Help!! It Crashed everytime when I log on to my powerbook

Hope someone here can help solving my mac powerbook G4 problem.
My laptop won’t start up, after switch on, all I got is the apple icon with grey background and the spinning dotted line circle.
I tried using the safe mode to start it up, it took long long time and finally I got the log on can only log on to the secondary user but not the administer, it crashed immediately when I log on as the administer. I tried using Disk utility when I logged on to the secondary user, but it asked for my administrator password, once I key it in and hit enter, it crashed again L
I then tried using the T command when start up, connected my power book with my friend’s mac ibook. ran Disk utility through it, it stop half way through and I got this message:
….
overlapped extent allocation (file 551500d)
Incorrect block count for file AC40D419-1FA4-11D8-8C62-000A9582FBC8.state
(it should be 1 instead of 0)
Invalid key length
Volume check failed

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972)

Repair attempted on 1 volume
0 HFS volumes repaired
1 volume could not be repair.
Can anyone give me some advice that how I can fix this, or somehow I can go in to my administrator account from the secondary account to back up the files I’ve got in the powerbook as my last back up was last year. This is so worrying! I really hope I won’t loose everything. Please help!!

Thanks for your help in advance!

Sounds like you have a corrupt or damaged drive.

If corrupt, then maybe this is a job for DiskWarrior.

If the drive is damaged, then copy what ever you can and replace it. It may be one file stopping the system. So you may have to figure out which one and copy the files beyond that. I'd copy groups and narrow it down. Use your friends system to back you yours to an external drive.

Thanks for your advice!
I tried to look for my HD through my Freind's good mac. where can I find it. I remember usually if I connect to other computer before, all I can get to is the share folder, other folder will have the "no permission" sign attach to it.
What is the best way to back up my stuff? Will it be using the DiskWarrior again by using taget mode?
Your help would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

I would try booting off of the OS X system CD if you can and use Disk Utility to perform a Repair Disk action.

As far as I know DiskWarrior is used to fix your disk if it can. You boot off of the CD that DiskWarrior comes on and it will try to fix the drive. It has some very sophisticated ways to recover drives. People have reported that DW can take many many hours but it can work. It is not a miracle worker and cannot fix physical damage.

To backup your system I suspect your real options are to either put your Powerbook into Firewire target disk mode or pull that drive and place it into an external case to read it.

The other backup option is to share out your system and log into with your appropriate username. You turn on Personal File Sharing in preferences. But it sounds like you can't get that far, so if it isn't already done your are SOL.

My personal preference is to try to get a backup first before repair attempts. I would start with personal files not used during the login procedure, and then Mail and then things like preferences last. Odds are the login is trying to read a corrupted area of the drive.

I'm not sure what else I can suggest. At least you have some kind of backup. Many people have zero for backup.

Good luck.

Thank you!
Took your advice and tried to back up my stuff after sucessfully repaired from DW and Mac Disk Utility. And I used Wirefire mode and get back into my HD, was happy for a moment. but when I tried copying stuff to the external Mac. It was taking age even for a one little file.

I then retart my broken laptop, want to test it if it was stable. but...again couldn't log in. so I used DW again for a few more times, towards to the end of the repair I've got the message says:

DW encountered an unexpected error while attempting to repair overlapped files on the disk "Minchintosh HD"
Restart from the DW CD & try rebuilding again (2175, -1)

So I tried a few more times, what I got is the same, and at some point DW even said something was mulfunction.

I seem to get stuck now.

I think I'll have to get a new mac, but would really want to get back my stuff.

I would buy a new drive rather than get a new computer.

Short of sending your drive to a recovery vendor (many $$$), you might be able to install the drive into an external case and as I said try copying groups of files until you hit a problem file, then just skip it. Sounds like a tough situation.

Thanks again!
The problem of my powerbook is, it is quite old still running 10.3.9 OSX, my super drive is broken, I can’t even insert a cd in it. That’s why I have to use other laptop and use firewire mode to connect to mine. It’s a nightmare.
I tried a few more attempts to rebuild and repair by using DW, it just got worse now, I can’t get into my HD, the firewire icon is on my friend’s laptop, but once I click on it, I’ll just get the rainbow spinwheel keep spinning forever. DW even unexpectedly quit itself when it almost finished the replace. I got prompt said there is a mulfuction on my disk. Seems like I won’t get a chance to get back my stuff 

But think I’ll give it a last resort with the Tech Tool Pro, I hope it’ll help!