[Sebastian]

I was trying to fix a problem with background connections with a specific app, and the online help i was finding suggested i command click-drag the hostsconfig file in my /etc/ folder to the desktop, rename it, do a few other things... yadda yadda - a little while later i dragged that file into the trash and rebooted, only to find myself presented with a black screen and a text prompt reading: localhost:/root

luckily, i'd installed a bootable system on an external drive (which I'm booted from now), but unluckily, i'm not adept enough to know how to get my 'real' bootable drive back in shape (yup, completely my fault, i'm an idiot. i tend to learn by doing...)

When i boot from that external drive, my trash is empty. Is there anyway to get that file out of the trash back to the original system location? How?

Hopin' someone can help..

-Seb

[Mithras]

Try just copying the /etc/hostconfig file from your spare drive. It should work fine.

[Sebastian]

copy it to where? I'm having a hard time getting to the /etc/ file on my original HD..if i open the original HD, then menu go to /etc/ and verify the path, i'm at the etc folder, but it's on the external volume...

[reader50]

Following an alias to a location when booted from a different drive has sometimes sent me to the equivalent folder on the boot drive rather than the intended location. This is happening to you because the root link to /etc/ is actually an alias. The real location is /private/etc/ on each drive.

The private folder is normally invisible. If you make all files visible with TinkerTool, then open a Finder window in column view and follow the paths. You will reach the real etc on each drive.

If you have not made all files visible, you can still reach the folders this way:
Finder Menubar -> Go -> Go to Folder... (keyboard equivalent is Shift-Cmnd-G)

To reach each folder, type one of these paths into the dialog:
/private/etc/ (for the boot drive)
/Volumes/OtherDriveName/private/etc/ (to reach etc on a non-boot drive)

[Sebastian]

you guys rock. thanks. chalk a lesson learned up to experience, perhaps it's time i start rtfm...

thanks