Please Help with start up issue!

tink

Any help or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.



Dual G5 2 Ghz, 1.5 GB DDR, ATI x800 OS 10.4.3 home mac, 2 user accounts. I'm at work right now so I will tinker later tonight.



System hangs when starting up with Grey Apple icon and the status wheel spinning. Fans will kick on to full blast or almost full blast and system doesn't progress to the login screen. I have let it run for over 30 minutes like this thinking it may boot, then I will hard shut down from the main power key.



Something weird happened probably stemming from a perceived hang when running Yazu a utility that runs maintenance chores as well as repair permissions, pre-binding etc. I had to shutdown in the middle of a prolonged repairing of permissions. Yazu warns about other users logged off before using which I am 99% sure was the case and that it is better not to quit out of the App until it's done, even if it is taking a long time...... uhhh woops.



Never had issues with Yasu and this system has been rock solid until now, 2 days after 10.4.3 OS update.



System will start up in Target Disc Mode fine and quick and everything seems to be there. I pulled files off to my laptop to backup.



I've run Disk Utilities from the Tiger start up DVD and laptop. First run found issues it could not fix and which quit out of trying to fix them. System was looking in the lost and found folders for something, maybe a bologna sandwich?



After that, running Disk Utilities form Tiger DVD found no errors.

Rebuilt Directory with Alsoft - DiskWarrior 3.03. Which found some errors and replaced the directory. Everything comes out OK now when I rerun those two utilities -No problems found.



Repaired Permissions from Tiger startup DVD to see if that helped, I usually only repair permissions when booted in and from the Hard Drive.



Can't boot into Safe Boot Mode.



Haven't run a hardware test yet, but nothings been Wonky or unstable until this.



I'm considering running the full standalone 10.4.3 installer from Target boot mode from my laptop but I am worried about loosing my wife's 10 GB of iTunes music- 5 GB ipod, no room left on my cd burning tibook, (read not all backed up yet).

tink

Common you guys!



Throw me a bone!

ebby

it is crashing on bootup. My guess is that the update was pooched and took a few days to die. Your data should be fine, just back it up and reformat/reinstall. You could also do a archive and install and try to re-update your computer if you don't have a lot of time..

lundy

Quote:

Originally posted by tink

Common you guys!



Throw me a bone!

You need to delete the file com.apple.loginwindow.plist.



Can you boot into single-user mode (hold down command-s during boot?)



Then navigate to /Library/Preferences and use the rm command to remove the file I noted above:



cd /Library/Preferences

rm com.apple.loginwindow.plist



reboot

tink

Quote:

Originally posted by lundy

You need to delete the file com.apple.loginwindow.plist.



Can you boot into single-user mode (hold down command-s during boot?)



Then navigate to /Library/Preferences and use the rm command to remove the file I noted above:



cd /Library/Preferences

rm com.apple.loginwindow.plist



reboot

Thanks Lundy!

I have not tried single user mode yet, but will tonight after work.

If I can't boot into single user mode, can't I navigate to the same file via Target disc mode from my laptop through the Finder?



Ebby- This will be my last resort. No DVD-R on the laptop and I haven't worked out how to move the many, many GB of data at the moment. (30 CD'S or so of stuff I'd like to keep as well not reinstalling all my apps). I may network my old Blue and White thats in the garage, but before all that yadda yadda................... bye bye com.apple.loginwindow.plist

lundy

Quote:

If I can't boot into single user mode, can't I navigate to the same file via Target disc mode from my laptop through the Finder?

Yep, that would be even better, if it will boot into Target mode. I have several partitions on my main HD so when this happened to me I just booted to the other partition to delete the file.



Hopefully your problem is the same as mine was and this will fix it.

tink

Quote:

Originally posted by lundy

Yep, that would be even better, if it will boot into Target mode. I have several partitions on my main HD so when this happened to me I just booted to the other partition to delete the file.



Hopefully your problem is the same as mine was and this will fix it.

I'll give it a go in a few hours.



My work Dually has 2 Hard drives with a couple partitions in one which defiantly helps if situations like this arise...

tink

Quote:

Originally posted by tink

I'll give it a go in a few hours.



My work Dually has 2 Hard drives with a couple partitions in one which defiantly helps if situations like this arise...

Well deleting com.apple.loginwindow.plist didn't work.



I think its with disk utlilities or what ever it's running prior to boot up. Thats my guess.

fahlman

Boot in to single-user mode and run fsck.

tink

Quote:

Originally posted by fahlman

Boot in to single-user mode and run fsck.

"System appears to be okay"



\



I ran "fsck -yf" and the fans came up etc.



Reboot and same spinning - like my head,

lundy

Quote:

Originally posted by tink

Well deleting com.apple.loginwindow.plist didn't work.



I think its with disk utlilities or what ever it's running prior to boot up. Thats my guess.

Well, hell. I think there might have been another file I deleted when I had this problem. Lemme check.



EDIT: how about windowserver.plist or preferences.plist - try moving those out of the /Library/Preferences.

fahlman

This sounds like it could be a netinfo database problem. Repairing this is beyond my knowledge.



Have you tried repairing permissions in single-user mode? Here's the command:

Code:

diskutil repairPermissions /

fahlman

Going out on a limb, but maybe a incomplete prebinding is causing your problem. I don't even know if this can be a problem. I bet it wouldn't hurt to update prebinding in single-user mode.

Code:

update_prebinding -force / -root

tink

Once again I will try these suggestions this evening, after work.



Thank you one and all.

tink

Quote:

Originally posted by lundy

Well, hell. I think there might have been another file I deleted when I had this problem. Lemme check.



EDIT: how about windowserver.plist or preferences.plist - try moving those out of the /Library/Preferences.

windowserver.plist is a no go.

No preferences.plist file just com.apple.preferences.accounts.plist which I assume is the right pref. ( I live by assumption )... is a no go.





Next on to diskutil repairPermissions /



and my favorite (which I think will do the trick)



update_prebinding -force / -root



Yalla, wee hooo!

tink

Quote:

Originally posted by fahlman

This sounds like it could be a netinfo database problem. Repairing this is beyond my knowledge.



Have you tried repairing permissions in single-user mode? Here's the command: Code:

diskutil repairPermissions /

Code:

dyld: Library not loaded: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MediaKit.framework/Versions?A?MediaKit

Reason: image not found

Trace/BPI trap

localhost:/ root#





Trapped

tink

Quote:

Originally posted by fahlman

Going out on a limb, but maybe a incomplete prebinding is causing your problem. I don't even know if this can be a problem. I bet it wouldn't hurt to update prebinding in single-user mode.



Code:

update_prebinding -force / -root

Code:

update_prebinding: warning: unknown option /

resolveUndefined(___CFConstantStringClassReference ) in /System/Library/Frameworks?IOKit.framework/Versions?A?IOKit

resolveUndefined(___CFConstantStringClassReference ) in /System/Library/Frameworks?IOKit.framework/Versions?A?IOKit

update_prebinding" error; Library not loaded: /System/Library/Frameworks/SystemConfiguration.framework/Versions/A/SystemConfiguration

Reason: image not found

localhost;/ root#





in other words.....grumble grumble

tink

ahhhhh

CD #4 burned



12 more to go................

tink

Any more suggestions out there?



Thanks!

tink

Well I ended up reinstalling the download update via Target disc mode.

Now I get to the Mac OS X progress bar page.



Wee hooo progress.



Now I'm hanging at the point where the progress bar is full and should pop the screen into the login window....



The HD crunches along for about 10 minutes (sounds like it's indexing) and then stops...



(I've run all my utilities again and all's comin up roses)



Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiet



I should of grabbed a HD at work.



I think I'll install the stand alone one more time and then buy another HD to load a fresh OS on and try and do a migration of the 2 user files.



Does anyone know if the migration tool works with more then one user?

fahlman

Quote:

Originally posted by tink

Code:

update_prebinding: warning: unknown option /

resolveUndefined(___CFConstantStringClassReference ) in /System/Library/Frameworks?IOKit.framework/Versions?A?IOKit

resolveUndefined(___CFConstantStringClassReference ) in /System/Library/Frameworks?IOKit.framework/Versions?A?IOKit

update_prebinding" error; Library not loaded: /System/Library/Frameworks/SystemConfiguration.framework/Versions/A/SystemConfiguration

Reason: image not found

localhost;/ root#

in other words.....grumble grumble



Maybe it doesn't like the -force / -root. Try it without those options. While I used to know what -force and -root was for I've always done it that way and have forgotten the reason. Do a

Code:

man update_prebinding



. I think -force forces the prebinding of files that can don't necessary need their prebinding redone?