Problems when installing OS X 10.6 to my Macbook White

Question

So, I decided to upgrade my Macbook White OS X (10.5) with my sister's 13 inch Macbook Pro installation disk, but it won't work. It keeps saying that it cannot install in my Macbook, no matter what I do. In a moment of rash decisions, I (stupidly) erased ALL my data, thinking that that was the problem. Is there a way I can install the Mac OS X 10.6 onto my laptop, or should I buy a new set of disks with the Mac OS X 10.5. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

The discs that ship with Macs are specific to that model of Mac, so your sister's iMac discs do not have the necessary drivers to run your MacBook--which is why it was telling you it couldn't install. (Not to mention, installing OS X from your sister's disc would be a violation of the terms of use!)
If you need to get your data back, you can try recovery software like Data Rescue:
http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php
And, most importantly, stop trying to use the MacBook until your data is recovered, as everything you do overwrites the old data blocks.
You can use the restore discs that shipped with your MacBook to reinstall the OS and software that used to be there. Or you can buy Snow Leopard, which is $29US and will install on your MacBook. However, you should probably use those restore discs first anyway, as the SL disc will not include the iLife apps--iPhoto, iMovie, etc.--but only the OS software. When you upgrade to SL thereafter, your iLife apps will remain and still be useable.