Powerbook G3 (Bronze) Won't Boot! Exec Fromat Error

Joe,

First try the suggestions in this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214

Joe,

I see you mentioned trying Safe Boot but not 'fsck'. If you have not done so, it really is quite easy.

Start up in Single User Mode but don't type 'reboot'.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106388

Now follow these steps as outlined in the link in my earlier post:

2.At the command-line prompt, type /sbin/fsck -fy
3.Press Return. fsck will go through five "phases" and then return information about your disk's use and fragmentation. Once it finishes, it'll display this message if no issue is found:

** The volume (name ofvolume) appears to be OK

If fsck found issues and has altered, repaired, or fixed anything, it will display this message:

*** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ***


Important: If this message appears, repeat the fsck command you typed in step 2 until fsck tells you that your volume appears to be OK (first-pass repairs may uncover additional issues, so this is a normal thing to do).
4.When fsck reports that your volume is OK, type reboot at the prompt and then press Return.
-------------------------------------

When you type /sbin/fsck -fy , it is very important to exactly copy the command. There is a space between the letter 'k' and the '-'.

If the above does not help, you have a problem that probably needs 10.3/Panther CDs to correct. Since you do not have built-in FireWire, you cannot connect your Lombard to another Mac in FireWire Target Disk Mode and make repairs. If you plan on keeping the Lombard, I would recommend finding a used set of Panther disks. Another option is to remove the HD from the Lombard, place it in a FireWire or USB 2.5" HD enclosure, then connect the HD to another Mac for repairs. However, I think Panther disks are the best way to go.

Message was edited by: jpl

If you need repairs, how long should you wait? Mine said "Repairing volume." for over an hour and I can't hear any noises any more from the inside. It's just sitting there in la la land. No prompt - just:

** Repairing volume.

Then there is the little cursor rectangle underneath. Any thoughts?

Maybe I should elaborate. I am using a PowerBook G3 Bronze keyboard, running 10.2 (Was at 10.3.9)
A few weeks ago I was online (wirelessly through Verizon DSL) and everything froze. Tried to restart over and over and kept getting Darwin. Reinstalled the system software (back to 10.2) from original disks. Same problem. Now when I turn on the machine I get the MAC OSX start up screen where I log in. I hit log-in and type in my password from the pop up and then it goes to the Darwin/BSD screen. So, after looking though the help and threads I have come to this point of starting up in single user mode and this is what happens:

@ the sh-2.05a# I typed in /sbin/fsck -y (then here is the rest as it shows on screen)
/dev/rdisk0s5
Root file system
Checking HFS Plus volume
fsck_hfs: Volume is journaled. No checking performed.
fsck_hfs: Use the -f option to force checking.
sh-2.05a# sbin/fsck -fy
/dev/rdisk0s5
Root file system
Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Invalid sibling link
(4, 38934)
Invalid B-tree Header
Invalid map node
(4, 0)
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Missing thread record (id = 2127165)
Missing thread record (id = 2127168)
Missing thread record (id = 2127257)
Missing thread record (id = 2127283)
Missing thread record (id = 2127304)
Invalid volume directory count
(It should be 94867 instead of 92322)
Invalid volume file count
(It should be 331255 instead of 321746)
Checking volume bitmap.
Volume Bit Map needs minor repair
Checking volume information.
Invalid volume free block count
(It should be 1845465 instead of 1787864)
Repairing volume.

That's it. Then it sits there. Sounds like it's working for a while then like goes to sleep. This is the 2nd time I have done it. The first time I let it sit for like 1 hour and a half. Then I shut it off with the power button and restarted it, got the same results and so I started it in single user mode and tried this again. The only thing that changed from the first time to the second was the volume free block count the first time it said "(It should be 1844564 instead of 1786963) It is currently 12:59 and it has been since 12:06 when it said "Repairing volume." Can't hear anything. Can someone please take pity on me and let me know what I should do before I ruin this thing? I have been the only owner of this thing and have never had a history of problems. (Except for battery drainage, but now I use the adapter)

One other thing: When I get to the Darwin screen and it asks for my login and then password, I haven't got that right either. It says
Darwin/BSD (G3computer.local.) (console)
login:

haven't a clue what they want. Tried a bunch of things, but with no success.

Message was edited by: Nyati585

Nyati,

You do have a directory problem on the HD which Disk Utility's First Aid cannot repair; in fact you have multiple problems:

Invalid sibling link
Invalid B-tree Header
Invalid map node
Missing thread record
Invalid volume directory count
Invalid volume file count
Volume Bit Map needs minor repair
Invalid volume free block count

I was going to suggest a utility like DiskWarrior (you would need to boot to the DiskWarrior CD) to repair the HD but I don't know if it can correct all of these issues. You would be spending close to $100 to find out if it does not work. The alternative is to try an Archive & Install, but with all the problems you have, erasing the HD, then reinstalling everything may be the only solution. The limitation of the A&I is you may still have corruption in your Home Directory (which is preserved in the A&I) plus any problems in the HD root directory may not be corrected.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120

Will I make things worse by turning it off now? Or is it really working still? It's been 'repairing volume since 12:06 and it is now 2:22. But I don't hear anything.

Also, do you think I can boot up and copy the contents of the hard disk to an external hard drive? You know so I don't lose my iTunes, etc...

Still searching for answers and found this:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107250

now what? It doesn't say.

Nyati,

Well, you still have these issues although one or two may have slightly different wording.

Invalid sibling link
Invalid B-tree Header
Invalid map node
Invalid volume directory count
Invalid volume file count

I did a search for one item, invalid sibling link, and found this report; read the whole thread.

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20070204093925888

I would recommend you post over on the MacOS X 10.3 and Earlier Dicussions so I don't possibly mislead you:

http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=161

Yes, you can turn your Lombard off since nothing is happening. If there are files you wish to backup, by all means copy them to an external HD. As you may know, the Lombard will not boot to an external HD with either 9.x or 10.x via the USB port, so you will have to boot to a CD in the Lombard and hope the internal HD mounts on the desktop. If you have a MacOS 8.6 > 9.2.2 CD, you can find your iTunes folder or any other files and drag-copy them to a USB HD. You can also boot to an OSX CD and use Terminal to copy files over to another volume but I don't know how to do this.

Well, so far nothing has worked. I tried with my utility (Drive 10 and Tech Tool Pro) and all the tests passed until it got to the "Volume Structure" that went on for a long time, never finished and shut off on me. Luckily, it doesn't appear that it has doe any damage as I am in the same situation I was before with Darwin. However, I am having some difficulty getting my information off the hard drive so I can erase and start over. Haven't been able to locate my OS 8 or 9 disks and 10.2 won't work for some reason. Fun times for me. : )

Thank you though for all of your advice JPL.