Kernel Panic OS X El Capitan: Unable to get past login screen + Amazon Reward

johnsanpedro

Hi, I've gone the official route w/ Apple and I'm tired of repeating myself
and before I bring my MacBook in to a repair shop, I'm hoping someone
can guide me to fixing this. I'm not a developer or a savant but I can take instructions.

Will happily send a gift certificate from Amazon to whoever can help me w/ this.

Couple things:

* I caused this. Idiotically, I double clicked on an OS update pkg/installer for Sierra, I believe, while cleaning out unused apps. "Dude."
* I had a recent Time Machine backup until I tried to access it on an external. (Seagate hoses me again.) Can't get anything off the 3Tb.
Friend says its toast. I believe him. Unreal. If I could punch a company, it would be Seagate. Pox on me for giving them another chance to save a buck.
* I basically get to the login screen, get the left-aligned list of PANIC, KILLs and KERNELs and then it's off to the merry-go-round of failed boots.
* I can access Terminal, Startup, etc, but it blocks me (Mac Hard drive = building database -- for 3 days now)...other options are "locked" (external + phantom drive that appeared after my mistake)
* From all I read, I need to do a clean reinstall of Mountain Lion (mine = 1.4.11)

* I can see my files and folders  but they're all greyed out in finder windows. How do I access and save files?
* How can I install OS X when I can't access Store or a "locked" hard drive? 

Oh, and it's my only machine. I have iPad and iPhone.

Thanks for reading. Kind of urgent. Amazon gift card in play. 

mike wuerthele

Well, I know you say you only have the one machine, but if you want to save your data here, your best bet is connecting the machine to somebody's loaner in Thunderbolt target disk mode.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201462

After you get your stuff off, an internet recovery is your best bet. That's all I've got, sorry.