MacBook wont boot up all the way!!

I recently updated my computer with Quiktime and itunes applications and it asked me to restart after updates were complete. It restarted but it gets stuck on the gray screen with the apple and the turning wheel and wont go any further. I read similar posts but the problem is i do not have any of my original software with me because i am living in Europe right now. I tried the shift and power and also the command and ctrl and power and nothing has worked. is there any way i can fix this without having to reinstall?

I don't have an answer since you don't have the install DVDs or apparently even a backup drive with you, but this is a good place to point out the need for preventative maintenance to anyone who is interested.
It is always somewhat risky to install new software. It is like surgery; it is usually safe but there can be complications caused by the fact that everyone's computer is setup differently and many people have corrupted files already on their computers that they are not even aware of. Then when the new installed update comes across something that is corrupted, bad things can happen.
I think many people don't use an external hard drive as a backup because they don't want to spend the money. In this case, do what I do, as a redundancy to an ext. backup drive, partition your computer's drive such that you can install a copy of OS X on each partition. Then you will always have a functional OS in case you get caught without your install DVDs or any other method of getting back on track.
The second OS (on a partition) is also great for trouble shooting all manner of issues that might come up from time to time. The only downside is that it will consume some space on your hard drive but then you should not be living so close to the edge anyway if you absolutely need that few extra GB of disk space.
Business and industry could not possibly survive if they did not use redundancies and fail-safes to cover the unexpected. Individuals should not think that they somehow can.

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