When you edited the /etc directory, did you save it as a file?


Try booting single user from cdrom. Mount up the / partion of the disk on /mnt. You then need to cd /mnt/lost+found. See it the system moved the directory there. If it did, move it back to /mnt/etc. Then run fsck on that disk. Shutdown and boot into single user off the disk.

(I was just looking at your post again - is this a X86 system? If yes, then I don't know if my post will help you - I don't believe you can boot single user from the Solaris X86 cd.)

(Another note - you can boot from cdrom for X86)
Booting Single-User From CDROM Using the Device Configuration Assistant (DCA) on the Hard Drive:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


1). Power the system on.

2). Insert the correct version Solaris Software cdrom for your system.

OPTIONAL: If there is a boot loader in operation on your system, select the Solaris partition as the partition to boot from.

3). After the "Solaris Secondary Boot Loader" and "Running Device Configuration Assistant" messages appear, hit the 'esc' key where prompted to do so.

4). At the "DCA intro screen" hit F2 (F2_Continue).

5). At the "list of devices found" hit F2 (F2_Continue).

6). At the "list of available boot devices" select the CDROM as the device from which to boot a Solaris kernel.

7). At the screen where you are prompted to select 1, 2, or 3 for what type of install you wish to do, enter 'b -s' instead of a number.

This will bring the system up to single-user mode from the cdrom.


Booting Single-User From the CDROM Using the Device Configuration Assistant (DCA) Floppy:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1). With the power on, insert DCA floppy, then the correct version Solaris Software cdrom for your system.

2). At the "DCA intro screen" hit F2 (F2_Continue).

3). At the "list of devices found" hit F2 (F2_Continue).

4). At the "list of available boot devices" select the CDROM as the device from which to boot a Solaris kernel.

5). At the screen where you are prompted to select 1, 2, or 3 for what type of install you wish to do enter 'b -s' instead of a number.

This will bring the system up to single-user mode from the cdrom. It should be noted that even though there are fewer steps, this normally takes much longer than running the DCA from the hard drive.


Booting Single-User From the Hard drive:
----------------------------------------

1). Power the system on.

OPTIONAL: If there is a boot loader in operation on your system, select the Solaris partition as the partition to boot from.

2). Wait until the prompt for booting "with options" or "into the interpreter". At this point enter 'b -s' and hit [Return].

This will bring the system up to single-user mode from the hard drive.


Booting Single-User From the Hard Drive Using the DCA Floppy:
-------------------------------------------------------------

1). With the power on, insert DCA floppy,

2). At the DCA intro screen hit F2 (F2_Continue).

3). At the "list of devices found" hit F2 (F2_Continue).

4). At the "list of available boot devices" select the hard drive with the root partiton on it as the device from which to boot a Solaris kernel.

5). Wait until the prompt for "booting with options" (b) or "into the interpreter" (i). At this point enter 'b -s' and hit [Return].
Note that you only have 5 seconds to do this.

This will bring the system up to single-user mode from the hard drive.