[mattcass]

Last night I was trying to find out how to burn an avi file to a CD. I googled a few things and came across this site:

Mireth Technology: The Right Software for the Job

From that site, I installed some Quicktime components they recommended. DO NOT DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL THESE QUICKTIME COMPONENTS. THEY WILL WRECK OS X.

Mireth Technology Digital Video Links

After I installed these components (dragged into the Quicktime folder), I tried to open Quicktime and it started loading but immediately quit. Weird I thought, maybe I need to restart. Instead of restarting I log out. When I click my name on the log-in screen to type in my password, the screen goes completely black and then some white writing comes up in the upper left hand corner. It was something like:

(******)(Password Matt's C's computer)(console)

Password:

I cant remember excatly what it was, but I hit backspace, deleted it all, then reset my computer but holding down the power button. When booting back up OS X took a long time to load.

Now when OS X tries to load it gets as far as loading the background image, and the dock. The menu bar at the top partially loaded (the bluetooth symbol comes up, airport, and time) but then disappears. Bluetooth appears to be connected to my keyboard and mouse (when I walked out of my room I got 'Connection Lost' with my keyboard). The big problem is NO programs will load, They start to load just like Quicktime did at first and then quit. This also includes Finder!

I have no clue what to do. I've never had an issue like this before. I think the obviously thing to do is get rid of Quicktime and the installed components and see what happens, but I can't open a finder window to do it.

Please help! Thanks

[TETENAL]

Try booting and/or logging in with the shift key held down.

I never heard of those Quicktime components (and would suggest to get rid off them for that reason), but it might be possible that they are not the reason for the problem. Therefore also boot from the system DVD, start Disk Utility from the Utilities menu of the system installer and repair your boot volume. If there was a disk problem it is possible that it showed up when you tried to reboot.

If the disk is fine, but you can not log in you can always do an Archive & Install of the system.

And to burn an AVI to a CD you simply insert an empty CD, drag the AVI into it and click "Burn". You don't need extra software for that.

[mattcass]

Holding shift down while booting up to get to safe mode does nothing. I run into the exact same problems as before.

I started up from the install disk and ran disk utility. The repair disk function found two errors, and it two seperate scans fixed each. I restarted and the start-up problem is still the same.

I don't want to do that Archive and Reinstall quite yet. Is there no way to boot up OS X so I can go into application and just delete quicktime?

[Chuckit]

You can create a new user and that might work. Boot into Single-User Mode (hold apple-S while the computer starts up) and enter the follow commands:

Code:
cd /var/db
mount -uw /
rm .AppleSetupDone
exit

It should walk you through the process of creating a user like you had just installed the system, and hopefully that new user account will be able to get in.

[mattcass]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

You can create a new user and that might work. Boot into Single-User Mode (hold apple-S while the computer starts up) and enter the follow commands:

Code:
cd /var/db
mount -uw /
rm .AppleSetupDone
exit

It should walk you through the process of creating a user like you had just installed the system, and hopefully that new user account will be able to get in.

First line of this code works, second does not. I'm running 10.3.9 if that matters....

[Chuckit]

It ought to work on 10.3. What does it say?

[mattcass]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

It ought to work on 10.3. What does it say?

Just to clarify, am I to hit enter between those lines or do them all at once? I've been hitting enter....

I started with:

localhost:/ root#

I entered:

localhost:/ root# cd /var/db

To get:

localhost:/var/db root#

Then:

localhost:/var/db/ root# mount -uw /

Doesn't appear to do anything...

localhost:/var/db/ root# rm .AppleSetupDone

Gives:

rm: .AppleSetupDone: No such file or directory

[Nai no Kami]

You should not try just to "delete Quicktime". You should, eventually, delete the components you installed and which -presumably- are the cause of your problems.
Theoretically, you could log into Single User Mode (by holding Command+S right after the startup chime) and enter into the command line (I believe there is a more efficient way; you Unix savvy people enlightenme):

Code:
cd /Library/QuickTime

press enter

Code:
mv AviImporter.component /Users/(your_username)/Desktop/

press enter

Code:
mv FFusion.component /Users/(your_username)/Desktop/

press enter

Code:
mv XviD_codec.component /Users/(your_username)/Desktop

press enter

Code:
reboot

press enter

I took the job of downloading the component you stated in oder to know which should be removed.
In the instructions, you should replace "(your_username)" with whatever the folder for your user is called.
The instructions provided will not delete anything, but move the components to your Desktop, where they should not be loaded ant any point and everything will act as if they had been removed. Then you can consider trashing them if all works properly.

Hope this helps and good luck.

[mattcass]

Originally Posted by Nai no Kami 

You should not try just to "delete Quicktime". You should, eventually, delete the components you installed and which -presumably- are the cause of your problems.
Theoretically, you could log into Single User Mode (by holding Command+S right after the startup chime) and enter into the command line (I believe there is a more efficient way; you Unix savvy people enlightenme):

Code:
cd /Library/QuickTime

press enter

Code:
mv AviImporter.component /Users/(your_username)/Desktop/

press enter

Code:
mv FFusion.component /Users/(your_username)/Desktop/

press enter

Code:
mv XviD_codec.component /Users/(your_username)/Desktop

press enter

Code:
reboot

press enter

I took the job of downloading the component you stated in oder to know which should be removed.
In the instructions, you should replace "(your_username)" with whatever the folder for your user is called.
The instructions provided will not delete anything, but move the components to your Desktop, where they should not be loaded ant any point and everything will act as if they had been removed. Then you can consider trashing them if all works properly.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Thanks a lot for this effort, it's really appreciated.

Unfortunately I've run into a new problem! Upon entering (or, attempting to enter) the code ChuckIt gave me and entering exit, OS X tried to load (it appeared like it was going to load normally) and now I get the message "Setup Assistant has unexpectedly quit" after which the computer seems to go into a cycle of trying to load something, but never does it. The screen just goes light blue-dark blue-light blue-dark blue and nothing comes up....

[Nai no Kami]

I believe you should still be able to startup in Single User Mode...

[mattcass]

Originally Posted by Nai no Kami 

I beliebe you should still be able to startup in Single User Mode...

Yep I still can, and I already tried your instructions but I cant see that they've worked!!. Now I get stuck even earlier in the OS X load. I cant even see the dock anymore. Set-up asssistant starts for whatever reason, quits, and then OS X cant load past that.

For the Archive and Install, are ALL my user file skept intact? Music? Photos? Safari bookmarks? Applications? I have my doucements backed up on my iPod, but not my music. Some of my applications I dont have the install disks for....

Just checked out Archive and Install, for whatever reason i cant check "Preserve Users and Network Settings"

THIS IS SO FREAKIN RIDICULOUS

[Chuckit]

It sounds like something borked your OS install. Archive and Install can preserve all of your user files, though, yes. I think you'll need to undo what I had you do (which did work — there was just something more deeply wrong with your system than that). To undo it, go into Single-User Mode and enter these commands:

Code:
cd /var/db
mount -uw /
touch .AppleSetupDone

Hopefully it will let you preserve users and settings then.

[mattcass]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

It sounds like something borked your OS install. Archive and Install can preserve all of your user files, though, yes. I think you'll need to undo what I had you do (which did work — there was just something more deeply wrong with your system than that). To undo it, go into Single-User Mode and enter these commands:

Code:
cd /var/db
mount -uw /
touch .AppleSetupDone

Hopefully it will let you preserve users and settings then.

Okay so these settings have been restored, thanks. BUt I tried to delete the files the way Nai no Kami described (in single user mode) and it won't let me. It says they are read-only and cannot be removed...

[Chuckit]

You need to do the "mount -uw /" step from my directions. It makes the disk writable.

[mattcass]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

You need to do the "mount -uw /" step from my directions. It makes the disk writable.

FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big thanks to Nai no Kami for walking be through everything via MSN. Too bad we missed the whole mount -uw / thing. Oh well, all is better now and that company is going to get a very bitchy email!!

[Appleman]

You might take away the link of that company: for everyone who doesn't want to be bothered with the rest of the thread and simply read your first post might dive into these links and download them and have the same problems.