Major Problems, please help

Hi, I'm searching for some help. I think this would be a software problem.

My iMac G5 locked up and wouldn't start again. Neither would it start up from the System CD. It came with 10.4 Tiger installed. The computer came from another office and when I requested the System Disks, they had to search for them. When I tried starting up from the systems disks I get a Kernel Panic. If it's any help, it starts out with "Panic (cpo 0 caller 0x002E490) unable to find driver for this platform: "PowerMac8,1"

So we tried starting up form Panther and it booted up, we re-installed Panther, but then the iMac's fan ran constantly, and the burner software didn't work, because it couldn't run on 10.3. We put the system software for 10.4 in the drive, and selected the "Install Tiger icon". It tells me to restart to install, but it wouldn't restart.

Then we updated the 10.3 software to 10.3.9. That stopped the fan from running constantly and now the burner software works, but the comp still needs to be re-installed, cause the other office has downloaded programs that don't belong on it. And it should be running on the 10.4, the Os that came with it. It restarts now with the system disk, but I get the same Kernel Panic as before. Could it be that the other office gave me the wrong system software disks?

Thanks in advanced.

It sounds like it might have a hardware problem. I would take it to someone and see if they can find the problem.

Or you could get a priest in and perform an exorcism and try to epel the demons that have taken up residence.

I agree with Murlyn on this one...sounds like hardware malfuncton to me.