mac mini - startup problem

Hi

Can someone shed any light on this ?

I have a mac mini, that sits at the splash screen, with the cog wheel turning.

Despite it sitting there for a few hours, it still doesn't load.

I've tried a few discs (can't find my original), but when I finally got one to boot it said that I had an unfixable problem, after running Apples first aid for disc.

Can anyone tell me why it is hanging / sitting at cog wheel turning ????

Thanks in advance

Gerald

Your Mac Won't Start OS X: You see an empty, blue screen. You might also see a progress indicator, which looks like a colored pinwheel or spinning disc

Isolating Issues in Mac OS X

Follow the steps in those articles to find out what the issue could be.