Member Avatar for philly07

I recently attempted to clean some space from my G4, im sure im running OSX 9, anyway i started the comp up the next day & was greeted with this mag on a black screen...

/etc/master.passwd:No such file or directory
-Sh-2.05b#

obviously i have deleted something i shouldnt have any ideas please how i may fix this prob..

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The message "/etc/master.passwd: No such file or directory" plus the "-sh-2.05b#" prompt means the machine booted into single‑user mode and the local password database is missing or corrupt. That behavior is from Mac OS X (the Unix-based OS), not classic Mac OS 9, so recovery follows OS X procedures. has already reached the single‑user shell; 's reinstall suggestion is valid as a last resort, but the steps below aim to recover the existing install and user data first.

Run the filesystem check, remount the volume read/write, then look for a backup of the password file and restore it if present. From the single‑user prompt:

/sbin/fsck -fy
/sbin/mount -uw /
ls -al /etc/master.passwd*
ls -al /private/var/backups /var/db
# if a backup like /etc/master.passwd.bak or /etc/master.passwd~ is found:
cp /etc/master.passwd.bak /etc/master.passwd
sync
reboot

Do not remove files blindly. If a backup is restored, reboot and test normal login.

If no master.passwd backup exists, an alternative that often regains administrative access without reinstalling is to let Setup Assistant run again so a fresh admin account can be created (this preserves existing files). From single‑user mode:

/sbin/mount -uw /
rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
sync
reboot

On reboot, Setup Assistant will allow creating a new admin; that account can then be used to repair accounts/permissions or copy important data off the drive.

If those attempts fail, use Target Disk Mode (hold "T" at boot and connect by FireWire) or boot an OS X install DVD/USB to run Disk Utility and copy data off the disk before considering a full reinstall. Reinstallation will fix system files but always confirm a data backup first.

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Member Avatar for John A

You need to reinstall Mac OS.

Member Avatar for philly07

es i have attempted to reinstall os but the drive is not running the disk...is there a comnmand prompt to boot dosk??/ or any other suggestions wolud be appreciated...thanx

Member Avatar for John A

Try holding down the 'C' key while your computer is booting.

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