No boot, No Install, Flashing question mark & folder :(

Thats a sign of something really bad wrong. Have you opened the machine up to add RAM or anything recently?

 

Sounds like your friend wiped the drive clean but didn't re-install any OS. That was his meaning of "it just needs a start up disk."

 

Doesn't sound like the OS is installed.

It won't let you install if the drive is failing, (S.M.A.R.T fails), Buy Leopard!

Tracer

 

I would try an "Erase and Install"

 

The flashing folder icon with the question mark means that it cannot find an OS to start up with. It's basically asking you "What folder has the system files in it?"

Assuming the computer has a hard disk, and you have installed the OS onto the hard disk, then it's probably something wrong with the disk. Especially if you have done an "erase and install," and you've used an install disk that's the right one, OS not pirated etc., then there is likely something wrong with the hard disk.

If your mate said you "need a startup disk" that can only mean that the machine either needs an OS put onto it, or that it actually needs a new (working) hard disk to put the OS on.

 

I am kind of stumped without being able to actually look at the thing.

If everything is as you described it makes no sense. If there is a physical hard disk, and you can erase and install Leopard on it, then there should be nothing wrong with the disk, but I still suspect the disk anyway.

If you could take the disk out and format it or check it with some other utility or working OS you could eliminate that as a possible problem source.

- You could try re-setting the PRAM (hold down Cmd-Opt-P-R at boot time until it makes the "bong" sound a few times).

- You could also try taking out the excess memory or swapping the memory in case its bad. It's *possible* that the OS and the disk are all fine but that the computer can't load the OS into the (possibly bad) memory???

Troubleshooting is basically just a matter of carefully and logically eliminating this or that possibility until you have only one left.

It's sounding to me, more and more like the "friend" that sold you this computer is not a very good one.