Major Update Issues

Question

After installing the latest update my computer will not get past the grey Apple screen with the spinning "Loading" logo. I've reset the pram. I've reset the SMC. I've hooked it up to my iMac and repaired the disk and the permissions, they checked out. I've done an fsck and it shows everything as fine. I can get into single user mode but not safe mode. Verbose crashes with the error:
Jettisoning kernel linker.
disk0s2: 0xe0030005 (UNDEFINED).
kext-parent28: kextd forked child task exited abnormally
ditto: can't get real path for source.
I used to be a computer tech, but this is way beyond me. A little help would be much appreciated.

Answer 1

I had same basic problem on June 7th. In 20 yrs using Macs, have 12 (1986-2006) all working beautifully, I'd never encountered as instantaneous a problem so similar to yours, incl past 4 yrs dozens of incremental SW Upd for Tiger on 6 machines.
The following worked for me, otherwise I'd never post all this. A long stroll thru these discussions +(thank you members!)+ helped me get on a path (11 hrs, mostly online research & download time) to solving a mid-startup freeze seemingly caused by (certainly immediately after) installing latest Security Update 2008-003 PPC. *Here's what I learned, in a more logical order:* Although neglecting to run Disk Utility & TechTool Pro periodic maintenance before running updates (never good to skip, usually don't) on 20" G4 iMac (not my own) I used my laptop on (slow) WiFi connection at (highly shared) public library to download latest QT, iTunes, & SecUpd 08-003. Ran QT (w/ restart) & iTunes no problem but the restart after running SecUpd failed: went to desktop background (only) after your stopping point but just before usual "Welcome to OS X" box w/ progress bar. No menu, dock or icons. Ran Apple DU & TechTool, found/fixed minor probs, but same bad startup. Read much talk here sugg never use SW Update in auto mode (I never have) in favor of manual op 1 at a time, (I always have) avoiding wireless and/or slow downloads of any updates due to potential corruption in flight (oops, broke this rule, although update behaved correctly until bad restart), and obviously having a full HD backup avail, bootable clone preferred. And this Mac didn't! Yikes! Can't really undo a SW update unfortunately, and took one member's post advice on doing an Archive & Install, I kept the "Preserve Users..." box checked and voilá of course back up and running. On another post's advice, downloaded the large 10.4.11 COMBO update (never done that before, always incremental) at an actually very highspeed local internet cafe and ran that to tremendous success. Most everything preserved or moved to new System & Apps folders. Only had to swap the new Mail for original one in "Previous Sys" folder, reselect specific dial-up # from list, move couple other Apps & Utils to the new locations, and restart again. Dreaded the whole 1st experience, but OS X came thru for me! It's crucial that enough free space exists on your HD and as long as you are equipped with your (a) Tiger OS install DVD and access to getting the big COMBO update of the OS at the level you have been using. It totally worked for me, under severe time constraints, away from home on my parent's iMac, the day before flying home. However, only the initial Archive/Install of older Tiger version from DVD would have been possible without my laptop to get the Combo download to fix a desktop 2000 miles from home. 180mb on a dialup? ha-ha. Plus it had use-proven folder of all updates since 10.4.11 Combo release ready to go via thumbdrive. If you only have one Mac, a friend with Mac laptop is good thing to have! Good luck. It's all voodoo anyway, with myriad possible inter-related criteria, which is why I laid mine out here, and thanks again to other members...