Can't start in single user mode, trying to fix blue screen startup

Trying to fix my blue screen startup and I'm on the step to fix the Network Preferences and I'm suppoed to go into single user mode. It starts but then locks up. last line is: localhost:\ root# Anyone have an idea?

Hi David.
Sorry we haven't received any response yet. getting used to the new forum is occupying a lot of peoples time at present I fear. I've yelled a bit louder this time!
In the mean time, have you already tried starting up in SAFE mode, rather than SU? http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107393 and following the other processes identified in http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106464
If you have access to another firewire equipt Mac then you could also use Target disk mode (connect the two together with a firewire cable, then start up your own computer while holding down the t key. ) Your own HD would then appear on the desktop of the other computer as another HD, and you can then proceed to remove or shift the same .plist files (on your own HD) identified in point 4 or 5 of http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106464
Cheers
Rod

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Unable to start in single-user mode - HD dead?

My MacBook Pro (Mac OS X) refused to start, it hung up on the loading screen where you see the apple and the spinning loading wheel. I found out how to fix this, I had to go into single-user mode and type "/sbin/fsck -fy" to repair/verify the disk (I was unable to do so from the Disk Utility via the Install Disc, the repair/verify buttons were just grayed out).
Anyways, doing this from the command line (single-user mode) fixed the problem and I could boot into Mac OS X (there were more issuses after this point which forced me to do an "Archive and Install").
^ that happened a week ago. And happened again yesterday, hung up on the exact same point. So I boot up my Mac into single-user mode, and type in "/sbin/fsck -fy" to start the process. Different from last time, I got a lot of text this time. It also kept going for a longer while. After about 10 minutes, there was a couple of minutes where nothing happened. So I typed "/sbin/fsck -fy" again (as I'm supposed to do so until it says "** The volume (nameofvolume) appears to be OK"), and I got some more text, then nothing happened for a while.
Inpatient as I am, I considered the process to be complete, and restarted my Mac by typing "exit".
I think I ****** up my Mac OS X partition at this point. Because when I try to start my Mac now, it automaticly boots into Windows XP (my other partition). Also I cannot enter single-user mode or Verbose mode, the Mac just ignores and goes right into Windows XP.
I've tried to boot from the Install Disc. When I run Disk Utility, the "HD"(name of Mac OS X partition) is grayed out. I can't do an Archive and Install because it cannot detect my main partition.
An interesting thing though: When I have the Install Disc inserted, I can enter single-user mode (by holding cmd+s at startup). However, when I type /sbin/fsck -fy, it starts verifying the Install Disc rather than the HD.
Also when I open My Computer in Windows XP, I can see the other partition (MacDrive). When I select it, I see:
Free Space: 219GB
Total Size: 168GB
This indicates that my HD is dead/erased, and that my last three months of work is gone. This just because I'm impatient, and didn't wait for the fsck process to complete.
What is the next step? How can I get into single-user mode so that I can verify/repair my disc?

On the point of contacting the folks at Alsoft, I have found that they seem to be unobtainable on www.alsoft.com at present.
I wanted to get in touch as I had a small problem with Diskwarrior on updating to 10.5.5 from 10.5.4 ,
Disk permissions ends with an error code.
I wonder if there were so many queries re this that they are unobtainable?
I run 3 machines from a wireless router, an iMac, an HP laptop with XP and a totally obsolete Dell into which i have squeezed W2000, with a resultant mix of browsers but no contact with the folks at Alsoft.
Am I in a minority of one here?

MBP only runs if I start in single user mode and run fsck. WHY!

I am having trouble with my MBP. If I don't start in single user mode and run fsck -fy twice, I can't click on anything with my trackpad. I can't even log in. I've tried resetting pram/nvram, disk permission repair too but once i reboot... nada. I can't do anything in recovery mode, I can move around with arrows and tab but can't select anything. Safe mode hangs at about 20% and doesn't budge (left it for an hour, nothing). If I run fsck -fy it works but as soon as I reboot/ logout i'm back to square one again. Anyone know what causes this to happen? It just started tonight. I have a 2012 15" with Mountain Lion.

The boot drive is failing, or you have some other hardware fault.
Back up all data immediately, then make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.
If privacy is a concern, erase the data partition(s) with the option to write zeros* (do this only if you have at least two complete, independent backups, and you know how to restore to bare metal from any of them.) Don’t erase the recovery partition, if present.
*An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.

What's "...start in Single User mode"? HOW? and WHY?

A silly question...
What's "...start in Single User mode"? HOW? and WHY?
Can anyone, please explain that to me?
Cheers!

Hello Nando,
The only silly questions are the ones that never get asked
Have a look in here...
Single User Mode
Hope that helps
Regards
Ian

Booting in single user mode to trouble shoot grey screen the boot stops at "CODE SIGNING .... clearing CS_VALID" will not command c past - stuck

booting in single user mode to trouble shoot grey screen the boot stops at "CODE SIGNING .......... clearing CS_VALID" - cannot command C past - just stuck

Hi opjml0,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities!
If your Macbook is starting up to the gray screen, I suggest the steps in the following article.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
I hope this helps,
-Joe

Why can't I enter single user mode on my Mac Mini for an admin password reset?

Hi,
I recently created a new user account for my mac and deleted the old one, not realising that this was the only account with admin priveleges. As such, I no longer have access to administrator priveleges, and cannot grant them to my new user account.
I have tried to boot in single user mode and recovery mode but neither command results in any reaction on the part of my computer.
This thread follows on from a previous, unrelated disscussion:
BDAqua: If you hold alt key at bootup do you see a lock in the middle?
Yenots: No...what does this mean?
BDAqua: If it did, it would mean Firmware Password Protection was enabled, which prevents booting in other modes, so that's not the problem, are you using a wired Mac KB, or Windows KB?
Yenots: I'm using an 'Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad' [ http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MB110B/B/apple-keyboard-with-numeric-keypad-br itish ]
If you find me here BDAqua, hit me with your knowledge!
Any other contributions are welcome and, now we're under the right heading, will hopefully help other users who have encountered this problem.
Thanks, Cristo

Hi,
Thanks for the link to MacPilot, and the sexy screenshot. I found an archived version for 10.4 on the koingosw website. That solves getting into single user/safe mode. Though I'd be interested to see whether sudo nvram boot-args="-s" will result in single user boot.
As for creating administrator priveleges for my new user account, I've found a method which looks good:
     \single user mode\
     cmd-s
     \mount drive\
     mount -uw
     \open 'directory access'\
     lauchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.opendirectory.plist
     \list users\
     ls /Users
     \change password\
     dscl . passwd /Users/<username> <password>
I think that this method intends that if I change the root users password I'll be changing the administrator password (as root is the only user with administrator priveleges), and subsequently be able to change my new user accounts priveleges using 'netinfomanager'. But I'm not 100%. Could you give me your opinion on this?
Furthermore, three keys 'L' 'O' and '(' aren't working on my keyboard, which means I can't try this until I find an intact keyboard to borrow. I was thinking maybe a mod version of the above instructions would work in terminal using sudo, so I could use the keyboard viewer to type the missing characters. If you have any ideas on constructing such a mod I would be interested to hear them.
Otherwise, Thank You for your help BDAqua! And enjoy your summer wherever you are.

Freezing with blue screen & can't boot from single user mode or disk

My keyboard is wired and plugged directly into my Intel iMac running OSX 10.5.8. I do not have the Leopard disks, but I do have the Tiger disks. I was trying to boot in single-user mode so that I could run AppleJack to try to fix another issue I'm having--I get the light blue startup screen flashed at me several times daily for the past week or so. When the blue screen flashes, it totally freezes my computer (obviously) and lasts from 1-10 seconds. I can't find anything that is triggering it. I haven't installed anything new that I'm aware of, and it happens whether the computer has previously been slept or not. I'm also not using an external display / additional monitor.
Also, for anyone who is nice enough to answer, please explain everything--I'm not an expert user.

Well since it is so time consuming and a security risk to turn off FileVault, I was hoping to hear from someone with more experience if this was the solution, or just something to "try"? Are you speaking from experience or just making a suggestion, leroydouglas? Thanks.

Impossible to boot MacBook Pro Retina ! impossible to start in single user mode, Openfirmware password set, but safari works!

I have got a Macbook pro retina.
I have done 2 partitions on the SSD drive. 1 for the OS and 1 for the user (with a kind of ln -s /Home/myself /Volume/Part2/myself
I was watching a movie (with VLC) in full screen for a while and I wanted to escape. Impossible, and impossible to reboot.
When I start, I have a directory with a question mark.
I have a Open firmware passwords set (that I remember).
I cannot reset PRAM. (I can not change the RAM amount inside the commuter as this is a retina model)
I cannot start in verbose mode.
I can choose a disk to boot. I see only the OS drive and not the user partition, and no 'recovery partition'. It seems that i need to do a fsck -yff on the user partition but how ?
I can start the OS partition, and i can choose 'guess' or 'myself'. If i choose myself, I have an error message :'there is a error, the session can not start'. If I start with the guess account, I restart, and then I can browse the internet with safari (this is how I am writing this text!)
=> How can i repair the partition ? (open a terminal, boot in single user mode ...?)
best regards.

Actually, the recovery partition was there, but was not shown as my user partition. I have seen that reseting the PRAM and changing the ram could remove the open firemware password. So i have turn the computer on until the battery was empty. Then I boot about 20 times, and unplug the power supply after few seconds at different step of the booting pricess. At last, the screen default resolution when booting changed, I undertood that i succeeded, and I was able to enter.
Then I boot in single user mode, removed the open firmware password, activated the root user, and everything was fine now !

Can't boot in Single User Mode or zap PRAM on iMac G5

I want to boot into Single User Mode in order to run Applejack to "clean" the system before applying Apple's latest security patches. So I hold down Cmd-S at start-up, but it has no effect; the computer boots normally into the Tiger GUI. Thinking that zapping the PRAM might help, I restarted while holding down Cmd-Opt-P-R. Same result: normal startup with no zap. I tried resetting the power management circuit by unplugging the iMac and depressing the power button. No effect.
Apart from the inability to do special boots, the system seems to be running just fine. Any ideas?
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8) 1.5 GB RAM

Ben F-
Not guessing yet. You did not provide what steps you have taken thus far and now I know.
I am thinking then that you have somehow set up firmware password protection.
At least the things that you describe are disabled if a password is set.
Luck-
-DaddyPaycheck

Can't type in single user mode

Hi,
I am trying to fix a MacBook Air's hard drive and attempted to boot from single user mode to run fsck. However, when I get into single user mode I can't type a thing. No buttons on the keyboard work. I shut it down and tried doing it again but the same issue occurs. I tried again, this time connecting an Apple USB keyboard and it still wouldn't type. I booted from an external hard drive that had OS X on it and both the inbuilt and external USB keyboards worked absolutely fine.
Does anyone know why I would be having this issue and how to rectify it?
Cheers.

Reinstall Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks without erasing drive
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported then click on the Repair Permissions button. When the process is completed, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks
OS X Mavericks- Reinstall OS X
OS X Mountain Lion- Reinstall OS X
OS X Lion- Reinstall Mac OS X
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet
if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

MacBookPro does not start in Single User Mode

I am trying to boot my MacBookPro in Single User Mode. I read I should power off computer then start it while holding Command-S. I don't know what I am doing wrong but whenever I try, Mac just load normally and load the system.

Nevermind, seems to be working now!

Macbook won't start in single-user-mode.

I'm trying to repair the disk and instead of booting in single-user mode, it boots up regularly, ignoring Command + S. I'm running 10.6.8.
Thank you.

Nevermind, seems to be working now!

Can't boot in single user mode

hi there,
i just found out that my MacBook1,1 1,83 GHz ignores Cmd-s, Cmd-v and occasionally Cmd-Alt-p-r. Green LED on keyboard doesn't flash at boot. I did a parameter ram reset and permission repair, without positive change.
The keyboard works fine with system booted.
thanks! achim

another permission repair helped..

Can you run a bash script on boot in single user mode

Hey guys quick question.
Is it possible to run a bash script on boot in single user mode.
I can create a file and dump it on the root hd.
Let's call it repair.
I can then boot to single user mode and run it by typing /repair.
But I want it to do it automatically.
Every time I go into my machines that I clean for my job. I have to run sbin/fsck -fy
Then I have to mount the drive and then remove all cache files, then reboot the machines.
I would like to automate this by just holding command s and then moving to the next computer.
There must be some sort of boot daemon somewhere.
Please help.
Sincerely,
John

Have you seen Applejack?
http://applejack.sourceforge.net/
It doesn't start automtically, but does cleanup.
Robert

Can't exit single user mode

I frequently start in single user mode to run fsck -fy on my startup disk
and after running fsck -fy, I exit single user mode typing exit or logout.
Now after running fsck -fy, typing exit or logout the single user mode remains
and returns a line: -sh-2.05b#. I’m not adept enough to use single user mode
other than for running fsck -fy so I am stuck on how to end the single user mode. TIA
Eric

Some stories have happy endings and this is one of them.
After a little head scratching I dig out the Tiger install DVD
and repaired the permissions on the problem HD partition.
Reboot to the problem disk, enter correct network settings, and
now we even have a web to surf. Also we can exit single user mode OK.
Eric

Can't start in single user mode, trying to fix blue screen startup

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