Deleted private­/var/db folder.... Can't boot

When OS X installs, it starts by creating the directories and folders where the systems files will be placed. You've got to start somewhere, but in effect, if the OP's system won't boot at all, then there isn't much left to do but to do a clean install and forget about the personal data on her drive.

I'm not even sure creating a new "db" folder in one shot is possible. She'd probably have to navigate through the folder treeline one step at a time anyway. It's worth a try, in any case, provided she can boot in Single User mode at all... Extracting the system files from the install DVD can then be done, also in Single User mode.

(Feels strange replying to my own post... Is this how schizophrenia starts?) 😁 (Anyway...)

Though technically there's no archiving-and-installing in Snow Leopard as it existed on previous versions of OS X, some users claim they've performed SL clean installs without actually losing any personal data. I'm more than circumspect about this, but there's a way to back-up your personal data after booting from the install disk.

Once you've booted from the install DVD, and after selecting your install language, you'll reach a screen that looks like a Desktop. Click on Utilities, then on Terminal.

In the Terminal window, type "cd /Volumes/MacintoshHD" (supposing your startup volume name is "MacintoshHD", which is the name the OS X installer will give it natively) and press Enter;

At the next prompt, type "mkdir PersonalData" and press Enter. This will create a new folder at the root of your MacintoshHD volume.

Type "mv /Volumes/MacintoshHD/Users/Your_Account/ ./PersonalData/" (there IS a space between "Your_Account/" and "./PersonalData/"; don't forget the period before the slash in the latter's name), then press Enter.

This should create a hidden folder in your MacintoshHD volume called PersonalData, and move (the "mv" command) the content of your home folder into it. Depending on the amount of data, this could take a while, so wait until you see the prompt sign again before proceeding with the OS X install, after exiting Terminal.

HTH...

If you can boot from the DVD, why don't you reinstall Snow Leopard integrally? It's always best to start anew than to patch an unstable system. In this case, you don't need Pacifist. Use the USB thumb drive to back up your personal data, then reinstall OS X.

Use the command I mentioned in my next-to-last post to create a folder on your hard drive too. Just to be on the safe side.

Oh, and, have I told you never to delete... Oh, I have, haven't I? 😁

This quick recovery worked for me:

Boot into recovery mode (CMD+R)

Open Utils->Terminal

cp -r /private/var/folders /Volumes/Mac/private/var/

reboot