Flashing folder icon!

Ok I've got an old Macbook which comes up with the flashing folder icon when you turn it on because the hard drive is blank.

We also have a Macbook pro here at home and a friend has an similar Macbook to the old one.

Now if I try inserting either DVD supplied with the Macbook Pro or the Macbook, it will boot up but wont install saying it can't be installed onto the computer, understandable as to my knowledge they will only work on the computer it was supplied with.

I also have an old retail Tiger OS DVD, which if I insert that I can hear the computer recognises the DVD but it wont get past the flashing folder icon and I don't understand why, if I put the disc in our Macbook pro It recognises it and opens it.

So, can I only fix this Macbook with the original DVD it was supplied with? (which I don't have access to)

What are my options? Apple treats it as a vintage model so I can't have them repair it.

I also have an old retail Tiger OS DVD, which if I insert that I can hear the computer recognizes the DVD but it wont get past the flashing folder icon and I don't understand why, if I put the disc in our Macbook pro It recognizes it and opens it.

Click to expand...

Have you tried booting the Mac with the C key pressed down?

Tiger came in both PowerPC and Intel versions. Using the correct version and holding down 'C'?

It's an intel version an I've tried holding 'C' when turning on the computer with no luck. Maybe I was too late to start holding down the 'C' button, but I don't think it's going to make much difference.

I have digital copies of both Snow lepoard and Lion on the Macbook Pro if that helps me at all?

I think we have a firewire cable somewhere but the only thing I got that we could use as an external hard drive to install it is my iPod and I don't really want to lose everything on there.
If I knew how to restore the iPod software after then I would be tempted to do it, since I have copies of all my music elsewhere.

Duane01 said:

I have digital copies of both Snow lepoard and Lion on the Macbook Pro if that helps me at all?

Click to expand...

Going to ignore that as I don't want you to get into trouble. Pirated software is VERY strictly off-limits here!

Go to the store, buy a copy of Snow Leopard ($30). Install from that.

It's legal to make back up copies of software you own, not to mention Lion is a digital download.

Sorry if there was any confusion.

I misunderstood what you meant by "digital copies." My apologies.

No, they won't help you.

Re-reading your original post, it sounds like the optical drive in the MacBook may not be working, otherwise it would boot from that.

External DVD units are pretty cheap, you might want to consider buying one and using that to read the disc. You may also be able to accomplish this via Target Disk Mode with one of the other computers but I've never had to do this.

Mine did the same thing on my iBook I bought tiger online. You might want to just get leopard or snow leopard.

Thanks for your responses everyone.

I think I'll try using my iPod as an external hard drive or the firewire Target disk mode method.

It's just a very weird situation that both the grey install dvds and the retails dvds are recognised (you can hear them spinning and the disc doesn't get rejected), however only the grey dvds get past the folder icon and move onto the installation, which of course then they fail.

Ok sorry to post again but wanted to say about an update.

Today I put my retail snow leopard install disc onto my iPod, it booted and then I selected to begin the installation and it came up as with the grey dvds that it is unable to install on this computer and now I'm just completely confused as to what I can actually do?

The mac denys installing from grey dvds (from other macs) but actually get past the flashing folder icon.

With a retail Tiger OS X dvd, it won't even get past the flashing folder icon but it recognises the disc.

A retail version of Snow leopard on my iPod that has been formated to "GUID" and it gets again to try to install it and say's it can't be installed on the computer?

It is a Macbook 1,1
Intel Core Duo 1.83Ghz
2Gb RAM
Supports up to Mac OS X 10.6.8 (my install on my iPod is 10.6.7)

I don't know what more I can do really.

I'm sure it has an intel processor. Maybe I need to format the hard drive?

What OS was on the MacBook initially?

10.4.6 I think

Well, there goes my theory.