Hello,

Why is the 'passwd root' passwd command not found in the 'help' commands list? Let me explain....

I installed iDeneb v1.3 10.5.5 Leopard, partially. Once it rebooted I hit F8 then -s (single user) then at the prompt
mount -uw /
Then I tried "passwd root" and I got passwd command not found.
I typed 'help' and passwd was not listed as a command. If it had worked I would enter touch /var/db/.AppleSetupDone then 'exit' as seen in the tutorial I followed here:
YouTube - Install Mac OS X on any PC for Free! | Part 1: Preparing to Install
I was unable to set proper settings so I exit out and continue boot, and I get error messages like "root filesystem is read only - skipping kernel link data generation... unable to mount dev/disk3s1 etc...
Then /dev/rdisk1s3 (NO WRITE) device is write locked...
Mainly errors of this nature and then I couldn't finish the installation. It put me in a loop back to the beginning.


Can you please explain why "passwd" is not in the list that the 'help' command brings up?
Is there any way to bypass this or accomplish this goal in some other way?

Here are my system statistics:

HP Pavilion DV4 2045dx
I run windows 7 professional 64-bit AMD Turion II Dual-Core Mobile M500 2.20Ghz.
x86, x86-64, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE, SSE2, SSE3 Instruction Set
L1 code and L1 data cache each 64kb
L2 cache 512KB (asynchronous)
4GB RAM.
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200 display adapters
Agere Systems HDA Modem
Atheros AR9285 802.11b/g/n WiFi Adapter
Microsoft Virtual Wifi Miniport Adapter
Realtek RTL8102E/RTL8103E Family PCI-E Fast Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)
Standard PS/2 Keyboard and mouse

Thank you

It's really confused, not just somewhat confused.
After installation, what exactly happened?

It didn't finish loading, it just restarted from the beginning to reinstall in a loop. Bringing me ultimately back to the screen where I enter passwd.

Originally Posted by somewhat_confused

It didn't finish loading, it just restarted from the beginning to reinstall in a loop. Bringing me ultimately back to the screen where I enter passwd.

My original question is if you're through with installation?

Thanks for your reply, I think I may have misunderstood you. I am not done with the installation. Here is what happened in better detail.

1.Boot from CD
2.The grey apple screen appears, CD loading for 4 minutes.
3.The Blue iDeneb screen appears with "Use English for the main language"
4.Then "preparing Installation" then welcome screen appears.
5.I did >> utilities >> disk utility >> select partition for install >> erase >> Mac OS extended journalled >> enter OS X for name >> erase >> disk utility >> quit disk utility.
6.Back to welcome screen >> continue >> agree to license
7.Click OSX partition icon under "select a destination" >> continue
8.Customize (settings) >> install
9.Installing (grey "X" screen) (click skip check DVD)
10.Installing iDeneb v1.3 10.5.5 on the volume (wait 10 min)
11.Reboots >> F8 >> -s (single user mode)
12.-sh-3.2# mount -uw /
13.-sh-3.2# passwd root
14.-sh: passwd: command not found
15.-sh-3.2# touch /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
16.(A bunch of statements appear to the effect of -- disk3s3: device is write locked.)
17.-sh-3.2# exit
18.Loads a bunch (2 screens full) of disk3s3:device is write locked errors
19.jettisioning kernel linker
20.localhost kextd[52]: can't add repository (not a directory)
21.root filesystem is read-only; skipping kernel link data generation device is write locked.
22.unable to mount /dev/disk2s1 [a list of a bunch of others as well]
23.Above are the major errors (there were lots of others) after 4 minutes of this and the CD running...
24.Finally back to the blue iDeneb screen with "Use English for the main language"

I hope this helps. Thanks.

Originally Posted by somewhat_confused

Thanks for your reply, I think I may have misunderstood you. I am not done with the installation. Here is what happened in better detail.

9.Installing (grey "X" screen) (click skip check DVD)
10.Installing iDeneb v1.3 10.5.5 on the volume (wait 10 min)
11.Reboots >> F8 >> -s (single user mode)

Now, this is better.
The reason for my question was that you must be through with installation for OSX to create your user account to log in.

At the end of step 10, you're through with it.
At 11, that is OSX system booting. You need to eject the DVD first so it can boot with the HDD installation, not your DVD. That is why it said write-lock or read only media, can not write any command to DVD media, of course. You need to execute those commands to your installed HDD volume.
So try it then post your result.

OK. Here is how it went:

1.I followed the same steps as previously
2.Just for info I used in check boxes under customize the AMD Patch and also Kernel 9.4.0 Stage XNU for SSE2/SSE3
3.At the screen that said "count down 26 seconds" or auto reboot, I ejected the DVD
4.It froze up before rebooting so I forced the shut down and restarted
5.The black screen pre-bios flashed so fast I could barely read the following:
boot 0: MBR
boot 0: done
6.It automatically went to start booting windows 7 screen
7.I rebooted again and put the disk in this time
8.Because of the windows 7 default, I used the disk to get to single user mode -s
9.I booted -s into single user and when -sh-3.2# appeared I ejected the disk
10.Then I entered mount -uw / and enter
11.The screen began scrolling unreadable data (too fast) in a continuous loop, I had to force a restart.
12.I tried the same again but ejected the disk after entering the mount command but had the same results.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Originally Posted by somewhat_confused

6.It automatically went to start booting windows 7 screen
7.I rebooted again and put the disk in this time
8.Because of the windows 7 default, I used the disk to get to single user mode -s
9.I booted -s into single user and when -sh-3.2# appeared I ejected the disk

Here are some of the problems:

1. OSX partition needed to be of Primary type because Chameleon can not boot to a logical/extended partition. And your OSX partition, created with windows may be of that type. Otherwise it should complete the first stage and let you select either win7 or OSX and continue the booting process.

2. With the DVD in, you booted the single mode of the OSX installer, not your HDD installation. The -s mode of the DVD may not have several required commands for you to pass that account setup.
You could change directory from your DVD to the HDD and execute those commands, but again they may not have what you need though, because the bash shell (the terminal) was booted with the installer instead of your HDD OSX full Terminal app.

Check #1 again with your Windows7 Disk manager, or any equivalent, to see if OSX volume is logical/extended or primary partition.

Hello,
Here is what has been going on. Since I had windows 7 on my laptop listed as primary and mac OSX. I backed up windows 7 using Easeus to a separate external drive. Then using Easeus Partition manager I used "copy partition" and copied the windows 7 partition on my laptop into some unallocated partition space on my laptop. So I now have four partitions:
1.windows 7 boot partition: 200mb - primary
2.windows 7 system 100+gb - primary
3.macosx - logical
4.copy of win7boot - 200mb - logical
5.copy of win7 C drive (now called H) - logical
6.some remaining unallocated space

I saved this rebooted and it repartitioned over night. The computer booted back into windows 7.
Then I Restarted with the mac OS X install and in disk utility I was able to erase the two primary partitions for windows (the 200mb boot partition and windows 7 system C partition -- both were primary.)
I installed MAC OS X on top of where the old primary windows install used to be.
After the installation completed, It restarted and went to the boot loader screen which showed
1.mac os x
2.copy windows 7 boot
3.copy windows 7 system

(Incidentally I can't boot into windows right now assuming it is because the C:\ drive is now H:\ but at least it is there).

Mac osx went F8 -s (single user mode) WITHOUT the DVD in the tray.
This time, I was able to do the following no problems:
-sh-3.2# mount -uw /
passwd root
[I was able to change the root password and did not have the passwd command not found error from before while I tried to write to the write locked DVD]
I changed the root password then...
touch /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
exit

It began to load command line stuff and then froze up at this following message before entering the second half of the MAC OSX GUI setup.

Macintosh mDNSResponder[34]: WARNING: sandbox_init error could not set mach lookup policy for service com.apple.bsd.dirhelper
Macintosh mDNSResponder[34]: Couldn't read user specified computer name; using default bDevice -0000000000b instead...

The questions I have are:
1. What solution do you recommend for getting my windows partition copy to load again.
2. What do you recommend for this MAC install?
Thank you for the direction.

Originally Posted by somewhat_confused

Since I had windows 7 on my laptop listed as primary and mac OSX. I backed up windows 7 using Easeus to a separate external drive. Then using Easeus Partition manager I used "copy partition" and copied the windows 7 partition on my laptop into some unallocated partition space on my laptop. So I now have four partitions:
1.windows 7 boot partition: 200mb - primary
2.windows 7 system 100+gb - primary
3.macosx - logical
4.copy of win7boot - 200mb - logical
5.copy of win7 C drive (now called H) - logical
6.some remaining unallocated space

You would need to use your utility/software to revert/restore your original windows partitions.
As per your disk scheme above, you just need to delete #3 and remake a primary partition for macosx (instead of logical), then it should work.
The total primary partition number would be three, without those copy partitions.