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Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
Hello, if you're reading this, you are either stuck or interested in what has happened.

My installation of 10.4.9 wasn't successful - in fact, the screen was stuck at the startup with the gray apple/icon loader. I decided to try and fix it. There are two options you can attempt to do to fix this problem if you see what I saw.

Option 1 - Repair disk permissions/repair disk
1. Insert your DVD Install Disk for Tiger.
2. Turn your computer on and hold down the option/alt button.
3. Choose your DVD Install Disk.
4. Select your language.
5. Here, there should be your installation welcome message, ignore this. At the top, click on utilities and disk utility.
6. Make sure tab is on First Aid), Select your hard drive and click repair disk and wait for that to finish.
7. Next click repair disk permissions.
8. Do thie repair disk permissions a couple of times.
9. Reboot and see if it works.

If that doesn't work, try this:
Option 2 - Archive and Install (Previous Systems Folder Creation)
1. Insert your DVD Install Disk for Tiger.
2. Turn your computer on and hold down the option/alt button.
3. Choose your DVD Install Disk.
4. Select your language.
5. Go through your installation setup until you get to installation types.
6. Here you should see this:
indexthreeways20050412.gif

7. Click on Archive and Install AND BE SURE TO PRESERVE YOUR USER ACCOUNTS/NETWORKING INFO! If you do not, you lose all your info.
8. Run through installation
9. Delete previous systems folder and reinstall Mac OS X 10.4.9 update

There you have it - if any other questions, post here.
 

72930

Retired
May 16, 2006
9,060
4
Wait ages it will happen....after ~10 mins, hold down the power button if it does not start up (really should not happen) and start the waiting again...should take ~4-5 minutes...
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
Wait ages it will happen....after ~10 mins, hold down the power button if it does not start up (really should not happen) and start the waiting again...should take ~4-5 minutes...

Alright, thanks. I'll tell you what happens in twenty minutes.
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
No dice.

Anyone else have suggestions (besides reinstall)?
 

robbieduncan

Moderator emeritus
Jul 24, 2002
25,611
893
Harrogate
This just happened to my on my MBP. Use the installer DVD and use Disk Utility to Repair Permissions. Keep doing it till it does nothing. I had to do it twice. I had tons of broken symbolic links in system critical frameworks. Repair permissions sorts it out...
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
This just happened to my on my MBP. Use the installer DVD and use Disk Utility to Repair Permissions. Keep doing it till it does nothing. I had to do it twice. I had tons of broken symbolic links in system critical frameworks. Repair permissions sorts it out...

Alright, cool. Now if I can only find that install DVD... lol
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
Yeah, still no dice.

My computer thinks I'm in 10.4.9, but I'm still in 10.4.8. Once again, I got that error message halfway through the installation of 10.4.9.

It looks like I may have to reformat:(
 

iShak

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2006
320
0
in the same boat as you mate ... got the message that there was an unexpected error .. reinstall from trash ... i tried nothing happened .. i did a reboot ... nothing ...


havent got any backup either .. but thankfully/ironically .. i have vista as my second operating system and using VISTA (and macdrive) i can save my important documents which apple had left no stone unturned to destroy ..

thankyou very much apple

... doing a fresh install of 10.4.8 ......

[edit] apple's got a tiny disclaimer (read scapegoat) that says you may encounter errors if you have modified the system .. well .. sorry i havent .. unless cleardock and fan control counts as system mods.
meh .. but they'll blame the two anyway ...
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
Well, I am now currently reinstalling the basic files for Mac OS X and attempt to drag/drop my other files from my other user account into this one and delete the other account.

Hopefully that will work and I'll tell you how I did.
 

iShak

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2006
320
0
i cant save my programs ... but am getting all my documents, pictures and music onto an external hard drive ...

after the fresh install the first think i would do is update to 10.4.9 and see if it messes up again ..
 

ITASOR

macrumors 601
Mar 20, 2005
4,398
3
You guys that are having troubles with the update: Did you repair permissions BEFORE you did the update too?
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
No, I did not because this is my first software update. I was uaware that you were suppose to do that. Anyway, I'm trying something that I did before with Windows XP that worked sometime. Hopefully, this will.

First thing I'm dong is downloading a backup app - anyone have a link software that accomplishes this?
 

iShak

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2006
320
0
yes i did repair permissions BEFORE the update . .and i also made sure that i installed/re-booted any other updates BEFORE attempting to run 10.4.9 update ..

i just realized that i was using 'uno' .. it might count as system mod ... meh

anyway .. all is lost now .. have reinstalled 10.4.8 ... now to download all the softwares again and beg the vendors to send me keys ... good thing i have the day off tomorrrow ..
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
Hmm, I may have been using Uno too.

I'll not redownload that one:)
 

blodwyn

macrumors 65816
Jul 28, 2004
1,147
1
Portland, Oregon
No, I did not because this is my first software update. I was uaware that you were suppose to do that. Anyway, I'm trying something that I did before with Windows XP that worked sometime. Hopefully, this will.

First thing I'm dong is downloading a backup app - anyone have a link software that accomplishes this?

For safety's sake I would recommend taking a SuperDuper full backup before applying updates. That way you can recover if something happens.
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
Yay! It worked!

Okay, here's how to fix everything:

Insert your install disc and wait for it to pop up (Hold option (I believe) on the keyboard.

Wait for the installation stuff to pop up.

Then hit next on the bottom until you get to two options:

Erase Mac OS X or Previous System (I Think).

Either way, do not choose erase choose the top one. This reinstalls all the basic system files for Apple just in case something's screwed up.

It should work. Sorry, iShak:( Wish I could've helped you earlier.
 

tmoney468

macrumors 6502a
Mar 13, 2007
585
81
Yay! It worked!

Okay, here's how to fix everything:

Insert your install disc and wait for it to pop up (Hold option (I believe) on the keyboard.

Wait for the installation stuff to pop up.

Then hit next on the bottom until you get to two options:

Erase Mac OS X or Previous System (I Think).

Either way, do not choose erase choose the top one. This reinstalls all the basic system files for Apple just in case something's screwed up.

It should work. Sorry, iShak:( Wish I could've helped you earlier.

I will try that, I'm in the same boat as everyone here. Tried to update, said it failed to install, rebooted and now it sits at the loading screen forever
 

lu0s3r322

macrumors 6502a
Nov 28, 2005
747
29
Apple, we have a problem.

Same thing happened to me, I'm going to try repairing permissions. I don't want to have to reinstall, I have loads of stuff on my MBP.

For future reference, I think people who have the same problem should post what type of computer they have and if it's Intel or PowerPC.
 

tmoney468

macrumors 6502a
Mar 13, 2007
585
81
Just for the record, I have a 17" Intel MBP. I am now trying the repair install to see if I can boot up.

@lu0s3r322

How can you repair permissions if you can't boot into the OS? I've only dealt with troubleshooting on PCs before...thanks
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
Hey, guys, once again I'll explain a little more clearly as to what I did. My keyboard on my other computer is crappy and has a problem every so often.

Take these steps first:

Repair disk permissions
1. Insert Install Disc
2. Hold down menu on your remote control (I'm not sure if you can do this with option/alt key or c as well)
3. Go to Utility on the top and drop the menu down. Click Disc Utility.
4. Wait for that to load then click on your hard drive and click repair disk permissions.
5. Do this three times for safe measure.

If that doesn't work, try what I did.
Steps 1/2 as above
3. When the install screen pops up, instead of choosing disk utility, just hit next on the bottom and pretend like you're installing everything.
4. Once you get to the screen that asks if you would like to create a previous system or erase current install and reinstall, choose create previous system.

This reinstalls your previous system files replacing everything that the update may have corrupted.

This should work.
 

lu0s3r322

macrumors 6502a
Nov 28, 2005
747
29
you insert os x install disc 1 and press option at startup. to followup, i repaired my permissions 3 times until nothing could be repaired, it started up successfully but very slow but when i click About This Mac... it says its in 10.4.8 . At least I can backup now and try again after.
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
you insert os x install disc 1 and press option at startup. to followup, i repaired my permissions 3 times until nothing could be repaired, it started up successfully but very slow but when i click About This Mac... it says its in 10.4.8 . At least I can backup now and try again after.

Did you try the previous systems thing?

It worked for me. I'm running 10.4.9 right now.

Also delete Uno if you have it. That may be causing a problem.
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
Just for the record, I have a 17" Intel MBP. I am now trying the repair install to see if I can boot up.

@lu0s3r322

How can you repair permissions if you can't boot into the OS? I've only dealt with troubleshooting on PCs before...thanks

On the top, you can click on utilities and disk utilities. There you can fix your permissions for repair.
 

tmoney468

macrumors 6502a
Mar 13, 2007
585
81
It's too late for me I'm afraid, I tried that repair install option during Mac OS X setup and it already started running before I saw the Disk Utility..so there's no way for me to cancel the install now or else it will be f#$$#@

I'm guessing this will delete all my installed programs?
 

Mooey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
192
50
No, it will not.

It turns your previous Systems folder into Previous Systems 1 and replaces that.

So...you lose no programs whatsoever - it just replaces your old systems folder with a new one thus causing everything to run fine if 10.4.9 messed up in some way.

The only thing I had to do was replace some of my icons in my dock because I got the ? symbol
 
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