Help -- folder with question mark at startup -- can't log in

Okay, so I've figured out that my iMac can't find my startup disk. Here's what I've done:

I tried unplugging all peripherals and restarting -- no help.
I tried holding option key down while restarting -- no help.

Now I'm trying to do 'first aid' on my disk. I installed the Leopard Install DVD, went to disk utility, but can't find my HD disk on there. Only the install DVD shows up on the left. How can I do first aid to the disk if I can't find it?

Any help/suggestions apreciated. I do have time machine backing up my data to an external HD, but I'd rather not reinstall Mac OS 10.5.8 unless absolutely necessary. TIA

It sounds like your hard drive has died. Not much you can do if that is indeed the case. The only cure is to swap it out - and that's not an easy job to do with an iMac. If you feel up to it, you can find the instructions at www.ifixit.com. The entire front glass and display panel must be removed in order to get at the inside of the iMac. It might be best to let an authorized Mac dealer or Apple store do the job for you.

By the way, good for you making backups. At least you can restore the data to a new hard drive.