Blinking Question Mark on a New Hard Drive instal!

I just instaled a new hard drive on my old macbook pro and it all went well until the end when it said part of the installation couldn't be completed and needed to be restarted.  Now all I get is the flashing question mark inside the file folder! It won't go pass that and the install disk wont restart!  It just keeps popping the disk out.  I just want to install the OS. 
Any advise?  There is nothing to be lost on the drive, I just want to have an OS working on it.

1. It could be that the HD was formatted only for use with Windows, as with a FAT32 install. Make certain that the drive is formatted for the Mac. A blinking question mark can be a sign that your machine isn't properly formatted.
2. Not infrequently, this error may result from a faulty cable. Make sure the cable is in good condition.

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