Disk Won't Mount - Broken Pipe

Question

I'm no longer able to mount disk images that I have downloaded. Double-clicking on the downloaded .dmg gives me a cryptic message: "The following image failed to mount." "Reason: Broken pipe"
I attempted to mount it using the hdiutil command and got the following:
michael-babcocks-computer:~ MB$ hdiutil attach /MacOSXUpdCombo10.4.9Intel.dmg
dyld: lazy symbol binding failed: Symbol not found: _DIGetLocalKey
Referenced from: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Resources/diskimages-hel per
Expected in: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Versions/A/DiskImages
dyld: Symbol not found: _DIGetLocalKey
Referenced from: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Resources/diskimages-hel per
Expected in: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Versions/A/DiskImages
hdiutil: attach failed - Broken pipe
So far I have done the following:
Repaired permissions
Verified disk with Disk Utilities (passed verification)
Rebuilt directory with DiskWarrior
Checked file structure with DiskWarrior
Ran Tech Tools Pro 4.5.1 to repair structures & files
Uninstalled WindowShade 4.1.2 & APE
Purged all caches with both Cocktain & Cache Out X
Zapped the PRAM
Anything I can do, short of a system re-install? I've got a (Intel) Mac Pro running 10.4.9 -- It seems to have happened after downleading the 10.4.9 upgrade via Software Update.
MacPro   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

Answer 1

I too accepted the Software Update, as I always have in the past, and so I downloaded the 10.4.9 update on my MacPro. The installer for the System Update (third installer to run, after Quicktime and iTunes) gave me the "disk image failed to mount: broken pipe" message. From then on I have not been able to mount any DMG files.
If I use "hdiutil mount" in Terminal on any DMG I get this sort of output:
2007-03-20 23:27:59.400 hdiutil[483] CFLog (21): dyld returns 2 when trying to load /Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle/Contents/MacOS/Vir tualPCDiskImagePlugin
2007-03-20 23:27:59.400 hdiutil[483] CFLog (22): Cannot find function pointer MacDiskImagePluginFactory for factory 7F1FD83E-6684-11D8-968F-000A957703C0 in CFBundle/CFPlugIn 0x31b420 </Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle> (bundle, not loaded)
2007-03-20 23:27:59.570 diskimages-helper[484] CFLog (21): dyld returns 2 when trying to load /Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle/Contents/MacOS/Vir tualPCDiskImagePlugin
2007-03-20 23:27:59.570 diskimages-helper[484] CFLog (22): Cannot find function pointer MacDiskImagePluginFactory for factory 7F1FD83E-6684-11D8-968F-000A957703C0 in CFBundle/CFPlugIn 0x324f70 </Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle> (bundle, not loaded)
2007-03-20 23:27:59.581 diskimages-helper[484] CFLog (21): dyld returns 2 when trying to load /Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle/Contents/MacOS/Vir tualPCDiskImagePlugin
2007-03-20 23:27:59.581 diskimages-helper[484] CFLog (22): Cannot find function pointer MacDiskImagePluginFactory for factory 7F1FD83E-6684-11D8-968F-000A957703C0 in CFBundle/CFPlugIn 0x324f70 </Library/Plug-ins/DiskImages/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle> (bundle, not loaded)
dyld: lazy symbol binding failed: Symbol not found: _DIGetLocalKey
Referenced from: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Resources/diskimages-hel per
Expected in: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Versions/A/DiskImages
dyld: Symbol not found: _DIGetLocalKey
Referenced from: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Resources/diskimages-hel per
Expected in: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Versions/A/DiskImages
So if I remove the "DiskImages" folder that contains "/Library/Plug-Ins/VirtualPCDiskImagePlugin.bundle" (a suggestion I found at Macintouch) I get a smaller subset of the same message (though why would hdiutil have anything to do with VirtualPC in the first place) :
dyld: lazy symbol binding failed: Symbol not found: _DIGetLocalKey
Referenced from: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Resources/diskimages-hel per
Expected in: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Versions/A/DiskImages
dyld: Symbol not found: _DIGetLocalKey
Referenced from: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Resources/diskimages-hel per
Expected in: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskImages.framework/Versions/A/DiskImages
hdiutil: mount failed - Broken pipe
A search for the term "_DIGetLocalKey" in Google returns NO links. Nothing at all in billions of webpages? What's with that? However, I've seen enough posts on this very topic to see that it has been a common experience for the update to 10.4.9.
Other than going back to 10.4.8 and using the Combo Installer, is there something that can be done to fix this specific problem?
For example: Might there be a problem in the DiskImages Framework?
MacPro   Mac OS X (10.4.9)