init: can't exec /bin/sh for single user.....

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Level 1

5 points

init: can't exec /bin/sh for single user.....

Has anyone come across this gem during start-up? it's outputting

init: can't exec /bin/sh for single user: No such file or directory
init: can't exec /bin/sh for single user: No such file or directory
init: can't exec /bin/sh for etc/rc: No such file or directory

This shows up after the apple logo on start-up. Any ideas?

Alum 12" 867Mhz powerbook, Ti 550Mhz, 15" Alum 1.5Mhz, Mac OS X (10.3.9), 14" ibook 600Mhz

Posted on Mar 16, 2006 5:12 PM

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Answer 1

Niel

Level 10

741,911 points

Mar 16, 2006 7:57 PM in response to Brian Garcia

That message suggests that Mac OS X isn't able to open a shell or run the startup scripts because one of the items it needs is missing. Fixing this issue will require reinstalling Mac OS X.

(11150)

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Answer 2

Brian Garcia Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 16, 2006 8:00 PM in response to Niel

eeek, sounds bad of course. Thanks for the reply. Am I able to recover data from this drive via target disk mode or installing in an external enclosure?

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Answer 3

Niel

Level 10

741,911 points

Mar 16, 2006 11:34 PM in response to Brian Garcia

You should be able to recover your data from your drive by using FireWire Target Disk mode or placing it in an enclosure and hooking it up to another Mac.

(11161)

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