Screaming Fans ,10.4.3., and Single User Mode.

I wanted to add my experience with the screaming fan problem and 10.4.3.
When I ran Disk Utility and used the verify disk option I received some minor errors and proceeded to boot the OS X install disk and run Disk Utility from there. When I did I received no errors. Rebooted back to 10.4.3 and reran disk utility and received the same minor errors. So I read one of the Mac sites that stated that one needed to run in single user mode and execute fsck f. This where the fun started.
When I went into single user mode the fans went wild. But I knew this to be normal and proceeded with repairing the disk (which was successful as evident with no errors being reported while booted to the desktop and running live verify disk. But before I got to that point the fans remained screaming after the reboot to 10.4.3. I reset the PRAM and NVRAM but to no avail. The fans would not quite down. The fix turned out to be very simple I unplugged the computer (after shutting down) for about 15 seconds. Re plugged it in and it was fine after that. Fans back to normal! I replicated the problem applied the same fix and again every thing was normal.
I just thought I would pass this on to the iMac community.

Hi Steven, bit unclear on a couple things.
When I went into single user mode the fans went wild. But I knew this to be normal and proceeded with repairing the disk
Normal for fans to go wild in single user or when repairing the disk?
I replicated the problem applied the same fix and again every thing was normal.
The problem being screaming fan and the fix being resetting SMU? (unplug for 15secs). So how did you replicate it, and is it really fixed now?

Similar Messages

Difference between emergency state and single user mode ?

Hi,
I want to know the difference between emergency state which we normally use in suspect mode database and single user mode.
Navakanth

Emergency/suspect mode is tells you the state of the database and database is not available for user action but where as single user mode tells the user action preference. Database is active and available for the user action.
You can refer
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb522682.aspx
EMERGENCY
The database is marked READ_ONLY, logging is disabled, and access is limited to members of the sysadmin fixed server role. EMERGENCY is primarily used for troubleshooting purposes. For example, a database marked as suspect due to a corrupted log file can be
set to the EMERGENCY state. This could enable the system administrator read-only access to the database. Only members of the sysadmin fixed server role can set a database to the EMERGENCY state.
SINGLE_USER
Specifies that only one user at a time can access the database. If SINGLE_USER is specified and there are other users connected to the database the ALTER DATABASE statement will be blocked until all users disconnect from the specified database. To override
this behavior, see the WITH <termination> clause.
The database remains in SINGLE_USER mode even if the user that set the option logs off. At that point, a different user, but only one, can connect to the database.
Before you set the database to SINGLE_USER, verify the AUTO_UPDATE_STATISTICS_ASYNC option is set to OFF. When set to ON, the background thread used to update statistics takes a connection against the database, and you will be unable to access the database
in single-user mode. To view the status of this option, query the is_auto_update_stats_async_on column in the sys.databases catalog view.
If the option is set to ON, perform the following tasks:
Set AUTO_UPDATE_STATISTICS_ASYNC to OFF.
Check for active asynchronous statistics jobs by querying the sys.dm_exec_background_job_queue dynamic management view.
If there are active jobs, either allow the jobs to complete or manually terminate them by using KILL STATS JOB.
--Prashanth

10.4.3 and Single User Mode, now Wireless Keyboard can

Hello all.
IN case you haven't found out which I did, just to let you know, with the latest OS 10.4.3 update, now you can boot into Single User Mode (fsck) with your
b wireless keyboard
and still at the same time
b continue to complete fsck process with your wireless keyboard!!
No more switching to a regular wired keyboard just to complete the process!
Cheers

Hi Steven, bit unclear on a couple things.
When I went into single user mode the fans went wild. But I knew this to be normal and proceeded with repairing the disk
Normal for fans to go wild in single user or when repairing the disk?
I replicated the problem applied the same fix and again every thing was normal.
The problem being screaming fan and the fix being resetting SMU? (unplug for 15secs). So how did you replicate it, and is it really fixed now?

Won't boot normally or in recovery and single user mode, safe mode hangs up halfway

iMac locked up with visual glitches while playing the Mac beta client of League of Legends. Had to force a shutdown by holding the power button. Now it won't boot; after the Apple logo and spinning wheel I just get a white screen. I tried launching in recovery mode, that didn't work. Then I tried safe mode; the bar filled a little over half and then nothing but white screen. I was able to boot single user mode once; ran fsck -fy and rebooted, still white screen. Now I can't get back to single user mode. I booted with command option P R to reset the NVRAM and got the second chime, but still nothing.
Luckily all my important files are in the cloud, but I'm really hoping my computer isn't completely dead. I haven't had any issues in the past. I've even been playing LoL for over a month with no issues, until now when I tried to play the newer game types, Dominion and ARAM; both caused visual glitches forcing shutdowns. I was able to restart my computer with no problem after the first two visual glitches, but after the last one I am stuck at the white screen as I described above.
Thanks in advance for your help!

I'd bet the drive is damaged. You could try reformatting if possible. Again, you are booting from the Recovery-10.8.2 disk if you can. If you can't, then you will need to use the installer disc that came with the computer.
Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
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.
Erase the hard drive:
1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the
      left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on
        the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass. Click on
      the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
            because it is three times faster than wireless.

Password protected EFI and Single User Mode

Hello Community,
if I protect the EFI with a password than the single user mode is disabled. But I thought that I can enter the single user mode by entering the EFI password but no password prompt appears. Only the possibility to change the startup volume is accessible by a password prompt. Do I miss a possibility or is the only way to enter the single user mode by bypassing or disable the password by using the firmware password utility on the installation disk without violence?
BTW: I know the act of violence by changing the RAM configuration but this isn't the way I want to describe in the system documentation
Thx in advance & Bye Tom
Message was edited by: prontosystems

Try holding the Option key while booting. It should ask for the password, then allow any boot options after you select the drive. If you boot from the install DVD (using the Option key and password), you can use the "Utilities" menu to disable the password, after choosing your language.

Single User Mode Question

I use single user mode to do fsck because doing it on a live disk takes way too long. I was wondering if there is a way to repair permissions from single user mode. Thanks

1. what does AFAIK mean?
As Far As I Know
2. What I have gathered is that it is near next to y difficult to repair permission fro the CLI and single user mode.
Correct. You can't use diskutil because the disk framework isn't loaded. You can do it if you're booted from an install DVD, though.

Why won't single user mode recognize /sbin/mount command?

I need help from people who are knowledgable abou these Mac wonders of the world and single user mode.
I'm trying for the life of me to run "memtest" in single user mode and am finding it impossible.
After I boot into single user mode, I get a "Shell>" prompt.
I type in /sbin/fsck/ -y to do some check thing. I then type in /sbin/mount -uw /
Both times I get an error saying that "/sbin/yada yada yada is not recognized as an internal or external command, batch or whatever"
No command work at all. I have no clue what I'm doing and am using instructions from where I got the memtest app. Sure I could just run it from the Terminal but then you're not testing all of the RAM, only the available portion. There's a huge chunck that won't be tested as OSX is using it. I want to do this as I just upgraded RAM to 8G with Crucial and now my MBP is acting very slow and weird.
HELP???? Why does this have to be sooooo hard.

I found the solution to the problem. Somone on a different forum had the same issue at one time. The problem is my use of Refit. When you hold Command-S at start when using refit you go into a single user type mode inside the refit shell. So it is something different.
Instead I needed to let the Mac boot Refit like normal. With the Mac partition highlighted press "F2" and it will display boot options for the Mac partition. One of them is Mac OSX single user mode. Simply select and hit enter and then I enter the correct single user mode and I'm off.
Then everything works like it should. I was my own undoing with my use of Refit.

HT1492 Single user mode not working.

Whenever I hit command-s to go into single user mode it doesn't work. I used to do it all the time to help my grandma who doesn't let me know her password, but always forgets it reset her computer. Please help!

Thank you! The thread you posted had my problem exactly, and the solution. It was the Macally keyboard, so I uninstalled the driver (and single user mode worked), and then I installed an older driver, so now my keyboard works AND single user mode works. If all of my computer problems could be so easy...

Single User Mode Crash HELPPPP!!!

So, I just finished installing windows 7 build 7022, and using the modified bootcamp.msi to get all of the drivers installed.
I went to boot into OSX, and all that it does is sit on the grey apple screen while the gear spins, and spins, and spins.
I went into single user mode and this is the crash report that I got.
Process: securityd [51]
Path: /usr/sbin/securityd
Identifier: securityd
Version: ??? (???)
Code Type: X86 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [1]
Date/Time: 2009-06-09 06:50:47.092 -0400
OS Version: Mac OS X 10.5.7 (9J61)
Report Version: 6
Anonymous UUID: 694D9F27-A097-484D-AEFD-A3C054CB5BBB
Exception Type: EXCBADACCESS (SIGBUS)
Exception Codes: KERNPROTECTIONFAILURE at 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread: 4
Thread 0:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x912f4e5a getdirentries + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x912f4d94 readdir + 70
2 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x92b3a1e0 _CFBundleCopyDirectoryContentsAtPath + 1264
3 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x92b3eb59 _CFBundleURLLooksLikeBundleVersion + 57
4 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x92b2f3af _CFBundleCreate + 287
5 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x92b2f9ab CFBundleCreateBundlesFromDirectory + 187
6 securityd 0x0002dc34 0x1000 + 183348
7 securityd 0x0002c175 0x1000 + 176501
8 securityd 0x0000485f 0x1000 + 14431
9 securityd 0x00004633 0x1000 + 13875
10 securityd 0x00004564 0x1000 + 13668
11 securityd 0x00003eee 0x1000 + 12014
12 securityd 0x00003e0a 0x1000 + 11786
13 securityd 0x00002836 0x1000 + 6198
14 securityd 0x00011ff2 0x1000 + 69618
Thread 1:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x912d1292 machmsg_overwritetrap + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91330dde machmsgoverwrite + 86
2 securityd 0x000041d4 0x1000 + 12756
3 securityd 0x0000a8f2 0x1000 + 39154
4 securityd 0x0000a8a0 0x1000 + 39072
5 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91302155 pthreadstart + 321
6 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91302012 thread_start + 34
Thread 2:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x913131fa pread$UNIX2003 + 10
1 com.apple.security 0x92c57f4f Security::Universal::typeOf(Security::UnixPlusPlus::FileDesc) + 49
2 com.apple.security 0x92c58dae Security::CodeSigning::MachORep::candidiate(Security::UnixPlusPlus::FileDesc&) + 26
3 com.apple.security 0x92c507f5 Security::CodeSigning::DiskRep::bestFileGuess(char const*) + 63
4 com.apple.security 0x92c50b4b Security::CodeSigning::DiskRep::bestGuess(char const*) + 299
5 com.apple.security 0x92c4ee1a Security::CodeSigning::KernelCode::mapGuestToStatic(Security::CodeSigning::SecC ode*) + 116
6 com.apple.security 0x92c517c4 Security::CodeSigning::SecCode::getStaticCode() + 24
7 com.apple.security 0x92c51611 Security::CodeSigning::SecCode::staticCode() + 33
8 com.apple.security 0x92c5a36f Security::CodeSigning::GenericCode::hostingPort() + 25
9 com.apple.security 0x92c5a548 Security::CodeSigning::GenericCode::locateGuest(__CFDictionary const*) + 24
10 com.apple.security 0x92c4e2d9 SecCodeCopyGuestWithAttributes + 51
11 securityd 0x0004a0ad 0x1000 + 299181
12 securityd 0x0004a2b0 0x1000 + 299696
13 securityd 0x00016f4a 0x1000 + 89930
14 securityd 0x00005584 0x1000 + 17796
15 securityd 0x00042900 0x1000 + 268544
16 securityd 0x00005396 0x1000 + 17302
17 securityd 0x00004d17 0x1000 + 15639
18 securityd 0x00004c84 0x1000 + 15492
19 securityd 0x00004282 0x1000 + 12930
20 securityd 0x0000a8f2 0x1000 + 39154
21 securityd 0x0000a8a0 0x1000 + 39072
22 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91302155 pthreadstart + 321
23 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91302012 thread_start + 34
Thread 3:
0 libSystem.B.dylib 0x912d1292 machmsg_overwritetrap + 10
1 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91330dde machmsgoverwrite + 86
2 securityd 0x000041d4 0x1000 + 12756
3 securityd 0x0000a8f2 0x1000 + 39154
4 securityd 0x0000a8a0 0x1000 + 39072
5 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91302155 pthreadstart + 321
6 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91302012 thread_start + 34
Thread 4 Crashed:
0 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x92b5bc57 CFDictionaryContainsKey + 39
1 securityd 0x00019568 0x1000 + 99688
2 securityd 0x0001a46a 0x1000 + 103530
3 securityd 0x000333d4 0x1000 + 205780
4 securityd 0x00043a08 0x1000 + 272904
5 securityd 0x00059a32 0x1000 + 363058
6 securityd 0x00004d17 0x1000 + 15639
7 securityd 0x00004c84 0x1000 + 15492
8 securityd 0x00004282 0x1000 + 12930
9 securityd 0x0000a8f2 0x1000 + 39154
10 securityd 0x0000a8a0 0x1000 + 39072
11 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91302155 pthreadstart + 321
12 libSystem.B.dylib 0x91302012 thread_start + 34
Thread 4 crashed with X86 Thread State (32-bit):
eax: 0xa038c4ec ebx: 0x92b5bc3a ecx: 0x4d555458 edx: 0x00000010
edi: 0xbffffd7c esi: 0x00000000 ebp: 0xb0206cf8 esp: 0xb0206ce0
ss: 0x0000001f efl: 0x00010283 eip: 0x92b5bc57 cs: 0x00000017
ds: 0x0000001f es: 0x0000001f fs: 0x0000001f gs: 0x00000037
cr2: 0x00000000
Binary Images:
0x1000 - 0x9afff +securityd ??? (???) <0a5eeb92a410eb2d8ecf46c344180615> /usr/sbin/securityd
0xbc000 - 0xc8fe7 com.apple.pcsc 6.0 (34733) <a93011d49a6d04d6d35bfb526927f54d> /System/Library/Frameworks/PCSC.framework/Versions/A/PCSC
0x8fe00000 - 0x8fe2db43 dyld 97.1 (???) <100d362e03410f181a34e04e94189ae5> /usr/lib/dyld
0x90ba7000 - 0x90c04ffb libstdc++.6.dylib ??? (???) <04b812dcec670daa8b7d2852ab14be60> /usr/lib/libstdc++.6.dylib
0x912d0000 - 0x91437ff3 libSystem.B.dylib ??? (???) <b47c8e6e45aef620730710a732bf1930> /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib
0x91b18000 - 0x91ba4ff7 com.apple.framework.IOKit 1.5.2 (???) <97b9f9d584f48891377f0481b9104434> /System/Library/Frameworks/IOKit.framework/Versions/A/IOKit
0x91d20000 - 0x91d27ffe libbsm.dylib ??? (???) <d25c63378a5029648ffd4b4669be31bf> /usr/lib/libbsm.dylib
0x91d28000 - 0x91d36ffd libz.1.dylib ??? (???) <5ddd8539ae2ebfd8e7cc1c57525385c7> /usr/lib/libz.1.dylib
0x92349000 - 0x92482ff7 libicucore.A.dylib ??? (???) <cac059ebdac7d9a63ee0f7a648c9f6cf> /usr/lib/libicucore.A.dylib
0x927c2000 - 0x928a2fff libobjc.A.dylib ??? (???) <7b92613fdf804fd9a0a3733a0674c30b> /usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib
0x92b16000 - 0x92c49fef com.apple.CoreFoundation 6.5.6 (476.18) <2d52bab73660117571bd6486dc318f8e> /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreFoundation.framework/Versions/A/CoreFoundation
0x92c4a000 - 0x92e1bffb com.apple.security 5.0.5 (36371) <c13e0bb1acfdcf94be4d3ee118ef190e> /System/Library/Frameworks/Security.framework/Versions/A/Security
0x93017000 - 0x9301efe9 libgcc_s.1.dylib ??? (???) <f53c808e87d1184c0f9df63aef53ce0b> /usr/lib/libgcc_s.1.dylib
0x96db0000 - 0x96ddbfe7 libauto.dylib ??? (???) <42d8422dc23a18071869fdf7b5d8fab5> /usr/lib/libauto.dylib
0x97118000 - 0x9711cfff libmathCommon.A.dylib ??? (???) /usr/lib/system/libmathCommon.A.dylib
0xfffe8000 - 0xfffebfff libobjc.A.dylib ??? (???) /usr/lib/libobjc.A.dylib
0xffff0000 - 0xffff1780 libSystem.B.dylib ??? (???) /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib
If someone can PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEE help me, I would appreciate it!
Message was edited by: lysdexik

1. what does AFAIK mean?
As Far As I Know
2. What I have gathered is that it is near next to y difficult to repair permission fro the CLI and single user mode.
Correct. You can't use diskutil because the disk framework isn't loaded. You can do it if you're booted from an install DVD, though.

IMac G5 won't boot in normal and safe mode, but will from single-user mode

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.
Now, the problem is, that it will not boot in normal mode (without anything pressed on boot), also it won't in safe mode (shift-boot), but it will, when I enter single-user mode, mount the hard drive and exit from single-user mode so it will go futher on booting. Sometimes it will not, and immediately gives you a kernel panic in single-user mode, but it will 90 percent of the time.
Then you've got another problem: when it's running in the normal desktop from single-user mode, it'll be stuck after some time again. If I look into the Kernel Panic file created, most times it's because of Spotlight indexing, so I disabled that.
He also gave me the disks (Apple Hardware Test and Extra Applications, and iMac G5 Mac OS X Install Disks 1-3) that came with the Mac. He sayd that I could use them, but I think he didn't test out the SuperDrive, because when I insert a disk, it will try to read, but it will make 2 same sounds, and quits after 10 tries, when it will spit the cd out. Also normal (audio) disks.
Also, I must hurry with the commands for mounting and exiting in single-user mode, or it will just not boot.
In all cases, after 30-45 seconds from pressing the power button, the fan will start blowing at full speed, and it will stop after the exit command in Single-user mode. That's weird.
I can't do anything with the SuperDrive, I can't normally boot in Mac OS X except for Single-user mode (but I don't think he would like to do that every time the computer boots up), and I have very limited time when Mac OS X arrived on the desktop.
When booting in Verbose mode, it will be stuck on this:
AppleSMU::PMU vers = 0x000d004c, SPU vers = 0x15, SDB vers = 0x01,
(and sometimes ends with a kernel crash by fsck_hfs)
Things I've tried (without any success):
- /sbin/fsck -fy (in single-user mode)
- Disabling Spotlight and mds
If you want some more information, feel free to ask!
Greetings
-MrYoranimo
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.
I also tried to setup a NetBoot server on this computer (MacBook Mid 2010) with just Lion 10.7.4 on it, but I'm not that expert and I didn't really find the good posts on the Internet, although I tried it with the Server applications and both Server applications and DeployStudio. But I didn't succeed.
I don't really like buying a new FireWire hard disk or external FireWire dvd reader/writer, except if it has USB support, because my MacBook doesn't support FireWire, and I really wanna make use of it then.
If I know more or have fixed it, I will surely post again here with what I did to fix it (if no one else has posted here already ).

Fan issues after entering Single User mode

Earlier, I went into Single User mode to run an application called Applejack. When my computer first loaded up, my fan became twice as loud as it normally does. I figured that would return to normal once I restarted my computer, but when I went back to my usual setup my fan is still incredibly loud. I attempted to restart my computer again, but that didn't help. Is there anything I can do to fix this?
Just to clarify a few things, the fan begun to act up as soon as I entered Single User mode. I've tried looking into my System Preferences settings, but changing my Processor Performance doesn't seem to do anything unless there's something I need to do along with changing the setting. Thanks in advance!

And just to be clear, in Single User Mode the computer's feedback about temps is not functioning... so your Mac assumes the worst, and keeps those suckers going full blast.
I find this to be the case when it has crashed and I re-start in SUM. But if I shutdown normally, usually you can start in SUM and be ok fan noise wise.
Quad 2.5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Loud Fan Noice, Single User Mode?

My iMac makes really loud fan noises when it's on
There's no problem with it, but the fan is running all time and making loud noises.
So I looked for help, and some say about starting in single-user mode.
What exactly is it and what does it do to my computer?
Is it really necessary?
iMac G5 PowerPC Mac OS X (10.4.9)

"what exactly do i have to do for disk utility test ?
i verified and i checked those permissions stuff
but i dont exactly know what i'm supposed to do there"
Did you do the above from your Tiger DVD?
If you received errors did you click the Repair Disk button?
Were there errors that the Utility could not repair? If so, then you will need to use a stronger utility programs. The top 3rd party utility programs that are favorites/recommended in these forums are the following:
DiskWarrior
Highly recommended for *directory damage* repairs.
TechTool Pro
Multi-functional utility.
Drive Genius Multi-functional utility.
You will need to make your own decision on which to purchase. Read up on them on their websites because each does something a little different.
================
If you did not repair from your Tiger DVD:
Repairing permissions from the Tiger DVD
Boot up from your Tiger Install DVD while holding down the "c" key.
Select the language you wish to use, and then choose "Disk Utility" from the menu bar.
Your HD should appear in a panel on the left hand side of the window which opens. Select it and then click on the "repair disk" button in the right hand section of the window.
If Disk First aid is able to complete the repair now click on the "Repair permissions" button.
Once this process has been completed restart your computer.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751 About Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions feature
TIP-You should Repair Permissions:
After installing and/or updating an OS (Operating System).
After installing software.

I changed my wheel group properties to no access at top disk level. I messed up, how can I change back in single user mode "command s" as I am now in Thailand and not able to access startup disks?

I messed up, I changed my "Wheel group" properties to No Access ( or something other than the default) at the top level of my startup disk "Macintosh HD".   Now my computer won't start up, I just get the spinning wheel of death.    I also am in Thailand right now, so I cannot go to a Genius at an apple store, nor do I have startup disks available.
So I was hoping there was a way to change back the properties of my disk (Volume) in single user mode (via Command +s) during startup, i.e. can I do a chmod command on the Macintosh HD listing under the Volume Directory.    Or where do i fix this?   Is it fixable without startup disks, etc...
THANKS FOR ANY HELP!!!!
If you could also please let me know you have an answer, I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!!
thanks so much
mark
<Edited by Host>

Thomas,
Thanks for the info on command-R, didn't know about that!!!
Yes I changed the sharing "Wheel Group" permissions on my hard drive via Get Info.    But that's all I did.    And then most of the apps wouldn't respond with anything.    So not knowing I did something stupid, I decided to re-boot, and then nothing but the Wheel of Death at startup.
I was trying to limit access to my computer on this network, changed my public folder settings, and then I thought why not the whole hard drive, but at that time I had no idea what the "Wheel Group" was... so I shouldn't have touched it, BUT IT DID ...... argggggg....
I managed to go to an internet cafe & research the problem yesterday.    I used the command +s single mode to get in, and then did the necessary steps to mount the drive so I could make changes.   I basically did this:
Boot into single-user mode (boot while holding down CMD-S)
Follow the on-screen instructions to mount the file system as read-write (a fsck command followed by a mount command)
Type the following: "chmod o+r /" followed by "chmod o+x /"
Type "exit" to leave single user mode and complete the boot sequence.
I found it at this link http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=416180
It worked... thank God!!!   Well so far so good.
I was going to try my own fix by chmod on the Hard drive listed under Volumes directory, but that doesn't seem to match the info under Get Info Window.    So I just used the fix above.    I probably should now go and do "Disk Utility - repair permissions", however I am a little gun shy right now, so I will probably wait until I am back in the States so I can go to an Apple store if it messes up.   Right now I'm following the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" MOTTO...
So Thomas I just wanted to say THANKS for replying so quickly, and I really appreciate your help!!!
(yes I know I shouldn't have used my email addresses, but I WAS DESPERATE, but that's still no excuse)
Hopefully maybe this thread will help someone else out in the future....
Okay, thanks again!
Mark

Single user mode, Lost Admin Account, and Disk Permissions

Okay, so I have quite a few issues here. I will start from the beginning.
About a week ago, I tried to install some updates and I could not get the Admin account to work. I went to the users profile and noticed my Admin account was not there. Did a quick search and found Apple's outline of how to fix this via the Operational DVD and the root user. Tried this and it would never work, because as soon as I restarted the computer or changed screens it switched back to a standard account.
Next up, I went into the terminal to check the Admin User group. As it turns out it is not there. So I find a discussion on there that outlines how to rebuild this in single user mode and the Unix prompt. So, I print it off and try to restart in single user mode. After trying two different keyboards and a sum total of 8 to 10 times, I can't restart in single user mode to get to the Unix prompt.
One last thing, last night I went into the Disk Utility on the start-up DVD. I wanted to check the Repair Permission log and I got the following:
ACL found but not expected on "private/var/root/Library/Preferences"
ACL found but not expected on "private/var/root/Library/"
ACL found but not expected on "Network"
Thoughts?
Thanks for your help!
tpp

first, the ACL messages can be ignored. if you can't get to single user mode you can't fix your admin group. the only reasons that I know why you wouldn't be able to do that is
1. a defective keyboard
2. you have a firmware password set. have you? you'd have to turn it off before you can get to single user mode.
lastly when you restart in single user mode make sure you press command+s right after you hear the chime. do not press it too early or too late. lastly, I'm not sure which instructions you've found to fix the admin group but I have them in this thread
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8011324

Single-user mode: How to mount and access an external USB drive?

My MacBook Pro HD is acting up. Cannot boot normally or into "safe mode". Cannot reinstall OS without wiping out the HD. Need to recover some critical files but DiskUtil First Aid and Restore options cannot successfully complete. Problem traced down to "invalid node structure" which means I either have a hardware problem or my filesystem partition directory structure is corrupted. I need to recover some files that are not backed up (timin issue with my regular backup process).
I can boot into single-user mode, mount the root file system (/sbin/mount -uw /) and can see/navigate the rot filesystem structure via good UNIX command line. Here's what I would like to do (in single-user mode):
1. Mount an external USB drive (250 GB already formatted as Mac OS X Extended)
2. Copy various files and/or directories from my HD to the external USB drive (UNIX cp command)
I realize I could go spend $$ for the Disk Warrior or Data Rescue products (or something similar) that SHOULD help me recover my HD or files, but it seems silly to do this when I can see, touch and taste them from within single-user mode....
Comments? Suggestions?
TIA --
Trent
P.S. Once I've recovered my files, I'll try to reformat the HD and then reinstall the OS. And THEN go have Apple look at my machine (thank goodness for AppleCare coverage)!

Resolution:
1) Boot system in single-user mode (SUM) with external HD attached.
2) Execute the following UNIX CLI commands once SUM boot process is completed:
# fsck -fy
# mount -uw /
# mkdir /Volumes/target_directory
# mount -t hfs -w /dev/diskXXX /Volumes/target_directory
# cp -RXv /source_directory /Volumes/target_directory
Where XXX is the device-level name for your external HD's data partition. In my case this was /dev/disk1s2. It may take some experimentation to identify this device name if your system has multiple HD's.
3) Verify contents were successfully copied onto the /Volumes/target_directory.
Comments and observations:
- Do NOT use "/" as your source directory - cp will make a second (redundant) copy of /volumes/target_directory
- I was able to successfully copy ALL files off my HD despite the fsck command's "invalid node structure" error message with this simple procedure. YMMV, depending on the state of your HD.
- The repeated disk0s2: I/O error warnings displayed during the SUM boot process did not seem to have a negative effect on this procedure. I also received this same error warning intermittently as I navigated the mounted filesystem did not seem to be a problem, either. Again, YMMV.
Commercial software:
I downloaded ProSoft Engineering's Data Rescue 3 product (trial version) before spending $99 to attempt to recover my "bad" HD's data via mounting to a good system with FW target mode. It could not successfully complete its "QuickScan" process and immediately hung on block 0 of 390M during its "Deep Scan" process. The product did seem to function properly on an operational system. ProSoft's technical support was responsive and helpful but had no answer for my "Deep Scan" error.
I did not attempt to use Alsoft's Disk Warrior 4 product. I could not find any trial software available and was reluctant to spend $100 based upon the mixed reviews and comments on this discussion forum as well as other reviews. Alsoft does claim to address the "invalid node structure" error in their marketing materials. Hindsight being 20/20 - I saved $100 by using this simple procedure.
Final note:
Neither Leopard nor Snow Leopard's installation DVD could recognize the bad internal HD when trying to do a reinstall. While DiskUtil was able to "see" the bad internal drive it immediately failed when I tried to do an "erase and format". Took the system to my local Apple store and the Genius ran a tool called "SMART Utility" from Volitans Software (www.volitans-software.com). SMART utility confirmed that my HD was bad so it was replaced. AppleCare pays for itself (once again!).

Screaming Fans ,10.4.3., and Single User Mode.

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