Black Screen, Grey Screen, then flashing question mark, now frozen....

hi everyone,
i know i have probably the most common problem - and i've tried to read all about the logic board problems which i'm fairly certain i have.
I realize i will most likely have to buy a new macbook - but before i do - i need to retrieve files that are on my ibook g3 (bought in early 2003).
This is what has happened in the past 2 days:
1. I can hear the power start up (and chimes) but screen is completely black.
2. Tried resetting PRAM and PMU, now blank grey screen sometimes appears.
3. Now, grey screen with flashing question mark in the middle alternating with mac face. So i assumed this meant it couldn't locate my hard drive. So i found my ibook install disc and inserted it and restarted while holding down "C" key.
4. Grey screen - with Apple (thought this was success) - then it turned to a large grey circle with a line through it (a slash). And then suddenly frozen.
Since then it has just been a lot of lines through the screen alternating with completely grey screen, etc. along with any of the above-mentioned outcomes. I tried pushing on the lower-left-hand corner of the computer and yes, it affects the display - more or less lines, etc.
How can i get my old files off of it? Do i buy a new macbook and connect them via fire wire cable and try that way? or will that not work if the above is happening? Or is it possible for someone (myself or perhaps IT professionals) to remove the hard drive from my old ibook and place it somewhere where i can copy over the files?
Any help is appreciated - i know this is a popular topic - i've just had so many weird outcomes in the past 2 days i'm not exactly sure which solution (if any) would work for me right now.
Thanks so much!

Hi Ronda -
I do have access to another mac (mini) with firewire at my work. Or I might go out and buy a new macbook this weekend as well (preferable since I don't really want my personal files on my work computer, etc.) But yes, i need to get my old files off of this one.
I have never added additional memory or anything to it really since I got it. So it should be the original specs:
iBook (14.1 LCD 900 MHz 32 VRAM)
256MB memory
Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Hard drive: 40GB
Not a lot of space was remaining if i recall. I did get the 'disk full' notice a few weeks ago, but i did end up deleting a lot of stuff. Needless to say, i'm sure it was quite full, but not at maximum when this happened.
Update: Last night i tried to start it up again, and it would ONLY go to a black screen this time (ie. no display at all). What do you think i should do?

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Your iMac is actually turning ON as proven by the grey folder with the flashing question mark.
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If your system has Lion installed then you can hold down the Command and R keys when you restart the system, then launch the Disk Utility application from the menu that appears.

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If you don't know the model, find the Serial# & use it on one of these sites, but don't post the Serial# here...
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Message was edited by: efd856

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[DriveSavers|www.drivesavers.com] 800-440-1904
[Ontrack Data Recovery|www.ontrack.com] 800-872-2599
[Lazarus|www.lazarus.com] 800-341-3282
Is your iTunes music on an iPod or iPhone? You may be able to recover it using software to transfer back to a computer. Search the iPod forums for names of the software. Music purchased from the iTunes store will transfer back to an authorized computer without any problem.
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c. Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.
d. The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.
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