HELP - 10.3.7 froze my mac

Ok - I clicked on the "automatic upgrade" installer and I "think" I installed the upgrade to 10.3.7. Whichever one would have just showed up in the automatic updater. Anyway - now my Powerbook G4 won't boot up. It gets all te way to the blue screen with the gray box in the middle and the blue bar. The blue bar gets almost all the way to the end where it says "Login Window starting" and then won't go any further. The little pinwheel just spins and spins. The blue bar just sits there (it appears to be working on something - but it's not).

PLEASE HELP!!

I have tried re-starting several times - no luck.

I have tried taking the battery out and then putting it back in - no luck.

I have tried starting in "safe mode" - no luck.

I even tried to start in single-user mode (the black screen with the white text), but of course, I had no idea what to do from there, so I just typed reboot and again - no luck!!

Anyone have any ideas for me? (and of course I don't have any of my utility disks with me because I'm at my in-laws house for the Christmas.

If I DO need a utility disk - is there something I can download from somewhere onto another disk (using another computer) and then insert that?

Just trying to figure it out!!

Thanks!!

Dan

yeah, it sounds like you got a b0rked update.

put in your OS install discs, press and hold command-c during startup (Jaguar/Panther/whatever) and then there should be a button for doing an "archive and restore"

Then, do a permissions repair right afterwards.

I think that's how it goes.

Good luck.

What is a "permissions repair"?

I am currently re-installing OSX - it's the only option I could find from the Utility Disk.

I set it to save and archive my old settings.

How do I restore to the point BEFORE installing 10.3.7?

Like - how do I at least get all of my files and Mail and I-Cal settings, etc. back?

Also - I had two users.

Any help is appreciated.

Dan

From what I've heard, if you do an archive and install, then the previous installation is put in a folder called "Previous System" somewhere. And can't you repair disk permissions in the disk utility. I am just guessing since i don't have mac. Good luck.

exactly, archive and install just installs a new copy of the OS over the old one, leaving all apps and stuff alone. then you can run software update afterwards to get up to where you were, cause the archive will install 10.3.0. to repair permissions, open utilities folder, its in the applications folder, and open disk utility, in DU, theres a colum on he left, when you see your hd in the list, select it, and click repair permissions. let it finish, then restart.
you can do it a few times to be sure you get everything.