I've killed my Mac, please help

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Hi there,
I have a imac g4 1.25 ghz running os x 10.4.10 (or maybe 10.4.11 I'm not sure)
I've had it since november and it has been faultless until last night.

Last night I added broadband to it, using a g3 mobile internet modem, and tried to share the printer, ext hard drive and the internet with my pc.
I also backed up everything on the internal hard drive to an external hard drive.

THe mac began to bahave badly after this, it wouldn't print and kept locking up so I had to keep force quitting programs and restarting the mac.

Now it cannot boot up osx. Here's what happens. If anyone can help I'd be ever so grateful.

When I turn it on it makes the startup noise, does the first grey and blue screens as if starting to boot up normally and then enters something I (as someone more used to pc's) would call dos.

It whizzes through a few pages and then leaves me with this on the screen.

(4 lines of)
Hub in appple extended usb keyboard: family specific matching fails

(15 lines of)
apple extended usb keyboard: family specific matching fails

(2 lines of)
IOUSB Interface: Family Specific matching fails

(15 Lines of)
Apple Optical USB mouse:family specific matching fails


IOUSB Interface: Family Specific matching fails

Security auditing service present
BSM Auditing present
Disabled
rooting via boot uuid from / chaan:400B26B4-44FD-3318-947c-5271D5524001

Waiting on <dict ID="0">key>IOPProviderclass</key> <string ID="1">IO Rescources</string><key> IORescourceMatch</key> <string ID="2">boot-uuidmedia</string></dict>

Got boot device = IOService:/MacR15C2PE/Pci@f4000000/applemacriscpci/ata-6@D/ApplekauiaATA/ATADeviceNub@0/IOATABlockStoragedriver/IOATABlockstoragedevice/IOBlockstoragedriver/ST380

011A Media/IO ApplePartitionScheme/Apple_HFS_Untitled_1@3
BSD root:diskOss, major14, minor2
hfs mount: enabling extended security on imac.
Single user boot -- fsck not done.
root device is mounted read-only
If you want to make modifications to files:

/sbin/fsck -fg
/sbin/mount -uw/

If you wish to boot the system but stay in single user mode:

sh /etc/rc


I've tried typing sh /etc/rc because that seemed to make sense, it zipped off a few more lines and nothing good happened.
I've typed help as well and that baffled me.
I've been on the internet all morning looking for a solution, but can't find it.
I don't have a copy of any osx disc, but last night, before it died, I ordered 10.5.1 so if I need to delete and re install thats not such a bad thing.

I hope all this code stuff I've typed is useful, it took ages to write.
Thanks for reading through it,
Elma
 
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Well, you have landed in Single User mode, so while you are there you should run that bit of code that says:
/sbin/fsck -fy
And that is a "y" not a "g" make sure that you include the space after the "k".
This will do a fairly good directory repair, run it until the text says no changes made.
Then type "reboot" which it should do and return you to your normal Mac.
However, before you start, I would guess that there is something wrong with something on your USB bus. Is the new modem a USB device? Yank it. Yank anything other than the keyboard and mouse. Then run fsck. Don't run the sh /etc/rc command because you do not want to stay in Single User mode:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_user_mode
 
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elma
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Thank you very much,
I will try that now and let you know how it goes in a couple of minutes.
 
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elma
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Unfortunately it didn't work.
running /sbin/fsck -fy made this happen

** /dev/rdiskOs3
** Root file system
** Checking HFS Plus Volume
** Checking Extectsover flow file
** Checking catalog flow file
** Checking multi linked diles
** Checking catalog hierarchy
** Checking extended attributes file
** Checking volume bitmap
** Checking volume information
** The volume Imac appears to be ok

This repeated each time I ran the command

Upon rebooting the problem is not resolved

I'm just off to borrow an OSX disc now, but if you have any more suggestions please post them. I'm quite keen to get this sorted or I'm on the pc for the weekend.
 
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elma
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Well I borrowed the osx disc now.
It's version 10.4.11
I put the disc in and rebooted the mac whilst holding the c key.
It didn't work and booted back into the black dos like screen.
The things it said that look like they mattered were,

the disc doesn't have the correct files for this processor type
kernel panic
we are hanging here...

I have arranged to borrow a copy of the os x which was shipped with this mac now in the hope that it will have the correct files for the processor.

Not going to get that for a few days though so any other advice would be appreciated. I assume that the new leapord os x I have ordered also won't have the correct files for the processor as it's newer, but you never know.

Thanks,
Elma
 
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elma
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Think I've answered my own question now.
The disc I tried to use to recover the mac was from an intel processor mac and hence didn't support my non intel g4.
I guess that means my leapord disc, which is a retail one, has the correct files and I won't have a problem with doing the first aid thing when it arrives.
 
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I don't have the magic answer for you but I see good news. You drive is OK because of the diagnostics from the /fsck reply. Your drive is fine and you are in OS X and it is fine. BUT you are trapped in Terminal the Unix core that runs OS X. My best guess is you are fine but it is very confused. The OS X CD you borrowed - was it grey because they are machine specific and it does not match your machine.

I am Terminal dumb to be honest so while we wait for a tech type of person to respond, are you logged into Apple support and I would guess you are looking for Terminal commands (you are working in Unix) that may work out the issues. You really need the disk that came with your machine or a retail version with Black not Grey. Wish I could be more help. Did you install any software when you installed the Modem?

Edit - your Leopard disk will change lots of things as you are on Tiger not Leopard. Installing Leopard is not the best move unless you are willing to possibly lose everything on your machine. You need to get your machine stable before moving to Leopard IMO.
 
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elma
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Thanks for that,
Fortunately my friend fixed it just a couple of minutes ago.
He found some unix commands which reset the non volatile ram and like magic it was back to normal.
No idea how I caused the problem, I think too much mucking around with things I don't understand.
 
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Excellent - good to hear. I love Os X and Terminal is like a foreign language. Computer are frustrating enough these days. Make sure you run Disk Utility to verify your permissions and verify your disk to get you back on an even keel.
 

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