Questions about OS repair/upgrade.

Backstory:
I posted this: http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/234244-constant-crashing-during-past-month.html thread the other day, and it seemed as though the answer to all my issues would be to restart the OS from the installation disc and repair...

But I don't have those installation discs anymore. They've either been thrown out inside the box they were in or lost in the process of moving.

Questions:
Is it possible to get the installation discs again, do I have to scour online for a copy being sold pseudo-legally?
Or, if I buy a higher up OS (The computer was first bought with Leopard. So, if I went to Snow Leopard...) will installing that also fix my volume repair issue, or not?

Any answers would be much appreciated.
I know they're pretty noob questions, but I've never really had any issues with my iMac before this...

Your best option is to buy the Snow Leopard upgrade. You can do the repair with that.

chscag said:

Your best option is to buy the Snow Leopard upgrade. You can do the repair with that.

Click to expand...

I've just bought the upgrade. 'Installation Failed'. Are you sure?

...What do I do to repair the Leopard part with the Snow Leopard disc if Snow Leopard isn't installed?

The SL DVD is fully capable of doing hardware testing, Disk Utility repairs, and so forth. Also, why are you trying to install Snow Leopard before repairing the hard drive?

Use the SL DVD to boot the machine first. After it boots, do not go to the installation routine. Instead, click on Utilities from the top menu, then click on Disk Utility. Highlight your hard drive on the left side (top entry). Now select the First Aid tab on the right side. Do a Verify and Repair. Keep doing it until all errors are cleared. Post back results and we can go from there.

After verification:

Invalid node structure
The volume Macintosh HD was found corrupt and needs to be repaired.
Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Click Repair Disk.

Click to expand...

During repair:

Invalid node structure
Rebuilding catalog B-tree.

Invalid key length
The volume Macintosh HD could not be repaird.

Click to expand...

After repair suddenly stops:

Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files and possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.

Click to expand...

So, eh... where do I go to reformat the disk?

(whilst I'm at it, thanks for all your help so far. Not very experienced in this side of my Mac, so really need a lot of it spelled out for me... I do appreciate your assistance. )

So, eh... where do I go to reformat the disk?

(whilst I'm at it, thanks for all your help so far. Not very experienced in this side of my Mac, so really need a lot of it spelled out for me... I do appreciate your assistance. )

Click to expand...

It appears you've got a bad hard drive. Even if we could get it to reformat somehow and install Snow Leopard, the drive will do the same thing. It's time for a new hard drive. Let me take a look back at your first post.....

Yes, even your first post where you exchanged replies with bobtomay, he indicated that your hard drive may be dying.

The problem now of course is trying to get your data off the dying hard drive. Have you made any backups at all? If not, we can always try the software approach to accessing the data. That may or may not work. Some of the errors that Disk Utility reported indicate the node structure on the drive is invalid.

Anyway, it's early Thursday morning here in Texas and I know your time zone is a good distance from mine so let me know what you'd like to do.

You don't have many choices:

1. You need a new hard drive. Data on the old one may or may not be recoverable.

2. Decide whether or not you would like to do the hard drive swap out yourself.

3. If you would like to do the work yourself, you will of course need a new hard drive first.

Post back to this same thread.

... But.. I haven't ever done anything to really exhaust the hard drive, how could it just die?

What's the most affordable option I have?

I don't really know anything about the insides of computers but I could probably have my housemate (who's very experienced in PC's but never worked on a Mac) have a shot...?

Is there any way to actually verify that it IS the hard drive that's dying, because... obviously I'd love to be 100% positive that was the issue before going ahead any further down this path.

Use this, it'll tell you if the HD is failing pretty conclusively.

Apple - Downloads - System/Disk Utilities - SMART Utility

Sometimes Chris hard drives are faulty when straight out of the box brand new. They are highly complicated FRED's. Replacing the hard drive in a late model iMac is not a job for a novice.

How old is the computer as most leading manufacturer's of hard drives offer a three year warranty? May be worth inquiring from the store/reseller where you purchased the iMac.

I'm unable to run that SMART check, since by starting up from the Installation disc and letting it go into the install set-up of Snow Leopard prior to just the normal repair version (thinking it would be done in the reverse order), it'll no longer let me get back to the normal HD to access the internet/download it/use it... only the install screen or 'start up from disk' (with no other disks there to use...) [I'm posting in these forums on my windows laptop, just to clarify]

New question:
Given that I started this thread explaining how I no longer had the installation discs, and that this Snow Leopard disc I've bought is technically meant to be an 'upgrade' for the existing OS; When a new hard drive is put in, will the Snow Leopard disc be enough to install the complete OS, or since it's an upgrade, am I pretty much screwed without those original discs?

New question:
Given that I started this thread explaining how I no longer had the installation discs, and that this Snow Leopard disc I've bought is technically meant to be an 'upgrade' for the existing OS; When a new hard drive is put in, will the Snow Leopard disc be enough to install the complete OS, or since it's an upgrade, am I pretty much screwed without those original discs?

Click to expand...

You should be able to do a clean full install with that DVD. However, it's missing the iLife apps. But that's really not a problem because you can purchase that separately from the Apple store or the on line store.

chscag said:

You should be able to do a clean full install with that DVD. However, it's missing the iLife apps. But that's really not a problem because you can purchase that separately from the Apple store or the on line store.

Click to expand...

Good, good.

Thank you, to everyone who posted in this thread. You've all been a great help. Now I'll just work on getting a replacement drive acquired and installed, and hopefully won't need to come back with any more problems after that.