Stuck in install loop in setup assistant

Same thing happened to me - stuck in the infinite setup assistant loop after a normal software install. I used the "safe mode" trick, and the machine came back. That was the good news.

Now the bad news: Unfortunately, the last file I was working on was corrupted somehow during the install process, and now it's permanently unretrievable (it was a large Photoshop file for a client). Now I know what you're thinking, you should be using Time Machine, and guess what, I am. So I looked in the backups, and my last backup was several hours old and reflected none of the important changes. Time Machine had silently stopped backing up my files.

So now I have a corrupted file and no recent backup (despite using hourly backup software). My guess here is that the backup drive quietly unmounted, but it sure would be nice if Time Machine gave a warning.

In any case, the moral here is before ever installing anything, check your Time Machine backups and make sure they're current.

I'm having the same problem. I bought my mac two months ago, upgraded to leopard the day it came out; initially had no problems; then yesterday (11/09/07), while working, got a mesage that said software updates ready to install (from apple). after installing and restarting I got directed to this endless loop witht he setup assistant. I've tried everything the manual says to do; I've called support twice. The guy at support said he had never heard of this problem before. I have tried putting in the leopard disk, the initial startup disks; nothing works with them, nor does anything work with the menu bars at the top. if you find anyting let me know. dr.archer@sbcglobal.net thx

Bingo! That solved it for me. Yay!

I was so not looking forward to a reinstall. My wee MacBook is only 3 days old and I'd just gotten everything set up the way I liked. (Maybe Time Machine would have saved me some effort, but I've been unplugged from the backup drive since breakfast.)

I wonder what the **** state the system is being put into that it feels the need to run the setup assistant, and yet can't successfully finish it? I was just trying to do the 10.5.1 update when the machine locked up and it got stuck in the SA loop after a hard reset. It doesn't seem like a completely bizarre scenario...

Help!!! I'm still having the same problem!!! I've tried everything everyone recommends too!

Thanks for your post. It worked just fine for me.

Apple really should fix this. Or at least inform about the workaround.

Are we looking at the same "back"button? The button I see is on the "Startup Screen" is grayed out. Clicking back will do nothing. I can boot to safe mode and quit the Startup screen but then I am back to the login page. Essentially, I am back to the same loop, only this time I am in safe mode.

Using a MacBook Pro 15".

I've been using macs for over 20 years, I am on my 6th or 7th Apple computer. I have migrated from computer to computer with no problems......except my brand new 24" loaded imac with leopard preinstalled which developed this problem after having to erase the original installation clean because it wouldn't recognize the old mac or the external fire drive duplicate of the old mac. Finally, erased and reinstalled, transferred my old mac to the new one, worked with it for 2 hours, decided to go ahead and run software update and then this problem, endless looping setup assistant. And if I didn't have internet access on another computer to find this thread and Jon.grovers solution, who knows how long it would have been before I fixed the problem. This solution appears to have solved my problem.

Do I really need to keep my install disks in the hard drive just in case I have to boot off the install disks again? Disheartening to even the most loyal Apple user to have a windowsesque/Vista experience.

I've got the opposite problem. I accidently quit Mac OS X Installer after the install was finished, intending to close the log I'd opened (the "W" and the "Q" are so close to each other…). Although I've added the audio to the video and thus seen the opening film, I'd like to see it properly 🙂 . Does anyone have a way to start up the computer as though it's the first time it has been turned on with that OS?

I'm having a similar problem but it wasn't related to any software updates. Mac OS X just started failiing on me and forcing me to restart. Everything would freeze and a black transparent box popped up telling me to restart. And the first couple of times nothing changed but then it happened twice within an hour and it took longer to reboot and then again and it took like 20 minutes and now it just keeps getting worse. Does anyone have any idea what I did or what to do? I went to disk utilities in safe mode and tried unsuccessfully to verify the disk.
I have everything backed up on time machine and all my data in another format as well. Should I just reformat it? and reload Leopard?
Does this make any sense?
One other thing, after all this other stuff happened I picked it up and there was this terrible grinding noise that I'm assuming was the disk. Could that be associated with this problem?

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE YOU! Wowww... today was the worst day until now!
I got home & got on my Macbook & ding-ding-ding, 2 software updates! Awesome!!!!
I click continue and then it says hey btw umm ur not connected to a power source so are u down with us still continuing???
i'm like yep...

So then after a while... it didnt restart, so i just held down the power button. I turn my computer on & setup assistant comes up! I'm like OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG ohhhhhh noooo!!!!! I restart 2 or 3 more times by pushing the button down.. and still the same thing.

Then, I called APple and they said I would need to archive & install with my leopard disk which i dont have becauseeeee my sister has it @ college. AHH so i would have to wait 2 more days.

IDEA! Maybe I should look at some forums... so I did what you suggested & as I type thiss.. the software updates happened! AND NOW.. My computer is back to NORMAL! wooooooo hooooooo!!!!!

That's my story & once again, thank you! I was about to die!!!!!!!!!1

shame on you apple for not at least replying to this thread. this is a very reproducible and reprehensible bug.

after much angst and disbelief, i found this thread and the safe boot / reboot process worked for me. thank you!

Hi,

I'm stuck in this infinite loop on my 8 core Mac Pro. I've tried booting into safe mode, but the machine reboots itself before the grey startup screen clears. I can boot into single user mode and poke around, but not much else.

It seems that I need to run software update to get rid of the bad update.

Has anyone else experienced the reboot loop when booting into safe mode?

Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to provide.

if you need to save your data, you can do what i just finished doing with my moms minimac.

1) power down the troubled mac
2) plug it into another running mac with a FIREWIRE cable (USB will not work)
3) hold down the T key while starting up the troubled mac

this will put your troubled mac into Target Mode and you will be able to see your files and recover your data. i just finished doing it with my mothers computer.

once i could see her home folder i copied it over to an external hard drive and was able to pull the data back over after we did a clean install on it.

good luck

Thanks for the suggestion. It worked as advertised after installing the latest updates (QuickTime, ITunes, FrontRow) on my iMac running 10.5.1. The Setup Assistant wouldn't stop. Thank goodness I had a different machine to search for the answer.

You may walk freely on this land, safe in the knowledge that you are truly a God amongst men. We love you.