Stuck in single user mode and can not get past it

I am experiencing a problem I recently had lent me a Mac g4 tower. I decided to upgrade to tiger and accidentally set the start-up preference to the disc, every time I boot up it goes into single user mode, if I boot up holding the option key it brings up 3 icons on the right is an arrow in a circle formation which is refresh at a guess in the middle is the hard drive which is depressed kind of thing and on the right is a straight arrow. I have tried selecting each of these individually and even pressing enter all but the refresh icon goes back into single user mode. When the disc is in and I go to this it does not ring up the disc as an option.
I have zapped the PRAM reset the CUDA button and even telling it to reset the NRAM etc.
I have tried it with the disk in and out and all paths lead to the same outcome it starts up I hear the tone and the screen goes grey with an apple icon on then it goes to lack screen saying localhost:/root#.
I have also used the (fsck –fy) in single user mode to scan the disk and it says it appears to be ok. I have done all these steps multiple times but I am still getting the same outcome.
I have also tried pulling the logic battery and pressing the cuda switch and leaving it to stand and even pulling the RAM but this has not worked and I am still getting the same out come of been put straight in to single user mode.
I have tried starting up in safe mode but again this just goes to single user mode as well.
As yet I have not tried booting up using this machine as a slave drive or using another Mac as a slave drive and seeing what this out come does as I have not got access to another Mac at this time.
Unfortunately I do not have the original discs that came with the machine either so can not even boot from them.
Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated thank you.
Please read my post properly thanks.
I have tried several key commands such has D, C and even holding (option, command, shift and delete) when i do this it just brings up a folder with two changing flashing icons.

Ok checked them out and followed the instructions given, but still getting the same outcome, looked at the system log and it tells me.
localhost login: PAM pam_inithandlers:no default config /etc/pam.d/other
localhost login:PAM error reading PAM configuration file
localhost login:PAM pam_start:failed to initialize handlers
localhost shutdown: halt by andy
Any more ideas???

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Stuck in single user mode and can not get past it

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