Mac Startup Crash – How to Mount Drive and Delete One File

bootcrashinstalllaunchd

My macbook is currently a brick. I added a /etc/launchctl.conf file that must be malformed. The OS now crashes even when attempting to start in safe mode:

"launchd System bootstrapper has crashed: Seg fault"

I tried booting from a 10.6 boot CD but it just spun and spun. I have been able to boot an Ubuntu Live CD and mount the mac partition, but the hfsplus partition is always mounted read-only.

There must be an Apple utility I can use to get to a live terminal and delete this single file that is preventing my laptop from booting? If I can get the OSX install CD to boot will there be a utility that can help me?

Best Answer

You can boot into single user mode by holding Command + s at startup.

Single user mode starts you directly at the console, bypassing core Mac OS X startup processes. You should be able to remove or alter the offending file from there.