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JzzTrump22

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 13, 2004
1,229
0
New York
How do you start in safe mode? I just installed a program and it prompted me to re-start my computer. So i did. Once my desktop came back up after about 20 seconds it came up with a black box that said i must restart my computer by holding the power button. I do it. It happens again and again. How do i fix this? Do i have to hold down some buttons on start up to get into safe mode or something so i can get rid of this damn program?
 

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
Do you have any other accounts on the Mac that you could log in via? That would give you the easiest way to get access to the program (i.e., do you have root enabled, or another account with admin access)? Also, do you have another Mac with which you could log onto your current one while it's still showing the login screen?
 

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
As you probably know, command-S on boot gets you into single-user mode. But that's a far cry from OS X or a terminal command line.
 

JzzTrump22

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 13, 2004
1,229
0
New York
No it's the only mac i have and i only have 1 admin account. Is there any way i could start the computer in a different mode to get rid of this program?
I installed NetBarrier. I didn't buy it, thats all i'll say.
 

JzzTrump22

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 13, 2004
1,229
0
New York
You mean put the restore cd in and then use that to boot? I don't know. I'm all the way on the other side of the house using my pc.
 

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
JzzTrump22 said:
You mean put the restore cd in and then use that to boot? I don't know. I'm all the way on the other side of the house using my pc.
Yes - at least one of the CD's that came with it is bootable.

Also, holding 'shift' while logging in should disable startup items - I think. Not sure on that one.

Edit: just verified the shift key thing. after entering your password, before clicking the login button, press 'shift' and keep it pressed during login. Most (but not all) startup items are not run.
 

Duff-Man

Contributor
Dec 26, 2002
2,984
17
Albuquerque, NM
Duff-Man says....it has probably installed a .kext or something into system/library/extensions and that may be causing the kernel panic. You could start into single user mode and browse to there and have a look, and if you know what you are doing, delete if necessary....oh yeah!
 

JzzTrump22

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 13, 2004
1,229
0
New York
I installed NetBarrier. I got it off of Aquisition, it installed fine. I don't have enough time to do anything when i start my computer, it tells me i have to restart after 20 seconds.
 

emw

macrumors G4
Aug 2, 2004
11,172
0
Well, if booting off of the original OS X install CD isn't working (which is surprising, since it shouldn't load anything that you have installed recently), then you could try doing a hard reset.

Not sure what Mac you're running, so I don't know if you have a reset button or you have to use the key combination (your manual will tell you).

You can also try resetting the PRAM (hold command-option-p-r when you restart and wait for the second memory chime).
 

emw

macrumors G4
Aug 2, 2004
11,172
0
JzzTrump22 said:
How do i do that? Is it risky for someone that doesn't know a whole lot about macs, like me?

Do what? Hard reset? Your manual should tell you. Single user? Command-S on boot.

Hard reset and PRAM reset are not risky - they reset parameters. Never used Single user mode.
 

emw

macrumors G4
Aug 2, 2004
11,172
0
JzzTrump22 said:
I'm sure i could boot from the cd but i don't know when to push down 'C'

Hold C as soon as you click restart and keep holding it until you see/hear it boot up from the CD. I believe there's a visual cue, but I haven't done it in awhile.
 

JzzTrump22

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 13, 2004
1,229
0
New York
What exactly does the hard reset do and what exactly is the single mode? Sorry for the stupid questions, i'm a little panicked.
 

emw

macrumors G4
Aug 2, 2004
11,172
0
JzzTrump22 said:
What exactly does the hard reset do and what exactly is the single mode? Sorry for the stupid questions, i'm a little panicked.

Okay. Settle down and stay calm. First things first. Forget hard resets and PRAM resets until you try to boot from the CD. I thought you had done this, but based on subsequent posts you haven't.

Focus on one thing at a time and boot from the CD. Insert the CD. Restart your computer and immediately hold down the C key. Keep the C key held until you are sure it is booting off of the CD. If this works and doesn't force a restart again, let us know and we'll go from there.
 

emw

macrumors G4
Aug 2, 2004
11,172
0
JzzTrump22 said:
Ok it has booted from the cd. Now what?

Do you have anything you want to save on this Mac? If not, reinstall the system from scratch.

If so, well, I'd try doing a find for anything modified in the last <x> hours on your hard drive (corresponding to when you installed this software) and deleting anything related to that software.

After that, try rebooting without the CD.

The others may have more suggestions if they're still watching.
 

JzzTrump22

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 13, 2004
1,229
0
New York
I have a lot of stuff i want on this thing. I really don't want to re-install the OS. Is there any way to get into my system without any programs starting, or me being in a "safe mode" like windows has. Just so i could go in and delete the program?
 

emw

macrumors G4
Aug 2, 2004
11,172
0
JzzTrump22 said:
I have a lot of stuff i want on this thing. I really don't want to re-install the OS. Is there any way to get into my system without any programs starting, or me being in a "safe mode" like windows has. Just so i could go in and delete the program?

If you're booted off of the CD, you can do whatever you need to do on your hard drive. Do a find and see if you can wipe off the program (as I mentioned in my last post).
 
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