Leopard Update Failure

[roylikeswaffles]

Ok, so I had the Core Duo Macbook w/ Tiger installed and today, my friend loaned me his legitimate copy of Leopard to install (his brother worked at apple and got like 5 copies) so I started to download. Ok, i won't hide it, but I made a retarded mistake by trying to force shut off the macbook during installation because I forgot to back up my data. Afterwards, I tried to install it again and it went perfectly, well that's what I thought. In the login screen, it brings up a screen where i have to type in my name and my password to login, however whatever i do it won't work. I've consulted with my friend (who is a tech genius) and I've tried to reset the password in all the ways possible and I still get the same login screen where I can't log in. I have reinstalled the OS and it said "update successful" with a huge green checkmark and the same problem has persisted. So now, I have at the moment a useless Macbook and I was wondering if there was anyway to fix the problem. If i reinstall Tiger, will my data be lost?

Thanks

 

[rychencop]

yeah...i believe to "downgrade" the OS you will have to do a clean install. meaning erase and install. have you tried an archive/install of Leopard? you might be screwed.

 

[roylikeswaffles]

no i dont think i have. will it help? oh will i still be able to access my data through target disk mode? (my friend suggested this)

 

[CLuv]

Have you tried using the Utility function to reset your password from booting off of the installation disc?
Boot off the installation disc, across the top you'll see Utility, and then an option to reset your password.
I had to do this once, and it works like a charm.

 

[roylikeswaffles]

which Mac OS X disk should i select: Installation CD or Macintosh HD? These are the 2 choices at the top of the screen when i click reset password under utilities

 

[JediMeister]

You should select Macintosh HD. The installation disc isn't running the OS so there's no account to reset the password for.