Mac Won't Boot Up

I was having a printer "pausing" issue last night and restarted my Mac in hopes that it would help. The restart didn't take, (never had a problem with that before) so I powered down and turned the machine back on. That's when I received the apple and spinning gear but nothing else. Attempted to power up in Safe Mode, with no success.

I booted with my Mac OS X Install Disc 1. (I have a Disc 1 & a Disc 2) I bought this machine just prior to Leopard coming out, so I also have a Mac OS X Leopard CPU Drop-in DVD. When attempting with Disc 1, I received the following Alert: This software cannot be installed on this computer. I tried booting with the Mac OS X Leopard DVD and it looked promising, but ended up not finishing.

Under Disk Utility I was able to Verify and Repair Disk. Next to S.M.A.R.T. Status I am receiving "Verified." (hoping that is a good sign) After I verified and repaired I powered down and back up and got the same results. Apple + spinning gear.

Following Apple's Support Site, I have unplugged all peripheral devices. When I turn the power on I get an ever changing apple, stop sign and question mark with a folder background. It's rapidly changing.

I'm guessing the machine is 4-5 years old. Had a power surge once, Apple replaced the hard drive. Other than that, I've never had any issues. This is the first time I've had to dig out my install discs.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks derbothaus. I'll look for a copy at the Apple Store and give it a shot.

In the meantime, I'll take any other suggestions.