ok i need serious help mac os x installer screen

[04bmw]

ok so i just bought a use macbook pro and it was working perfect and one of my buddies was messing on and eresed sometihing no idea what and every time i try and turn it on i can list every thing it dose :

(first) is goes to the screen that says mac os x at the top and asks for what language to use and i click english for the main language

(second) is says preparing to install mac osx and there is a loading bar at the bottom

(third) the little screen goes away and another little screen pops up that says mac os x cannot be installed on this computer and gives me two options: click ok or restart

(last) then iam stuck at a screen with only a bar at the top that has from left to right: the little apple icon but when opened it wont let you click on any of the selections, the next thing is mac os x installer, then file, edit, utilities and the last is window.

i have no idea what he erased or did but i have no idea what to do and if could get some help that would be great it came with no cds so i am kind pissed at the guy i bought it from

 

[JediMeister]

It sounds like there is a disc in the drive from another computer system. Have you started up the computer holding down the option key to see if there's another source listed other than the internal drive? One reason it may keep booting to the disc is if the installer was run from inside the OS, the timeline being 1) insert disc 2) double-click install package 3) enter password 4) restart computer. Consider starting up holding down the eject key also and see what happens. If you get to the installer window every time, quit from the installer under the Mac OS X Installer menu, then click restart holding eject until the disc (which may or may not be in the system) to be kicked out. This ought to allow you to proceed to the login window or to the Desktop if automatic login is enabled. And you really should get the discs replaced, even if it does cost $32 from AppleCare...

 

[Consultant]

What color is the disk you are trying to use? What does it say on it?

Using disks from another system will not work; sounds like you are doing that. In that case you need to buy Leopard.

 

[04bmw]

there are no discs in the computer and i dont have any discs??? i will try doing what you have listed

 

[04bmw]

nothing worked still stuck, it says under "choose start up disc" select the system you want to use to start up your computer, and there are two options mac osx 10.5.2 on macbook which just brings me back to the same screen ore network setup which brings me back to the same screen

 

[misterredman]

But what do you get when you start up the mac while holding down the option key?

 

[04bmw]

i hold down the option button and it shows a picture of the hard drive and below it, it says macbook and a arrow and i click the arrow and it goes back to the same screen

 

[misterredman]

i hold down the option button and it shows a picture of the hard drive and below it, it says macbook and a arrow and i click the arrow and it goes back to the same screen

So if you select the hard drive at that point and press the enter key you get back to the select language screen?
If that's the case it seems that the OS partition was replaced with a copy of the install disk...

 

[04bmw]

really so what would i have to do to fix it you think??

 

[old-wiz]

You probably have 2 choices:
1. buy replacement install disks from apple, about $40 total, called fulfillment disks.
2. Buy Leopard retail disk and install from that.