HELP: Latest Security Update hangs during startup

Question

I did two updates, the latest Security Updates for Tiger OSX on my G4, mirror door and also the latest iTunes. After all the downloads it asked me to reboot. Now I get the gray Apple with an endless spinning clock.
I did repair disk permissions via holding down "C" button and also did the fsck or whatever command in terminal mode. Still it hangs.
I'm desperate need of help here. I'm posting this on my iPhone, as my only computer now won't boot.
Can I go back to another version (Tiger only DVD) or how I run off the CD without asking for installation?
To make matters worse, my external HD took a dump and I lost all my iTunes library. All I wanted to do was update my iPhone to 3.0, and now Im just hosed.
Does anyone know if this update does this and what to do? Or am I just unlucky? weeping.....
please post solutions that I can easily access on my small iPhone screen. thanks.
-G4 single 1.25, Mirrored Door, 768MB RAM, 80Gb HD (8 GB free),

Answer 1

Hi applrob, and a warm welcome to the forums!
Does anyone know if this update does this and what to do? Or am I just unlucky?
99.9% of the time it means there was some pre-existinng corruption. I'll mention all the steps, but I thing the bolded end section is what we'll end up needing.
Could be many things, we should start with this...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Tiger Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)
The usual reason why updates fail or mess things up, is if Permissions are not fixed before & after every update, with a reboot... you may get a partial update when the installer finds it doesn't have Permissions to change one obscure little part of the OS, leaving you with a mix of OS versions.
Some people get away without Repairing Permissions for years, some for only days.
If Permissions are wrong before applying an update, you could get mixed OS versions, if Directory is the slightest messed up, who knows!
If many Permission are repaired, or any Directory errors are found, you may need to re-apply some the latest/biggest updates.
May even need to do an Archive and Install if you have room on the HD, but saves all your files and gives a new OS...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120
I only use Software Update to see what is needed, then get them for real via...
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/
That way I can wait a week or so, check the forums for potential problems, and get Permissions & such in order before installing.
*If all the above fails, then it appears to be time for a relatively painless Archive & Install, which gives you a new/old OS, but can preserve all your files, pics, music, settings, etc., as long as you have plenty of free disk space and no Disk corruption, and is relatively quick & painless...*
*http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120*
*Just be sure to select Preserve Users & Settings.*