MacBook doesnt boot. It shows Apple logo and spinning wheel. Soon it wont go beyond prohibitory sign with spinning wheel

I have a MacBook (Late 2008 edition) having Mac OS X 10.6.8 SnowLeopard OS installed (2 X 512GB RAM, 160 HDD). I copied some mp3 into iTunes library and soon the process got stucked. MacBook was not accepting any command/it seemed to got hanged. Carelessly, I switched the MacBook OFF by pressing the Power button. Now, when it began to boot again, all I hear was some clicking sound from the MacBook (seems HardDrive failure because the sounds seems to be from HardDrive). After few seconds, It showed flashing folder with question mark and it wont go beyond that.
Steps I tried:
1. Resetting NVRAM, PVRAM and SMC.
2. Booting in safe mode.
3. To boot from install DVD (Mac OS X 10.6.3 SnowLeopard).
4. Holding down 'option' button while booting. It shows the "Mac OS X Install DVD" icon but as I click it and press return, it again shows Apple logo with spinning wheel and little later it shows prohibitory sign with spinning wheel. This will now remain for ever and ever.
5. I bought a new 500 GB HardDrive and replaced the old one with this. Now trying to boot with DVD (Mac OS X 10.6.3 SnowLeopard) it again hows Apple logo with spinning wheel and little later it shows prohibitory sign with spinning wheel. This will remain for ever.
Any suggestions to overcome this problem will be highly appreciated and I'll be very grateful for all your help.
Thanking You.

Hi julenawang,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
It sounds like your MacBook has a startup issue and you aren't able to reinstall Mac OS X on a new hard disk. The article linked below has a lot of great information and suggestions that will resolve most issues like the one you described.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
I hope this helps.
-Jason

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Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since your last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Boot into the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. The easiest way to deal with the problem is to boot from an external drive, or else to use either of the techniques in Steps 1b and 1c to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 6.
If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.
Step 9
Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 10
Repeat Step 9, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 11
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a boot failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 12
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

My macbook won't boot pass the apple logo and the spinning wheel

Some programs on my Macbook starting crashing so I tried restarting it. Now it doesn't load past the grey screen with the apple logo and the spinning wheel.
I've tried installing the Install disc, holding 'c' but nothing happens.
I've tested the hardware holding 'd' in the start up, in which the test can back clean, so I'm assuming it's a problem with the software.
I've followed almost all the troubleshooting solutions on the apple website including restarting the PRAM and SMC, with no success.
However I foolishly followed a solution that was meant for an earlier version of Mac OS X, which invloved starting up in single-user and entering some commands, this appears to have done nothing but i'm concerned it may have done some extra damage.
I have bootcamp installed and I can boot up windows with no problem and even access some of the files on the Macintosh HD.
My backup harddrive broke recently so I haven't got a back up of any of my files either.
My question is, is there any way of fixing this problem or even just saving all my files and data so I can format the hard drive and start again, other than finding someone with a mac and try using the firewire method?
thank you for your time and help.

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An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
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Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
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2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
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but since about a week or 2 during bootup, after the spinning wheel stops turning and the mouse shows up in the upper left hand corner, it hangs there for about 10-15 seconds before the desktop shows up.
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I have a macbook pro that won't boot all the way. When I turn it on it will go to the apple logo, and proceed past it then get stuck on a white screen. If you leave it on this white screen after a little while a grey ribbon will come across the top with little white squares and rectangles. The picture comes up like this [IMG]http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/helmerfan/60350C7C-C4F6-4040-A081-388B5 4FF77ED-2239-00000184408A3AD1.jpg[/IMG] (not sure if this will work) http://s863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/helmerfan/?action=view&current=9F4716F1 -3DE1-4799-A87A-9E8E5E918EF2-3530-00000378A8CDCED1.jpg#!oZZ5QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2 F%2Fs863.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fab198%2Fhelmerfan%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26curre nt%3D60350C7C-C4F6-4040-A081-388B54FF77ED-2239-00000184408A3AD1.jpg
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I have a macbook pro that won't boot all the way. When I turn it on it will go to the apple logo, and proceed past it then get stuck on a white screen. If you leave it on this white screen after a little while a grey ribbon will come across the top with little white squares and rectangles. The picture comes up like this [IMG]http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/helmerfan/60350C7C-C4F6-4040-A081-388B5 4FF77ED-2239-00000184408A3AD1.jpg[/IMG] (not sure if this will work) http://s863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/helmerfan/?action=view&current=9F4716F1 -3DE1-4799-A87A-9E8E5E918EF2-3530-00000378A8CDCED1.jpg#!oZZ5QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2 F%2Fs863.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fab198%2Fhelmerfan%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26curre nt%3D60350C7C-C4F6-4040-A081-388B54FF77ED-2239-00000184408A3AD1.jpg
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MacBook doesnt boot. It shows Apple logo and spinning wheel. Soon it wont go beyond prohibitory sign with spinning wheel

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