Cannot boot using Original OS X Install DVD

Question

Hi. I have some disk issues that I need to repair on my MB's internal hard drive, but first I need to boot from the original OS X Install DVD, so that the internal disk remains unmounted and I can use the Disk Utility from the DVD. I put the DVD in, and reboot the machine holding option. I select the DVD to boot from, and then everything spins for about a minute before a grey screen comes up, and a multi-lingual message informs me that I need to restart my computer. After doing so (requires booting from the internal HDD), I am prompted to send the error up to Apple which I do.
I don't have firewire, so I can't do a Target Mode, the original DVD (I believe is 10.6.3) is not bootable anymore, and I can't make an 8GB USB key restore from the DVD for some reason.
What is going on? How am I supposed to fix the disk issues?
System Version: Mac OS X 10.6.5 (10H574)
Kernel Version: Darwin 10.5.0
Boot Volume: iHard
Boot Mode: Normal
Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled
64-bit Kernel and Extensions: No
Time since boot: 3:16
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB71.0039.B0B
SMC Version (system): 1.60f5
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

Answer 1

Thank you... I stopped just short of running fsck myself from single user mode, basically because a some discussions.appple.com posts told me it was not a good idea under any circumstances to run fsck instead of disk utility on versions of OS X after 10.5.something. Of course, once I got to the Genius Bar, that was the first thing he did after hearing the symptoms. I asked him why he thought that was discouraged, and he said that there was no harm in it, unless you don't know what you are doing. Anyways, in the middle of fsck, while he was saying we probably were going to just have to do a software refresh, we got an I/O error from the disk. They have now installed a new hard drive, and so far everything is ok.
Two things remain unresolved to me:
1) I was able to select the original OS X install DVD to boot from, and yet, as it tried to boot from the disk, it would eventually draw down a vertical scan of the boot screen, and say (in several languages), that my computer had a problem and needed to be restarted. What I don't get is, if the hard disk is the only thing at fault, why can't I boot entirely from the DVD? Wouldn't a default bootloader be on the DVD itself? Or is that just the pure Linux world that does it that way?
2) I am still concerned that I might not have the "right" install DVD for my computer. I bought a macbook 29 days before the 7,2 (mid 2010) versions came out, and the Apple store was gracious enough to give me the newer model in exchange for mine. The only trick is, I didn't have the box, accessories, or dvds with me at the time, and the salesman said there was no difference, and he would just keep the box for the new one and I shouldn't have any issues. I cannot figure out anyway to determine what the build version is for the DVD I have. Can you help me figure that out?
Thanks again for your help.