OS10.3.9 suddenly chooses to boot in darwin (i.e the command line)?

OS10.3.9 suddenly chooses to boot in darwin (i.e the command line)?
Question #1 is: what's the command to load the finder from Darwin?
Question #2 is: what would cause this? My hard drive has been reasonably full lately... otherwise I haven't updated the OS, software or changed anything. Also, I essentially use this G4 for downloading with Azureus... in case this info is useful.
THanks for the help in advance!

At this stage that doesn't look too good.
You could try and run the Disk Utility on the Install CD and see if that will repair the disk. If it can't then consider buying DiskWarrior or TechTool Pro is 4.1.1 for 10.3 Panther which are much more able disk repair utilities.
Before you go to that expense, try Disk Utility. Instructions are below.
The startup drive can only be repaired from another drive. Simply loading the install disk is not sufficient. You have to boot from the install disk.
To do this: Insert the Install Disk 1 into the drive and then select Restart; when you hear the chime hold down C key until the apple logo appears.
This will take you to the installation software, but you do not want to install.
Select your language, then go up to the top menu bar to Installer and navigate to the Disk Utilities application.
Select the start up drive, then follow the instructions in the First Aid pane where you can click on Repair Disk.
If it finds errors, repeat the process until it reports no errors.
After these repairs, quit the application, and restart normally.
Once restarted normally run Repair Permissions. from the Disk Utility application found on your hard drive in Application/Utilities.
regards roam

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THank you Ogelthorpe. When my wife's computer I went on line to the site that you sent and tried everything But nothing worked. When my son came to visit and his MacBook Pro did exactly the same thing we became suspicious - too much of a coincidence. We took both computers somewhere else, out of our apartment, and they both booted. We ran disk utility on both, but the report in both cases was that there are no issues with the hard drive. Back in our apartment neither will boot up. My MacBook Pro is a later model with a solid state drive and it seems to work fine here.. I tried an external drive and it works fine. We think that this has something to do with some kind of magnetic interference in our apartment to which the 2009 drives are susceptible. It is indeed a mystery!
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How to load the boot menu using the command line , after the configuration change ?

how to load the boot menu using the command line , after the configuration change ?

Hi @Bask-48
Welcome to the HP Forums!
It is a terrific place to find answers.
For you to have the best experience in the HP forum I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide Learn How to Post and More
I grasp you are trying to change the boot order. Here is a link to Configuring the Boot Order in the System BIOS
that will assist you.
Good Luck and Happy Holidays!
Sparkles1
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
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G5 will not boot into OSX - stays at a command-line prompt

My G5 will not boot into OS X. I would appreciate and and all advice. Thanks.
What happened:
I had the G5 running one morning, with the Isight camera on, plugged into the front-console firewire port. I was running EvoCam software.
At about 2 hours into running, the cam stopped broadcasting – I got home to check it out three hours later, and the screen was black, and the fan was louder than I had ever, ever heard it on this box.
I did a hard shut-down with the powerbutton on the Cinema Display monitor.
At reboot, I see a grey screen for approx 5 seconds, with a dark grey apple logo, and then the screen goes to black, with a command-line prompt.
It’s been like that ever since.
I ran the Apple Hardware test, from the internal CD drive, and it shows no errors.
I cannot boot from an OSX installer DVD. It won’t recognize it. It goes straight to the black screen and Command line prompt.
I have re-seated the RAM, as well as the Airport Card. The only other card – which I have not re-seated, it the video card.
I am able to use the machine in Target Mode, so I can extract data from the drives, which is great. Oddly enough, I’m able to use the front-console firewire port to connect to my other Mac in Target mode – with no problems. Also – in Target mode, the fan never goes above the usual quiet self.
I would appreciate any advice one can provide. Thanks!
The machine:
Mac G5 dual 2.0 – First Generation (purchased December 2003)
It’s on it’s 3rd Motherboard – and now it’s fully out of Applecare warrantee.
OSX 10.4.9
4GB Ram
2 internal drives: 160GB + 300GB
Airport Extreme
20” Cinema Display (first generation)
Mac G5 dual 2.0 – First Generation Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Well, Apple Support does have articles on:
Isolating Issues in Mac OS X
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25392
won't boot or login
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106464#symp1
And if those don't work, call.
With G4 there is/was
"Fix for a Mac that won't power up
Mirrored Doors G4. When you pressed the power button, the button would light up, but the computer would not turn on. The fans on the power supply wouldn't turn on.
FIX: unplug the machine, pull the clock battery, hit the power button to discharge. Then plug it in without the clock battery. The machine should boot perfectly. Shut down, reinstall the clock battery, and now the system is fully functional. Macosxhints
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300552
Reseat video? try another video card?
My Step #1 is to always boot into Open Firmware (and do reset-nvram, reset-all, if you can't do that, you are sunk).
Oh, and What do you see in verbose mode on startup?
Mac Pro 2GHz 4GB 10K Raptor 23" Cinema Mac OS X (10.4.9) WD RE RAID Aaxeon FW800 PCIe MDD-G4 APC RS1500 Vista

Boot fails / goes straight to grub command line

Fair warning: this is gonna be the worst request for help ever, but I'm stranded with a phone and a busted laptop.
So, as the title suggests my laptop goes straight to the grub command line. Having never dealt with this, I'm not really sure how to go about debugging it.
Checking dmesg, I don't really see anything that says CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. Then again I don't really know if dmesg can catch this sort of error.
It's been a couple weeks since I used this laptop, but I don't think I upgraded or anything.
I tried mounting the fs and blindly reinstalling stuff like the kernel and systemd but no dice so far.
I can't post the actual logs right now but I might be able to later if I find an Ethernet cable.
I think I can probably figure it out myself if someone could just point me in the right direction i.e. what the general debugging process is for this scenario.
Again, I know this is the worst request for help ever, but if someone could help this damsel in distress it would be greatly appreciated.

Actually, your request for help is far from the worst I have ever seen. In fact, it is pretty good. You tell us the problem, the history, what you see, and what you have tried. Are you using Grub classic, or Grub 2 ?
Are you sure? Any chance you have updated in the last couple weeks? You may have upgraded to Grub 2 without having built a new configuration on the boot partition.
Also, are you in the regular shell or the rescue shell ? https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Gr … mand_shell
Last edited by ewaller (2013-07-15 03:23:13)

Fresh install (2012/11/01): Not reaching the command line after boot

Hi
I just installed the latest 2012/11/01 base + base-devel Arch, but after booting in. the process stopped at the point were the last messages from the kernel were printed in the console. The boot process never reached the shell command line for logging in. I re-installed, thinking I did something wrong but again I had the same problem. Eventually. I accidentally found that by keying Enter, I could get the shell login request and I could login OK, having a seemingly functional base system. However, the console font I specified in vconsole.conf did not take effect and the halt command would hang, although reboot worked OK.
I have of course little experience with systemd, but I get the feeling the all this is due to systemd not running properly. I read whatever documentation I found relevant but since there is so much of it, I believe I must have missed the relevant info.
Please help me to get my new install run properly and please clarify whether have to explicitely enable systemd after completing the official installation instructions.
My thanks in advance.

neok wrote:please clarify whether have to explicitely enable systemd after completing the official installation instructions.
Read this news item.
https://www.archlinux.org/news/systemd- … allations/
neok wrote:the console font I specified in vconsole.conf did not take effect
Please always post your configuration files if you reference them.
neok wrote:the halt command would hang
The halt command does not turn off your computer. The "poweroff" command does.
Writing "systemctl poweroff" is not necessary, as /sbin/poweroff is a link to systemctl poweroff.
Last but not least search for suspicous lines in the log files. You can read them with this command.
$ journalctl

My iMac(24") suddenly got stupid! It wants to ponder every command. And, when it finally decides, the resulting action is ponderously slow in materialising. These are sudden phenomena. There has been no trauma, no programmatic change, nor new additions.

iMac 24" suddenly running verrry slow!
Every command requires long delay before execution.
Is this a Virus???

Things That Can Keep Your Computer From Slowing Down
If your computer seems to be running slower here are some things you can do:
Boot into Safe Mode then repair your hard drive and permissions:
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions Pre-Lion
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. 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 click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Repair the Hard Drive - Lion
Boot from your Lion Recovery HD. 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. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
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.
Restart your computer normally and see if this has helped any. Next do some maintenance:
Suggestions for OS X Maintenance
For situations Disk Utility cannot handle the best third-party utility is Disk Warrior; DW only fixes problems with the disk directory, but most disk problems are caused by directory corruption; Disk Warrior 4.x is now Intel Mac compatible.
OS X performs certain maintenance functions that are scheduled to occur on a daily, weekly, or monthly period. The maintenance scripts run in the early AM only if the computer is turned on 24/7 (no sleep.) If this isn't the case, then an excellent solution is to download and install a shareware utility such as Macaroni, JAW PseudoAnacron, or Anacron that will automate the maintenance activity regardless of whether the computer is turned off or asleep. Dependence upon third-party utilities to run the periodic maintenance scripts was significantly reduced since Tiger. These utilities have limited or no functionality with Snow Leopard or Lion and should not be installed.
OS X automatically defragments files less than 20 MBs in size, so unless you have a disk full of very large files there's little need for defragmenting the hard drive. As for virus protection there are few if any such animals affecting OS X. You can protect the computer easily using the freeware Open Source virus protection software ClamXAV. Personally I would avoid most commercial anti-virus software because of their potential for causing problems. For more about malware see Macintosh Virus Guide.
I would also recommend downloading a utility such as TinkerTool System, OnyX 2.4.3, or Cocktail 5.1.1 that you can use for periodic maintenance such as removing old log files and archives, clearing caches, etc.
For emergency repairs install the freeware utility Applejack. If you cannot start up in OS X, you may be able to start in single-user mode from which you can run Applejack to do a whole set of repair and maintenance routines from the command line. Note that AppleJack 1.5 is required for Leopard. AppleJack 1.6 is compatible with Snow Leopard. There is no confirmation that this version also works with Lion.
When you install any new system software or updates be sure to repair the hard drive and permissions beforehand.
Get an external Firewire drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
Carbon Copy Cloner
Data Backup
Deja Vu
SuperDuper!
SyncTwoFolders
Synk Pro
Synk Standard
Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.
Additional suggestions will be found in Mac maintenance Quick Assist.
Referenced software can be found at CNet Downloads or MacUpdate.
Additional Hints
Be sure you have an adequate amount of RAM installed for the number of applications you run concurrently. Be sure you leave a minimum of 10% of the hard drive's capacity as free space.
Add more RAM. If your computer has less than 2 GBs of RAM and you are using OS X Leopard or later, then you can do with more RAM. Snow Leopard and Lion work much better with 4 GBs of RAM than their system minimums. The more concurrent applications you tend to use the more RAM you should have.
Always maintain at least 15 GBs or 10% of your hard drive's capacity as free space, whichever is greater. OS X is frequently accessing your hard drive, so providing adequate free space will keep things from slowing down.
Check for applications that may be hogging the CPU:
Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time, then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.
Often this problem occurs because of a corrupted cache or preferences file or an attempt to write to a corrupted log file.

Since 2012 I have Photoshop Elements always worked without any problem, however now the language is suddenly German how can this be changed, removed the program and re-installed, not working. Program is downloaded and updated via the apple app store?

Since 2012 I have Photoshop Elements always worked without any problem, however now the language is suddenly German how can this be changed, removed the program and re-installed, not working. Program is downloaded and updated via the apple app store?

I've done some research on the SQLite database. Whenever Aperture hangs up (like during auto-stack or opening the filter hud) there are thousands of SQLite queries happening. These SQLite queries cause massive file I/O because the database is stored on the disk as 1kb pages. However, the OS is caching the database file; mine's only 12MB. I'm trying to track down some performance numbers for SQLite on osx but having trouble.
It's starting to look like most of the speed problems are in the libraries that Aperture uses instead of the actual Aperture code. Of course, that doesn't completely let the developers off the hook since they choose to use them in the first place.
Oh, and if anyone is curious, the database is completely open to queries using the command line sqlite3 tool. Here's the language reference http://www.sqlite.org/lang.html
Hmm, just found this. Looks like someone else has been playing around in the db http://www.majid.info/mylos/stories/2005/12/01/apertureInternals.html
Dual 1.8 G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3) 1GB RAM, Sony Artisan Monitor, Sony HC-1 HD Camera

Command line display disappears during boot [solved]

I've brought my machine up to date with systemd, and have run into this latest problem. I boot with syslinux. My machine has started giving me kernel panics when I boot with the primary configuration, which had
acpi=off
in the append line, I believe to address this very problem. If I boot with the fallback, which does not have this entry, I get a boot that I can access over ssh, but the command line display disappears after running through a few lines. Commenting out the acpi language in the primary gives the same result as the fallback.
If I can't boot with it in there, and can't see the screen with it out, what do I do?
[edit]
I was looking for some information on the boot process to explain what changes during the boot to cause the screen to go from visible to invisible. When it used to boot, I remember a font change happening part way through the boot, but don't remember what caused it. Searching for the boot process on the wiki only gives the systemd page, and I didn't find anything there that was helpful in this regard.
I am downloading a live iso and will try booting with that to see if the display issues are present using that approach.
[edit]
Ok, it had nothing to do with acpi. I was running the nvidia driver. My machine has a processor with a gpu, and apparently it decided to hand off to my intel gpu, which has nothing attached to it, instead of sticking with the nvidia. May have to do with KMS (wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Kernel_Mode_Setting). So I deleted the nvidia driver per the wiki instructions and added the nouveau driver, enabled the KMS per the instructions, and now I have a command prompt.
Last edited by timm (2013-01-11 20:13:01)

i did systemd.unit=multi-user.target at the boot loader . https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Systemd for more options

Force XServe to Boot From CD From Command-Line

Hi,
I've decided to erase and install a new copy of 10.5 server from my server cd. However, my KVM switch takes longer to connect than the white screen is shown at bootup. Is there a way i can use the command line to force the xserve to boot from the cd i've inserted?
Thanks

Or a DVD boot can be requested from the front panel of Xserve.
Short version:
"With the power off, hold in the system identifier button while you press the on/standby button.
Continue to hold in the system identifier button until the top row of blue lights blinks sequentially."
"Release the system identifier button, and then press it again repeatedly to turn on the light that corresponds to your chosen startup method:"
When (only) the rightmost LED on the lower of the two horizontal rows of LEDs is lit, the optical drive is selected for bootstrap.
When you get to (just) that LED, press and hold the button until the entire top row of LEDs is lit, then release the button, and off you go.
See the owner's manual for the pictures and for more words.

Can I change my default boot order to netboot from the mac mini command line?

I'd like to change my boot order on the mac mini to netboot first. I need to do this from the command line so that I can automate this change to a bunch of mac minis. Is there a way to do this? The only way I have found to netboot is through pressing command N. Thanks

Any of these help...
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20131008145925998
http://krypted.com/tag/netinstall/
http://www.afp548.com/forums/topic/netboot-lion-install-via-command-line/
http://acdesigntech.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/netboot-across-subnets-or-how-to-us e-the-bless-command/

Help: iMac won't boot past Grey logo screen with spinning lines

My fiance's iMac (intel based) running snow leopard (upgraded from Leopard a couple months ago) will not boot past the logo and spinning lines. This started after at attempting to restart after installing updates to Safari and iTunes.
When booting in verbose mode I get these lines:
Launchctl: Dubious permissions on file (skipping): /Library/LaunchDaemons
Launchctl: Dubious permissions on file (skipping): /System/Library/LaunchDaemons
Launchctl: Dubious permissions on file (skipping): /etc/mach_inid.d
AppleYukon2: Marvel Yukon Gigabit Adapter 88E8055 Singleport Copper SA
AppleYukon2: RxRingSize <= 1024, TxRingSize 256. RXMAXLE 1024, TXMAXLE 768, STMAXLE 3328
Then it just stops and does nothing.
I've unplugged everything except the apple keyboard and mouse. Ethernet is not connected.
She doesn't seem to have the original disc that came with the computer, but I do have the Snow Leopard upgrade disc.
What do I do? It won't boot in Safe Mode either, freezes at the same spot.
I'm not a particularly savvy Mac user as I recently embraced them when we moved in together.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Repairing permission is not the first answer. Should try to run fsck and reset the PRAM
Start up your computer in single-user mode to reach the command line.
Note: If necessary, perform a forced restart as described in the Emergency Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer. On desktop computers, you can do this by pressing the reset/interrupt button (if there is one) or holding down the power button for several seconds. On portable computers, simultaneously press the Command-Control-power keys. If your portable computer doesn't restart with this method, you may need to reset the Power Manager.
At the command-line prompt type:
/sbin/fsck -fy
Press Return. fsck will go through five "phases" and then return information about your disk's use and fragmentation. Once it finishes, it'll display this message if no issue is found:
** The volume (name_of_volume) appears to be OKIf fsck found issues and has altered, repaired, or fixed anything, it will display this message:
***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****
Important: If this message appears, repeat the fsck command you typed in step 2 until fsck tells you that your volume appears to be OK (first-pass repairs may uncover additional issues, so this is a normal thing to do).
When fsck reports that your volume is OK, typerebootat the prompt and then press Return.
Your computer should start up normally and allow you to log in.
Resetting PRAM and NVRAM
Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.
Your computer's PRAM and the NVRAM are reset to the default values. The clock settings may be reset to a default date on some models.

Computer Boots to Darwin Screen

I have a iMac running os 10.4. When I restarted it, it went straight to the Darwin interface. I did a search for this, and tried the suggestions for os 10.3, but could not find anything for os 10.4. It is stating that it cannot find a valid username. After trying the tips for os 10.3, the computer no longer goes to the Darwin screen, it begins the start up process, and get stuck (freezes) on a blue screen. I tried to startup using the os install DVD, but it will not start up using the DVD, I also cannot eject the DVD either.
Please help

Hi Party Medics, and a warm welcome to the forums!
Which iMac anyway, there are tons of them!?
Might try fsck...
To use fsck, you must run it from the command line. Unlike using your mouse to open an application to do something, you'll need to type a text command at the prompt (#) to tell fsck what to do. The Terminal application (/Applications/Utilities) and single-user mode are two examples of command-line interfaces in which you can type such commands. To use fsck:
1. Start up your computer in single-user mode to reach the command line. Hold CMD+s keys down at bootup. Note: If necessary, perform a forced restart as described in the Emergency Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer. On desktop computers, you can do this by pressing the reset/interrupt button (if there is one) or holding down the power button for several seconds. On portable computers, simultaneously press the Command-Control-power keys. If your portable computer doesn't restart with this method, you may need to reset the Power Manager.
2. At the command-line prompt, type /sbin/fsck -fy
3. Press Return. fsck will go through five "phases" and then return information about your disk's use and fragmentation. Once it finishes, it'll display this message if no issue is found: 
The volume (nameofvolume) appears to be OK  
If fsck found issues and has altered, repaired, or fixed anything, it will display this message: 
*** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ***   Important: If this message appears, repeat the fsck command you typed in step 2 until fsck tells you that your volume appears to be OK (first-pass repairs may uncover additional issues, so this is a normal thing to do).
4. When fsck reports that your volume is OK, type reboot at the prompt and then press Return.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Tough without a Tiger Disk, but try fsck...
To use fsck, you must run it from the command line. Unlike using your mouse to open an application to do something, you'll need to type a text command at the prompt (#) to tell fsck what to do. The Terminal application (/Applications/Utilities) and single-user mode are two examples of command-line interfaces in which you can type such commands. To use fsck:
1. Start up your computer in single-user mode to reach the command line. Hold CMD+s keys down at bootup. Note: If necessary, perform a forced restart as described in the Emergency Troubleshooting Handbook that came with your computer. On desktop computers, you can do this by pressing the reset/interrupt button (if there is one) or holding down the power button for several seconds. On portable computers, simultaneously press the Command-Control-power keys. If your portable computer doesn't restart with this method, you may need to reset the Power Manager.
2. At the command-line prompt, type /sbin/fsck -fy
3. Press Return. fsck will go through five "phases" and then return information about your disk's use and fragmentation. Once it finishes, it'll display this message if no issue is found: ** The volume (nameofvolume) appears to be OK  If fsck found issues and has altered, repaired, or fixed anything, it will display this message: *** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ***   Important: If this message appears, repeat the fsck command you typed in step 2 until fsck tells you that your volume appears to be OK (first-pass repairs may uncover additional issues, so this is a normal thing to do).
4. When fsck reports that your volume is OK, type reboot at the prompt and then press Return.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then Safe Boot , (holding Shift key down at bootup), off the HD & use Disk Utility from there to Repair Permissions, reboot once more.

PowerMac G4 (AGP) suddenly won't boot from its internal HDs

Hi, here's a description of a weird and sudden issue on my mac. Hope one of you out there has a cure.
The system: Powermac G4 (AGP) 450MHz, 512MB RAM, upgraded a couple of years ago with an 133 ATA controller card (Acard 6280M). The card controls my two internal HDs of 160GB, which are from two separate brands. Until 1 week ago I regularly booted from one HD with OS10.4.6 (let's call it hd_A), while used the other HD as a data backup space (hd_B).
The problem:
-1 week ago I upgraded hd_A to OS10.4.7 using the incremental package. The system restarted once without problems, but from the second time, all attempts failed. The startup screen showed the flashing question mark: a boot system could not be found.
-I thus booted from the install DVD (10.4) and installed OS10.4.0 into hd_B. The system was then able to boot from hd_B only on the first attempt. From the second, again flashing question mark. Note that on that single successful boot, I verified that hd_A was readable and apparently intact, plus ran DiskUtil which reported no problems on either HDs.
-Running DU from the Install DVD reports no problem on either HDs.
-Running Startup Disk from the Install DVD correctly reports bootable systems 10.4.7 on hd_A and 10.4.0 on hd_B, but attempting a restart from either of them leads to the flashing question mark.
-Resetting PRAM didn't help.
-Holding option during startup brings up the boot volume selection screen with the options of the Tiger install DVD or the 10.4.0 system on hd_B (note that 10.4.7 on hd_A is not shown). Selecting 10.4.0 on hd_B leads, after a delay of a few seconds with a blank screen to a sudden autonomous shutdown of the computer!
Other data:
-The battery reads 3.7V on a voltmeter, so it must be ok.
-Curiously, System Profiler run from the install dvd reports the two internal HDs as 'removable media'. Can's say how it reported them previous to the entire issue.
Thanks, Lo

You can't use the iBook installer on another model Mac. You need a retail version of Panther 10.3 or Tiger 10.4.
If you do a Google search for M9227LL/A (Panther 10.3 retail install CDs) or M9228LL/A (Family Pack), you may find a set. The CDs should be black with a white X.
After you install the base 10.3.x, update to the final Panther version 10.3.9. See Mac OS X 10.3.9 Update (Combo) http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2464
Tiger install DVDs are in short supply. Tiger is no longer available at the Apple Store but may be available for $129 by calling Apple Phone Sales @ 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753). For other sources, do a Google search for MA453Z/A (10.4.6), MA190Z/A (10.4.3) and M9639Z/A (10.4) . Also look on eBay. Be sure & buy a retail version (black with silver X) and not a model specific version (gray). Expect to pay (possibly a lot) more than the Apple list price of $129.
Also check this web store http://www.lacomputercompany.com/cgi-bin/rpcart/index.cgi?command=dispitem&type= sku&sku=19521
Possible Alternative if you are currently using Panther 10.3 – Do a Google search for Tiger 10.4 Upgrade DVD . It will upgrade your 10.3 to 10.4, but it doesn’t contain the full retail Tiger installer. Should be cheaper than the retail Tiger install DVD.
After you install the base 10.4.x, update to the final Tiger version 10.4.11. Here's the link for the 10.4.11 combo update http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24901?viewlocale=en_US
Look at this link Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger Installing Software Support Page
http://www.apple.com/support/tiger/install/
You can also download the Tiger Installation and Setup Guide
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/TigerInstall_SetupGuide.pdf
When you upgrade the OS, do it via Archive & Install. See About the Archive and Install feature http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1710
Be sure to select Preserve Users & Settings. Also, repair permissions before and after the install.
 Cheers, Tom

I just restarted my mac then suddenly when it boots,disk utility came and says different option like repair disk, get help, reinstall OSX and I tried to click disk repair but it says that I am um able to repair the disk

i just restarted my mac then suddenly when it boots,disk utility came and says different option like repair disk, get help, reinstall OSX and I tried to click disk repair but it says that I am um able to repair the disk

It sounds like your hard drive either has a software problem that Disk Utility cannot fix or that the HD has failed (mechanically).
Your Mac may have booted either to your recovery partition or to internet recovery in an attempt to repair the drive- I can't tell from your post.
I'll assume that it was the recovery partition.
Try to boot into internet recovery (hold down option command R at restart), and see if you can repair your HD with Disk Utility. You should also repair permissions while you're there.
If that doesn't work, try to boot into single user mode (restart, hold down ⌘S until you see a black screen with white text) and repair your hard drive. Here's a reference with directions: Repair Your Hard Disk in Single User Mode | Everything Macintosh
If that doesn't work you have a few options:
If your mac originally came with installation disks, you can try to boot from the installation disk and then see if you can repair the HD.
There is a small chance that Techtool Pro 7 will be able to repair your HD if Disk Utility can't.
If none of that works then your HD has probably failed and will need to be replaced, which is not too difficult to do yourself if you can use a screwdriver.

OS10.3.9 suddenly chooses to boot in darwin (i.e the command line)?

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