feb 1, 2008 - 10:49 am
i do not have access to another mac.
i have linux(hp) and xp professional(lenovo),
only the xp has firewire.
i was never able to try the "cd" command above again because it will not go to the console, is there a command that will allow me to go to the console from startup so i can try the command?
also, i tried safe mode and it told me alot of information while it was trying to start up. one of the things it said was the single user mode did not match.
i have linux(hp) and xp professional(lenovo),
only the xp has firewire.
i was never able to try the "cd" command above again because it will not go to the console, is there a command that will allow me to go to the console from startup so i can try the command?
also, i tried safe mode and it told me alot of information while it was trying to start up. one of the things it said was the single user mode did not match.
tubajensen - Feb 1, 2008 - 11:19 am
Is this what you did?
Start your computer holding the ⌘ and S key on your keyboard. When the black screen turns up and the "writing" stops, you will see something like:
If you want to make modifications to files:
/sbin/fsck -fy
/sbin/mount -uw /
If you wish to boot the system:
exit
:/ root#
Now to check your filesystem, type:
/sbin/fsck -fy
and press the return button on your keyboard and wait for the process to finish. If any errors are found repeat the above mentioned command until you get something like:
** The volume some_name appears to be OK.
(The term "some_name" is just to indicate that I don't know the precise name). Now type:
exit
and hit the return key. Hopefully after some more terminal text your mac will boot into the login screen.
Start your computer holding the ⌘ and S key on your keyboard. When the black screen turns up and the "writing" stops, you will see something like:
If you want to make modifications to files:
/sbin/fsck -fy
/sbin/mount -uw /
If you wish to boot the system:
exit
:/ root#
Now to check your filesystem, type:
/sbin/fsck -fy
and press the return button on your keyboard and wait for the process to finish. If any errors are found repeat the above mentioned command until you get something like:
** The volume some_name appears to be OK.
(The term "some_name" is just to indicate that I don't know the precise name). Now type:
exit
and hit the return key. Hopefully after some more terminal text your mac will boot into the login screen.
ezek346 - Feb 1, 2008 - 11:26 am
i did type command s
it did go to the black screen with white writing, however,
the white writing went on for about 20 minutes
it kept writing something like "waiting on root device" over and over
it did go to the black screen with white writing, however,
the white writing went on for about 20 minutes
it kept writing something like "waiting on root device" over and over
tubajensen - Feb 2, 2008 - 7:34 am
It looks like the system folder cannot be found. In your place I would save my data and reinstall Tiger after having checked your hardware using Apple Hardware Test:
Before using Apple Hardware Test, disconnect all external devices with the exception of keyboard, mouse, display, and speakers. You should also disconnect the Ethernet network cable. Print out these instructions before proceeding with the following steps.
1. If your computer has no internal hard drive or optical drive (selected configurations only), you must connect an AppleCare approved external FireWire optical drive to a FireWire port on your computer in order to run Apple Hardware Test.
2. Restart your computer with the media containing Apple Hardware Test. Hold down the Option key while the computer restarts. Continue to hold down the Option key until a list of available bootable devices appears.
3. Select Apple Hardware Test and click the right arrow. The Loading icon then appears.
4. When the Apple Hardware Test language chooser screen appears, select the language appropriate for your locale, and press the Return key or Go button. The Loading icon then appears.
5. If your computer is not supported by the version of Apple Hardware Test, an error dialog will be displayed. You should Shut Down the computer, locate the correct media containing Apple Hardware Test for the computer, and repeat the above steps.
6. When the Apple Hardware Test main screen appears, follow the onscreen
instructions.
Allan
Before using Apple Hardware Test, disconnect all external devices with the exception of keyboard, mouse, display, and speakers. You should also disconnect the Ethernet network cable. Print out these instructions before proceeding with the following steps.
1. If your computer has no internal hard drive or optical drive (selected configurations only), you must connect an AppleCare approved external FireWire optical drive to a FireWire port on your computer in order to run Apple Hardware Test.
2. Restart your computer with the media containing Apple Hardware Test. Hold down the Option key while the computer restarts. Continue to hold down the Option key until a list of available bootable devices appears.
3. Select Apple Hardware Test and click the right arrow. The Loading icon then appears.
4. When the Apple Hardware Test language chooser screen appears, select the language appropriate for your locale, and press the Return key or Go button. The Loading icon then appears.
5. If your computer is not supported by the version of Apple Hardware Test, an error dialog will be displayed. You should Shut Down the computer, locate the correct media containing Apple Hardware Test for the computer, and repeat the above steps.
6. When the Apple Hardware Test main screen appears, follow the onscreen
instructions.
Allan
ezek346 - Feb 2, 2008 - 8:57 pm
how can i save my data without another mac?
tubajensen - Feb 3, 2008 - 6:05 am
If your system doesn't start at all I don't know any other way than taking the computer to a store for repair and/or data rescue.
If you want me to I will reopen your question for other techs to view. Otherwise I will close the ticket.
Allan
If you want me to I will reopen your question for other techs to view. Otherwise I will close the ticket.
Allan
ezek346 - Feb 4, 2008 - 9:18 pm
please reopen the question.
--------------------------------------
Question:
is it possible to load osx on an external hard drive then boot the computer from the external?
then i could burn my information to cd's and reload osx on the internal hard drive.
--------------------------------------
Question:
is it possible to load osx on an external hard drive then boot the computer from the external?
then i could burn my information to cd's and reload osx on the internal hard drive.
tubajensen - Feb 5, 2008 - 7:51 am
I'm not sure, since your question has expired.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Answer: Depending on the model of your machine and the way you connect the external hard drive (firewire or usb), you can boot the computer from it. Reason being, older PPC Macs cannot boot from USB devices while they can easily boot from firewire drives. However, the newer Intel Macs can boot from USB devices.
Allan
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Answer: Depending on the model of your machine and the way you connect the external hard drive (firewire or usb), you can boot the computer from it. Reason being, older PPC Macs cannot boot from USB devices while they can easily boot from firewire drives. However, the newer Intel Macs can boot from USB devices.
Allan
Serenak - Feb 7, 2008 - 3:38 pm
Hello Tim
Well this is a bit of a pickle isn't it?
the "no entry" sign indicates that no viable system can be found to boot from... the fact that "Single User" produces about 20 minutes of text rather than the usual few seconds and says "waiting on root device" or words to that effect means the disk or the kernel are messed up but good
Target Disk mode has been mentioned but if you don't have access to another Mac it won't help much... and if the Mac is /really/ messed up you may not be able to get that anyway.
You may be able to install a version of OS X onto an external FW drive (if you have one) and then boot from that and grab whatever may be salvagable (look to tools like Carbon Copy Cloner, iBackup, or the Demo Mode of SuperDuper! here - you can find them on Google)
If not your last ditch may be to use a PPC version of Ubuntu via the Live CD (you can get the latest one here... http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/releases/gutsy/release/ At least I think it is the latest... even if not it will do the job)
Get the .iso and make a CD on one of your other boxes and boot the Mac from it... hopefully from that you should have some hope to copy the contents of the Mac HDD to any other space you can find...
Right now see where you can get and come back to me
Well this is a bit of a pickle isn't it?
the "no entry" sign indicates that no viable system can be found to boot from... the fact that "Single User" produces about 20 minutes of text rather than the usual few seconds and says "waiting on root device" or words to that effect means the disk or the kernel are messed up but good
Target Disk mode has been mentioned but if you don't have access to another Mac it won't help much... and if the Mac is /really/ messed up you may not be able to get that anyway.
You may be able to install a version of OS X onto an external FW drive (if you have one) and then boot from that and grab whatever may be salvagable (look to tools like Carbon Copy Cloner, iBackup, or the Demo Mode of SuperDuper! here - you can find them on Google)
If not your last ditch may be to use a PPC version of Ubuntu via the Live CD (you can get the latest one here... http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/releases/gutsy/release/ At least I think it is the latest... even if not it will do the job)
Get the .iso and make a CD on one of your other boxes and boot the Mac from it... hopefully from that you should have some hope to copy the contents of the Mac HDD to any other space you can find...
Right now see where you can get and come back to me
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