Bad optical drive? Can't boot from install, loss of memory....help!

I seem to have a series of issues which I noticed today with a drop in hard drive memory. I typically hover around 105 GB and for unexplainable reasons dropped to 76 GB.(I'm getting this number from the bottom of a Finder window) I started to do some exploring (ran Disk Inventory (I couldn't make much sense of it), repaired permissions etc.). Nothing jumped out at me. I decided to do a clean install from my Install dvd (leopard) but the disk won't mount. I get stuck on a grey screen w/ an apple but no spinning gear. Eventually, I get a small folder w/ a scolding frowny face and the the disk is spit out.
I did a Safe Boot and restart. Didn't fix the memory issue OR the inability to re-install. I carefully cleaned the Install dvd. No luck.
I reset the pram.
Then, once I was able to get the Install disk to show up on my desk top but when I click "Install" and the computer restarted - back to the grey screen and the frowny folder.
I then took a home movie DVD-R I had created a while back and the computer spits that out also. It does accept an audio CD.
So I guess I have a few issues here....any thoughts on where my memory/hard drive space may have gone? And any thoughts on what's up with not being able to read DVD's? I have a dvd project due on Saturday of this week....UGH.
Thanks in advance.....Karen

when you saying "install" leopard again.. you booted to the disk and on the screen where it asks you to "select a destination" make sure you click options and then choose from there.

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Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions ...
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Disk Utility that can repair a 10.5.7 permissions is only found on the Leopard installer disc. Tiger can't repair Leopard when it comes to permissions, and may also have difficulty with the directory.
Secondly, if your MacBook Pro was purchased after October 26, 2007, it can't boot from any Tiger disc.
If your MacBook Pro was purchased prior, you can use the disk, but you'll want to follow these directions for hardware diagnostics:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303081
Only if your MacBook Pro has Tiger installed, should you use Tiger for the directory or permissions*:
http://www.macmaps.com/directoryfaq.html
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1. pre-October 1st, 2007 MacBook Pros can boot off:
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- - retail 10.5 discs which look like * that do not say Upgrade, DropIn, or OEM.
2. October 1st through October 25, 2007 can do #1, and also use Upgrade and DropIn discs. Those disks were offered as a limited time mail order Up to date program, some were dropped in the box that came with them.
3. October 26th through November 14, 2007 can boot off the discs that came with them, and retail 10.5.1, 10.5.4, and 10.5.6 discs that do not say Upgrade, DropIn, or OEM, and have a label like the image above.
4. November 15, 2007 through June 29, 2008 can boot off the discs that came with them, and the retail 10.5.4, and 10.5.6 discs that do not say Upgrade, DropIn, or OEM, and have a label like the image above.
5. June 30, 2008 through December 14, 2008 can boot off the discs that came with them, and the retail 10.5.6 discs that do not say Upgrade, DropIn, or OEM, and have a label like the image above.
6. December 15, 2008 and later MacBook Pros can only boot off the discs that came with them.
Presumably when Snow Leopard comes out in September, all of the above will be able to use Snow Leopard because of the specs on http://www.apple.com/macosx/specs.html
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.
Message was edited by: a brody

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I purchased the new xeon core dual which only boots in Leopard.
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http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
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http://www.macmaps.com/bootcd.html
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Message was edited by: Philip Dexter

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Sorry for all of the posts.. but it could be possible that the firmware is password protected - disabling users in the computer lab from corrupting programs? I found this article and it might help.. (http://www.fif3.com/howto/archives/001983.html) Some of the article is below....
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http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106482
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Resetting the PRAM
Starting up in Single-user mode
Starting up in Verbose mode
Starting from CD-ROM
Then follow these steps:
Start up into Open Firmware by pressing and holding the Command-Option-O-F key combination during startup.
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Can't boot from install cd

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I'm looking at a white Macbook for a friend who may be sunk, but I want to check in with you lovely and talented folks to see if perhaps I've missed something.
The Macbook was shut down during a software update (presumably a power-button reset). Any attempt to boot normally after that results in the appearance of an icon of a folder with a question mark on it. I took that to mean that no valid System folder was found. I eventually got it to boot from the system install disc, but Disk Utility only showed the CD drive. No sign of a hard drive at all. I then attempted to boot from both Disk Warrior and Tech Tool discs, but they just spin in the drive for a while and are eventually rejected.
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If *Disk Utility* does not show the hard drive at all, chances are that the drive is dead. There are other possibilities, however. One is a logic board problem preventing reading of the drive, another is an issue with the cable between the drive and the logic board.
The best possibility to recover the data on the drive is to remove it from the MacBook and put it in an enclosure designed for that type of drive, then see if another Mac can read the drive.
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