[quattrokid73]

timeline of events...

1. run software update

2. download long list of updates including 10.4.8

3. install updates

4. prompted to restart

5. click restart

6. computer restarts

7. computer seems to hang on the light blue screen with nothing on it for several minutes

8. i think it froze, so i turn it off

9. turn it on and it hangs some more but finally loads

10. computer boots as normal but widgets do not load until i first activate them, and then istat almost always crashes on its first attempt

11. no longer have ability to use internet on wired lan or airport networks

12. photoshop starts giving me an odd 'could not complete operation' box when it is opened even though i have not tried to do anything (running the 30 day trial from adobe which ran fine beforehand)

13. try all configs to get internet working to no avail.

14. internet finally works when school admin tells me to enter something like 'sudo ipconfig set en0 BOOTP'. enters me into "Darwin" and computer finally releases its IP and goes into automatic mode to allow itself to get internet from school server...

Sorry for the long list. I wanted to make sure it all got typed out easy to understand. My one friend said when it booted and hung, it might have been installing things and I cut that short by turning it off.

WTF is going on? LOL. Is it fine probably, in need of a quck fix, or should I reformat?

Adam

[cwosigns]

Apple documentation says that intel macs will reboot twice during the 10.4.8 update. You interrupted that process, by shutting off and restarting during the process. Not sure if that may have been a factor. Are you using an Intel Mac?

[quattrokid73]

yes, that was probably it then. what should i do?

[steve626]

Here is something (in three pieces listed below) you can try -- it is a quick and simple approach but might fix your issues, especially if you prematurely interfered with you computer when it was rebooting -- after some updates (you installed "a long list" of updates) there can be very lengthy retarts (several minutes or more) and multiple restarts as well, and if you interrupt the computer during these moments, you can damage the installation. You may or may not have done this. The steps below are to repair any such damage and reinstall the latest update in case some components did not completely install.

1) Restart your computer while holding down the Apple+S keys (Apple key plus the letter "S"). After the computer boots into a dark screen with terminal-style text on it, wait until the text stops running down the screen, then type the following:

fsck -fy

The above command includes the "fsck" command, and there is a space, and then "-fy". Follow the "-fy" part by hitting return.

It may run for several minutes. If it says everything is ok, then type the following and hit return:

reboot

If something is repaired or fixed, then redo the fsck -fy until it runs through its checks and doesn't change anything and simply says everything is "ok." Then type the reboot command above and hit return.

2) After the "reboot" the Mac should start up with the regular graphics user interface. Launch Disk Utility and "Repair Permissions" on the startup disk. This is probably not necessary but is a good precaution to do and it won't hurt and can only help.

3) Then download the 10.4.8 combo updater for your computer (there are different versions for the PowerPC and for the Intel Macs). You can find these on the Apple web site. Apply the combo updater. Then restart your Mac and wait patiently while it maybe takes a long time to restart. After it restarts, repeat step 2) again.

In the above steps, it's important not to make typos, and it's important to carefully pick the right combo updater to apply to your Mac.

If these three steps don't get rid of your problems, then you will need to make use of a commercial disk utility such as Disk Warrior. Another approach would be to perform an "Archive and Install" to place a new operating system on your Mac, but I wouldn't do that until trying the above three steps. The above three things are the easy and obvious things to try first before doing more complicated troubleshooting.

[quattrokid73]

What exactly is going on when I use the fsck -fy command?

It sounds like wiping the HD and reinstalling OSX might be easier actually.

IF i end up wiping and reinstalling, is it worth it to do the 7 pass zero out or will the 1 passer do just fine? I want there to be no chance of any data being left on the HD. I could easily back up all of my files on my external beforehand.

[TheoCryst]

If you are just reinstalling OS X, then 1-pass will be fine. You won't find any loose files or anything from your previous installation, if that's your concern. 7-pass is mostly useful if you are relinquishing possession of your HDD for some reason (throwing away, selling, etc).

[Big Mac]

What "light blue screen" are you referring to?

[quattrokid73]

the screen that pops up when you turn on or restart before the log in box comes up.

[steve626]

Originally Posted by quattrokid73

What exactly is going on when I use the fsck -fy command?

It sounds like wiping the HD and reinstalling OSX might be easier actually.

IF i end up wiping and reinstalling, is it worth it to do the 7 pass zero out or will the 1 passer do just fine? I want there to be no chance of any data being left on the HD. I could easily back up all of my files on my external beforehand.

The fsck command runs the Disk Utility and repairs the file system and catalog. The three steps I described above will take a few minutes. To wipe your disk, writing zeros, and reinstalling the Mac OS X, which will require rerunning the 10.4.8 updater anyway as well, will probably take between 2 and 16 hours, depending on the size of your disk for writing zeros. Just installing the OS will take a few hours. Then you would need to restore all the files and software that Apple doesn't provide, which might take a while as well.

It's your choice.

The fsck command is a standard diagnostic and disk repair procedure, it's described in all the Mac guides and also in Apple's online knowledge base.