Member Avatar for eadrtwist

Hi i'm using Mac Os X 10.3.9 G4. It freezes on start-up and doesn't go beyond the blue screen. I started up and run fsck and realised i have a mal-formed library. I lost the install disk and don't have an Apple shop in my country. Is there any other way i can fix this problem?? Please....

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jingda

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A short recovery plan and practical options for — priority is data rescue, then repair, then reinstall only if necessary.

First, preserve data. If the Mac will not fully boot, do not rush into reinstalling. Try Safe Boot (hold Shift at startup) or single-user mode (hold Command-S) and run /sbin/fsck -fy repeatedly until it reports the volume is OK. If those fail, use Target Disk Mode (hold T at startup) and connect the G4 by FireWire to another Mac to copy off the home folders and any irreplaceable files. A USB/IDE or SATA enclosure or adapter will also let the drive be read from another computer.

If the file system is damaged and fsck cannot fix it, rebuilding the directory is the next step. Tools such as DiskWarrior are commonly effective at repairing HFS+ directory corruption that installers and fsck cannot heal; TechTool Pro and similar utilities are alternatives. Try a directory-rebuild tool before reformatting — it often restores a “malformed library” without data loss.

Hardware checks: repeated corruption often means a failing drive or bad RAM. Listen for drive noises, check S.M.A.R.T. status if visible from Disk Utility or another Mac, and run tests if possible. If the drive is flaky, clone it (while it still mounts) rather than reinstalling onto it.

If reinstalling becomes unavoidable, make a full backup first (Target Disk Mode or external enclosure). Many installers of that era offered an “archive and install” or reinstall-without-erasing option — use that if available to preserve /Users. Since others here (for example , , ) have mentioned getting install media or seeking shop help, note that a local repair shop can often boot the machine, run a directory repair tool, or image the drive so files are safe before any erase/install step.

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Member Avatar for jingda

Well since you can't login to your homepage as you say it can't go beyond the bluescreen there is not much help i can offer. Do you have another computer, if yes. Good, use the other computer and go to the apple website. Here it is

http://www.apple.com/startpage/

After that go to the mac categories and purchase an installation disk for only $29. The disk cost very cheap and is the latest version of the mac osx platform.Go and reinstall the disk, you should kno if not i can coach you on that. The disk you can order from the nearest apple country. It will delivered depends on how far the location is. Well do you backup your data, you should because after reinstallation you would lost all data. If you need more help post first before you reinstall/ Thanks and good luck

Member Avatar for Danarchy

Latest version is Snow Leopard and more than likely won't run on a G4 machine.
You can buy an appropriate version from ebay.

Member Avatar for jingda

Or you can wait for Lion to come out. It will cost more and unless you have the patience. YOu can just buy a macbook pro that have snow leopard version and when Lion version come out, you can buy the disk and install lion yourself. Cost around $48 cheaper than the lion macbook

Member Avatar for rubberman

My question is, what caused this damage? Perhaps your system is misbehaving? Since you lost the install disc, until you get a new one, you are pretty much SOL (Sorry/Sh!t, Out of Luck). If there is a computer store that handles Apples anywhere you can reach, they may be able to help you. Other computer stores / repair depots may also have an install or recovery disc.

Member Avatar for jingda

You can always get the installation disk from any apple store near your house. But you already stated you have none, this is pretty scru up. Which country does not have an Apple store. The other way is to go to apple website and order a disc from them. They will send you the disk, you need the disk to reformet your macbook

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