[geeks] HELP! I've wedged my wife's iBook performing OS X 10.3.5 software update...

[Lionel Peterson]

Hello all,

I was updating my wife's iBook performing an OS X Software Update (10.3.5) earlier today.

I tried booting with the OS X install CD from my mother in laws new iBook (10.3.5), but no joy (it wouldn't let me install the bundled software).

The scenario is this:

Manually run Software Update, choose to install 10.3.5 update

Install runs fine, but hangs/gets stuck after installing 10.3.5 update (it was optimizing, IIRC) after nearly 30 minutes of waiting (no movement on progress bar), I power-cycled the laptop, assuming the OS would see the unfinished install and continue - of course, it did not. :^(

Now, when I power up the laptop, all seems fine, but instead of the graphic login I expect, I get a "Darwin/BSD" login prompt, and I have tried all the logical guesses, but can't log in...

Any pointers/ideas? I'm going to get my regular OS X install disk and see if that will give me some sort of "repair" option.

Thanks in advance,

Lionel