Boot mac mini server into single-user mode?

I've got a mac mini server (one of the ones with no optical drive) and I'm trying to boot it into single-user mode. I hit the power button and hold down the command (apple, splat) key and the 'S' key simultaneously ---- until it boots up to a login prompt rather than a black screen with white text and a unix command prompt...
Is there some magic different on this particular machine to get to single-user?

Hi, I wonder if anyone helped you out. I'm new here so here goes. I just bought a mac mini, but not the server. I had finished my new install and then I rebooted and got a black screen, since i have a wireless Apple keyboard, I cannot log into the computer by using commands, like Command-S. And Yes, you are using the right command, that hasn't changed.
Your problem may be the same as mine, are you using a wireless keyboard, because if you are, it seems that the Bluetooth doesn't have time to install its software while we are trying to log into the system. Thus, as we reboot, we are holding down they keys but that won't help us because the Bluetooth software doesn't have time to do its thing, in the background.
That is a huge problem because I don't have any other keyboard, but if you have access to a keyboard, get one and plug it into the back of your Mac mini and then you should be all set.
Does this make sense? Let me know if this helps. I have no idea what to do because now I have a brand new computer with a serious screen with the you must reboot your system in many languages, and when one gets this it is not a good sign.

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ok, I executed the following commands:
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I can only start my iBookG4 after deleting preferences. I have to go into single user mode to do so. If I don't go into single user mode, the computer shuts down during boot up. What might be the problem?

I can only start my iBookG4 after deleting preferences. I have to go into single user mode to do so. If I don't go into single user mode, the computer shuts down during boot up. What might be the problem? How can I fix this?

I do not have a startup disk. I did try fsck (based on what I learned from your reply-thank you). This failed (fsck); here is the message:
** Checking catalog file.
Invalid key length
(4, 8198)
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/dev/rdisk03 (hfs) EXITED WITH SIGNAL 8.
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Start SQL Server in single user mode with parameter -m doesn't work well

C:\Windows\system32>net start mssqlserver /m "Microsoft SQL Server Management St
udio - Query"
The SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) service is starting.
The SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) service was started successfully.
C:\Windows\system32>sqlcmd -S . -e
1> go
1> select @@servername;
2> go
select @@servername;
myserver
(1 rows affected)
1>
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below the original doc on msdn:
Start SQL Server in Single-User Mode
Provide Feedback
Under certain circumstances, you may have to start an instance of SQL Server
in single-user mode by using the startup option -m. For
example, you may want to change server configuration options or recover a
damaged master database or other system database. Both actions require starting
an instance of SQL Server in single-user mode.
Starting SQL Server in single-user mode enables any member of the computer's
local Administrators group to connect to the instance of SQL Server as a member
of the sysadmin fixed server role. For more information, see Connect to
SQL Server When System Administrators Are Locked
Out.
When you start an instance of SQL Server in single-user mode, note the
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Only one user can connect to the server.
The CHECKPOINT process is not executed. By default, it is executed
automatically at startup.
Note
Stop the SQL Server Agent service before connecting to an instance of SQL
Server in single-user mode; otherwise, the SQL Server Agent service uses the
connection, thereby blocking it.
When you start an instance of SQL Server in single-user mode, SQL Server
Management Studio can connect to SQL Server. Object Explorer in Management
Studio might fail because it requires more than one connection for some
operations. To manage SQL Server in single-user mode, execute Transact-SQL
statements by connecting only through the Query Editor in Management Studio, or
use the
sqlcmd utility.
When you use the -m option with sqlcmd or
Management Studio, you can limit the connections to a specified client
application. For example, -m"sqlcmd" limits connections to a
single connection and that connection must identify itself as the
sqlcmd client program. Use this option when you are starting
SQL Server in single-user mode and an unknown client application is taking the
only available connection. To connect through the Query Editor in Management
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Shawn

Hi Shawn Xiao,
For starting SQL Server instance in single user mode, we can add –m; parameter in SQL Server Configuration Manager, also we can run CMD with ‘Run as administrator’ and input the following statement.
NET START MSSQLSERVER /m
I do a test in SQL Server 2014 Express version, after starting SQL with Single User Mode, SQL Server will only accept one connection. If you connect to SQL Server with a user account, the following error will occur.
Login failed for user ‘domain\username’. Reason: Server is in single user mode. Only one administrator can connect at this time.
However, in your situation, you can connect to SQL Server and run T-SQL statement successfully, it can be due to connection with the administrator account in your sqlcmd.
For more information, you can review the following article.
http://zarez.net/?p=117
Regards,
Sofiya Li
Sofiya Li
TechNet Community Support

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Disabling the Open Firmware Password
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My wife and I are consolidating to one computer. Heres what I would like to do, but I am not sure the best way to do it on OS X Server 10.6.
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Pelorus1,
I have had some forward progress on this front. Thank you for your reply. If I can't get past these next few simple problems, then I will just move on an try your suggestion of doing "Wiki". However, I am already at the steep part of the learning curve and I don't know if I have the time.
Here is where I got to today: met with Genius bar guy. Got some good brainstorming.
Came home and started from scratch.
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     2) made sure directory services was running.
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     4) Added a workgroup with both and only our user's in it (seemed to auto generate so I didn't really create it)
     5) In iCal, added 2 new accounts: mine and my wifes. Now they read as "[email protected]"
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So here is where I am getting stuck: iCal is not allowing the user account for my wife to find the server. I get a message reading
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It is weird. It finds my account fine, just not my wifes....
Now for some history. I did orginally set this machine up with my wifes name as the user account name. So besides the middle initial in the name, they match. What do you think is the issue?
Next step is I am going to try to make my wife a different user account (server) with a shorter name or a nickname and see if it likes that one. Because when it comes right down to it, it doesn't really matter what name I give her in the account field, right? I could call her puppy, as a long as it doesn't get published....
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Proper procedure for patching from Single User mode

Typically when I install a patch cluster from Sun, I do a sanity reboot from the console of the server using:
shutdown -y -g0 -i6
When the system comes back online, I log into the console again and then do:
shutdown -y -g0 -i0 (to go into OBP)
then
boot -s (to go into single user mode)
The procedure above was given to me from a Sun technician.
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Typically when I install a patch cluster from Sun, I
do a sanity reboot from the console of the server
using:
shutdown -y -g0 -i6
When the system comes back online, I log into the
console again and then do:
shutdown -y -g0 -i0 (to go into OBP)
then
boot -s (to go into single user mode)
The procedure above was given to me from a Sun
technician.Not a bad thing to check reboot before patching, but I don't think it's in any official documentation that I'm aware of.
Then I install the patch cluster and reboot. It has
come to my attention that Sun recommends breaking any
mirrors between your disks before patching.Again, I don't know if it's "official", but if you have a backup copy that you could boot from, it does reduce the possibilities of critical problems from a bad patch.
I wanted
to know what is the best way to do this for both
Veritas Volume Manager and Solaris Volume Manager.
For Veritas Volume Manager, I was thinking of going
into the vxdiskadm menu driven utility and choosing
the option to "Remove a disk for replacement" for the
rootmirror disk and then after a reboot to check that
the patches did not cause a problem, go back into
vxdiskadm and choose the option "Replace a failed or
removed disk" and select the rootmirror which should
then begin to automatically resync itself to the
primary rootdisk. Any comments on if this is a proper
way to do this or if someone has a better method, I
would love to hear it. I am assuming a system with
just two internal disks: c1t0d0s2 and c1t1d0s2
Also, if anyone can comment on how to do this with
Solaris Volume Manager or if it is required would be
great also.Well, it'll work as you've described, but what if the patches fail? The disconnected mirror is not bootable. You'd have to go through an unencapsulation and other things from a CD.
I've often simply pulled one side of the mirror while the machine was shutdown. Since the mirror was valid prior to pulling, it will boot. If there's a problem, I shut down, swap disks, and boot from the untouched mirror. If no problem, I re-insert, reattach the disk to the diskgroup, then recover the volumes.
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In any event, you should have a backup ready to go.
Darren

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Hello everyone,
I'm quite new here, so I try to do my best if you have a question.
Yesterday, someone nearby me had a iMac G5 (Powermac8,1), and he sayd, that the computer sometimes will boot, sometimes not.
I did test it, I thought it was running fine, but when I played some music in iTunes, it was stuck on 9 seconds, and crashed (with a kernel panic). The guy also sayd, that there was nothing important on the computer, so a clean install was fine.
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- /sbin/fsck -fy (in single-user mode)
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PS: My main language is Dutch, so my English can be bad at some points.

Thank you for your support! This reply is a little bit late, because I was to the camping this weekend.
The only thing I sure do know, is that the iMac has a bad SuperDrive. That's one problem, but I don't really wanna use it, and you fix everything by Single-user mode and when I get to the desktop to test things and change stuff in the Preference Panes.
What also came to my mind was that there also is a problem with the videocard (driver), because sometimes when I boot into Single-user mode, I can see some white pixels which aren't supposed to be there. And when booting from SUM you can see that some of the colors are different and there are weird patterns on the screen.
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Failure to boot in single user mode

Hi,
I have an iBook G3 900MHz G3 running 10.4.6. 384MB RAM, ~25GB free disk space.
it's running slow so I want to boot in single user mode and run applejack.
the trouble is, it won't boot in single user mode. when I hold command-s or command-v it just boots right to the GUI.
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I have not taken steps to disable single user mode.
any ideas?
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Boot mac mini server into single-user mode?

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