dvdimacsnow leopard
I accidentally deleted the files in /etc/ (yes into /private/etc) and my iMac gets stuck on a blue screen after the initial apple logo now. I tried to boot from install DVD but it hangs at the apple logo when I do that.
Any suggestions on how to fix or reinstall the OS?
This is an iMac with OS X Snow Leopard.
There should be a point—after you choose the language, but before it starts trying to install the OS—where you see a Utilities option in the menu bar.
Do you get to this point? If so, what happens when you choose Disk Utility?
There's more information about this at Using Disk Utility to Repair a Disk (University of Wisconsin).
OK, now it's a different question, so here's my different answer:
If repairing your main partition is what you want to accomplish, why not just run Disk Utility off the 10.5 system disk?
Press and Hold C button should take place immediately after you switch the MBP on. Delay could cause it to go with the normal boot sequence. Continue to hold until you see the gray screen with the apple on it
Best Answer
See Startup key combinations for Intel-based Macs (HT1533) for a list of available key combinations during startup. In your case you should use either of