Command Line Expert Needed: Deleted hostconfig (+ others) - boots to single user mode only !

Question

Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.11
Deleted folders/files when logged in as root user. (don't ask!)
On restart , wont boot up , get grey screen with white apple logo the black screen with command line: localhost:/ root#
Started up from install cd - repaired permissions (ran twice) & verified hard drive . All okay.
Restarted but still goes back into command line with same localhost:/ root prompt
Tried a bunch of different things as per advice on these boards - discovered that there is no hostconfig file.
Restarted into verbose mode.
Here are the lines that i think may reveal exactly what I messed up - and hopefully someone out there has an idea how I can try to fix without having to do an archive/install.
BSM auditing present
disabled
rooting via boot-uuid from /chosen: (here a very long string of numbers and letters looks like a password)
Then a long line about
"got boot device = IOService:/MacRISC2PE ........."
Then, the following
"BSD root: disk0s3, major 14, minor 2"
"CSRHIDTransitionDriver::stop"
"IOBluetoothHCIController::start Idle Time Stopped"
(AND HERE'S THE BIGGIE:)
/etc/rc: line 93: /etc/hostconfig: No such file or directory
Apr  1. 06:01:44 launched: /bin/sh on /etc/rc terminated abnormally, going into single user mode
localhost:/ root#
I'm pretty sure I messed thing up pretty well - was mainly network/server folders and files - definitely samba, which I think I deleted, and under "network" in the finder, I also might have deleted my computer from the server list
As an aside in case this provides any insight, when I go to the terminal app when starting up from install cd, the prompt reads :
"bash-2.05b"
I'm also able to see the contents of my hard drive when using disk utility from install cd and and trying to "mount image" ---
Everything looks intact in terms of folders/files in my user account, but in the /root folder, there's only /library - which is empty.
Any help, insight, troubleshooting and even scolding - will be welcome! I need this thing booted
Cheers

Answer 1

I do not have a backup. Should I back up before I try doing a reinstall of the os x?
That's also known as shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted.
It can't hurt, but it's not going to help much.
Camelot: when you say "apps and user content should stay intact" - doesn't sound very definitive. Are there any variables that come into play?
No.. generally it's pretty reliable, but yours is an odd situation. I wouldn't expect to lose any user data, just CYA
I do have a start up disk along with some apps that I created in retrospect many years ago ....(I think it's os x 10.2.8) Can I use this to boot up and then just navigate to my user files so I can get some things done that I need to?
Unlikely. For one have you even tried restoring from your Retrospect backup? (it's not the most reliable system).
Secondly, you can't boot from your Retrospect backup, so you'll need to restore that system to boot from it. Have you got a second disk to restore to (you do NOT want to restore 10.2.x over your 10.4.x system).
in terms of "random deleted files" : not entirely random
Ok, maybe not entire random, but it's also somewhat unknown. You need to have some idea of what files you're trying to restore, but if you haven't got them in a backup where are you going to get them from?
You cannot just take old copies from your 10.2.x system and hope they'll work (in case that's what you're thinking).
The BEST solution is to boot from the 10.4.x installer disk and let it do its thing.
And for what its worth, Unauthorized access attempts, in and of themselves, are not a cause for concern since they were clearly caught by the OS. It's the access attempts that succeed (and are not logged) which are more of an issue.