After a new hard drive is installed?

I have a 24 inch iMac from late 2006. model number A1200, it had a 250gb hard drive, 2.16 / 1 gb... so I am new to trying to do DYI computer stuff so bare with me. It needed a new hard drive so I bought a WD 500gb one and installed it. The computer then turned on and a blank screen came up with a file with a ?... SOmeone gave me the non working iMac so I don't have the original start up disk and not sure on the operating system but I have a macbook and I put in my snow leopard disk. So I got the option for english then I clicked continue and when it tries to install it says select disk where you want to install mac os x but nothing is coming up and only the back button is highlighted. Does anyone know what I can do? Thank you..

I have a 24 inch iMac from late 2006. model number A1200, it had a 250gb hard drive, 2.16 / 1 gb... so I am new to trying to do DYI computer stuff so bare with me. It needed a new hard drive so I bought a WD 500gb one and installed it. The computer then turned on and a blank screen came up with a file with a ?... SOmeone gave me the non working iMac so I don't have the original start up disk and not sure on the operating system but I have a macbook and I put in my snow leopard disk. So I got the option for english then I clicked continue and when it tries to install it says select disk where you want to install mac os x but nothing is coming up and only the back button is highlighted. Does anyone know what I can do? Thank you..

First read here:
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os...49-what-os-disk-do-i-need-brief-overview.html

Two things:

1. Sounds like you didn't format the disk before replacing the old one. That's why it's not recognised.

2. A disk from another machine flat-out isn't going to work. You need to buy a RETAIL copy of either Leopard (if your iMac is PPC or Intel Core Duo) or Snow Leopard (if it's Intel Core 2 Duo). Snow Leopard is a LOT cheaper and a LOT easier to find so I hope your machine is a Core2Duo though I very much doubt it.

Once you've bought a retail OS X disk that can boot your machine, you can use the utilities menu (in the menubar right after you select English as your language) to format the hard drive. You MIGHT be able to get this far with your existing SL disc but you won't be able to install SL on that machine from that disk (assuming you qualify for SL at all, which again I doubt).

There should be a menubar at the top, you want Tools, then Disk Utility. Select your hard drive in the column on the left. Then in the main part of the window, select Erase, and format it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

Then it should show up as an option to install OS X onto it.

I do have core 2 duo so the snow leopard will work but I have the disk I bought to upgrade my macbook and I was trying to use that. i already bought it not long ago but i did use it. I did get that far with the disk it doesn't give me a place to install.how is buying a new one going to be any different in this stage? thank you.

And please do not cross post. Only ask your question in one forum and continue posting to the same thread. I have merged your threads together as one.

I didn't mean to post twice I thought I posted in the wrong category and I didn't know how to remove. As for the erase and install it worked so thank you very much !

New Hard drive install

when you boot up with OSX disc use the disk utility to format your new drive then you can continue to install your OS