Boot failure

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Boot failure

On start up I now get a

/etc/masterpasswd: No such file or directory
/etc/masterpasswd: No such file or directory
sh-2.0a#

message.

I've repaired the permissions - no change. I booted from a CD in OS9 and then selected start up disk as OS9 and this worked but it won't start in OSX.

I tried article 106908 but when I fire up in single-user mode it eventually reads:
Singleuser boot -- fsck not done
Root device is mounted read only
If you want to make modifactions to files,
/etc/masterpasswd: No such file or directory
/etc/masterpasswd: No such file or directory
sh-2.0a#

typing in the 2nd instruction in KB article 106908 ( mount -uw /) only gives me

sh-2.0a#

again and again

Any ideas greatfully received.

Using an expanded beige G3 desktop partitoned into 4 (1 OSX; 2 OS9; 3 programmes; 4 data)

Thanks Mervyn

Beige G3 desktop, Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Posted on Apr 13, 2006 2:27 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 13, 2006 4:08 PM in response to Mervyn

Mervyn--

typing in the 2nd instruction in KB article 106908 (
mount -uw /) only gives me

sh-2.0a#

again and again

Have you tried any of the other commands after that from KB article? I think, if I remember correctly, that the mount -uw / command just puts you right back at the prompt if it's successful. If the computer allows you to do any of the ln or mv commands from that article, then the mount command worked. If not, you'll get an error and nothing will happen...

charlie

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Answer 2

Mervyn Author

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Apr 14, 2006 12:44 AM in response to Charles Minow

Hi Charlie

Thanks for the idea.

I tried it but I get

sh: 1n: command not found
sh-2.05a#

Does this suggest its not able to perform these tasks?

Mervyn

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Answer 3

Mervyn Author

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Apr 14, 2006 7:56 AM in response to Mervyn

I have now tried archive and install but that failed part way to a black screen. So what does sh-2.05a# mean and what's the solution? A complete re-install? My files are on another partition so presumably would not be lost? But even if this is necessary, what was the cause and how do I prevent a recurrence?

Help!

Mervyn>

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Answer 4

Mervyn Author

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Apr 15, 2006 1:54 AM in response to Mervyn

Have now inserted CD disc one, went through steps to archive and install saving network settings etc and it locked up with a black screen!

Any other ideas? A complete re-install of OSX may be? My files are on another partition so presuamble there would be no data loss? Either way what is it that causes this sh-2.05a# and what does it mean?

WRT to RAM, I have bought more in the past but OSX 10.2 has been generally OK. Have now tried to do a clean install but it, too, failed part way through. Now I can't 'see' the partition I made for OSX at all to select? I can't use the install CD Disk First Aid on it as although it can 'see' the partition, it is greyed out. So I re-booted into 9 and looked in the partition for OSX which was visible on the desktop and could see 3 Previous System folders, presumably from my attempts at Archive and Install but the current OSX system folder was missing folders and files when compared to the Previous System folders. I assume that this is because the clean install failed.

I also now note that when I was attempting to follow KB article 106908 I typed 1 (one) instead of l (lower case l) in the line ln -s /private/etc etc
[hardly surrprising given the subtle change of font in the article] although I am still not sure I'd have succeeded. However, as I can't get at the partition to install I'm not sure waht to do next.

If I start in OS9 and run its Disk First Aid to verify it reports

'Problem: invalid sibling link, 4, 5482'

and says it can't repair them

Help please.

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Answer 5

Apr 15, 2006 10:21 AM in response to Mervyn

My files are on another partition so presuamble there
would be no data loss?

There shouldn't be, but if your problems are caused by a physical problem with your hard drive, that's another story. Partitions are just the same drive platter sectioned off, so it's possible to lose data on all the partitions with some kinds of failures.

Either way what is it that
causes this sh-2.05a# and what does it mean?

That's caused by the inability of the OS to boot up into the Aqua part of OS X. In your case, it appears that the OS can't start the GUI because it can't find a file it needs to continue on. The sh-2.05a part of the prompt is just a shell prompt. The # part is to tell you that you're logged in as the "root" user, with the highest privileges and rights possible.

Have now tried to do a
clean install but it, too, failed part way through.
Now I can't 'see' the partition I made for OSX at all
to select? I can't use the install CD Disk First Aid
on it as although it can 'see' the partition, it is
greyed out.

Hmm. That's beginning to sound like the drive is going bad. Perhaps physical damage has occured to that partition. If this is the original hard drive in the computer, it may just be failing from old age.

So I re-booted into 9 and looked in the
partition for OSX which was visible on the desktop
and could see 3 Previous System folders, presumably
from my attempts at Archive and Install

Since you can see the OS X partition from OS 9, how much free space is there? The 3 Previous System folders (from the previous Archive and Installs) would be taking up space. But more worrying is that you can no longer select that partition in the Disk Utility or installer. At this point, I hate to say it, but I think you might need to back up everything on all your partitions and see if you can re-partition the drive again.

If I start in OS9 and run its Disk First Aid to
verify it reports

'Problem: invalid sibling link, 4, 5482'

and says it can't repair them

Hmm. According to the MicroMat tech in his second post in this thread, if the first number is a 3 or 4, that kind of error can be enough of a problem to keep the disk (or partition) from mounting. He says it's possible that another disk utility like DiskWarrior might be able to fix it.

charlie

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Answer 6

Mervyn Author

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Apr 15, 2006 10:35 AM in response to Charles Minow

Charlie

Thanks for this. I realise hard drives fail but this is not the original in fact its only a year or two old and I can see everything on all partitions when in OS9, I just can't start up in OSX. I remember partitioning the OSX partition when I fitted it as I read it was sensible to do this and I think I set it around 5GB. I will delete the Previous ones as there definitely is a risk that there isn't room for a clean install if there a 3 failed archive attempts. Will post back tomorrow but thanks for now.

Mervyn

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