mac os x installer cant find hard drive!

[jhbb]

hey guys, i'm really hoping some one can help me out here!
a few hours ago my macbook screen froze and when i tried to restart it this folder with a question mark flashed on screen. I found the mac os x installation cd that came with the laptop and am trying to reinstall but when it tells me to select a destination nothing comes up and i have no idea what do to try find my hardrive! help please!

 

[miles01110]

If it can't find it, it's probably a dead drive. You need to buy a new hard drive.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

What does Disk Utility say?

Guide on how to use Disk Utility from the restore / installation DVD.

Using Disk Utility - Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks
​

How to format a new HDD/SSD to install Mac OS X or make a bootable copy onto​

 

[jhbb]

hard drive isn't showing up disk utility, just the installation disk...

 

[simsaladimbamba]

hard drive isn't showing up disk utility, just the installation disk...

Then the HDD is most likely ****ed.
Have a look here on how to replace HDDs in MBs and MBPs:

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD​

How to format a new HDD/SSD to install Mac OS X or make a bootable copy onto​

 

[jhbb]

well i guess this means I've just lost all my files right? this sucks. any idea on why this happens??? i've had this macbook for 2 years and until a few hours ago i've never had any problems with it

 

[simsaladimbamba]

well i guess this means I've just lost all my files right? this sucks. any idea on why this happens??? i've had this macbook for 2 years and until a few hours ago i've never had any problems with it

You could try a file recovery software like Data Rescue or File Salvage, or even a professional file recovery service, if the software does not work.
HDDs can fail anytime, thus you should have at least one backup of your important files. I have two backups of my important files, in case one or even two HDDs fail.
Btw, a friend of mine just had his HDD crash after roughly two years of use. HDDs can fail anytime, thus backup rigorously.

 

[jhbb]

thanks for the help, this'll teach me to start backing up all my stuff I guess. my applecare is still valid so I guess I'll take it in and get them to replace the hard drive for me