IMac won't boot at all

Okay, so my friend bought an Imac from someone and got no disks with it. I know nothing about Macs but am trying to help her.
It wont boot at all, sometimes I get a blank white screen, other times I get a flashing folder with a question mark.
I have tried all the tricks in the manual, resetting PRAM, resetting RMC, I cant get into single user mode, I cant get into safe mode, I cant get into the apple hardware test etc etc
I have borrowed disks off another friend who has a mac that looks exactly the same (as I said, I know nothing about macs) its a 24 inch Imac, thats all I know...
is there anything I can try? It seems to play up when it gets hot or has been used for a while - it has worked but freezes and the question mark thing appears when trying to reboot etc...
it wont read the install disk when booting up, ive tried so many diff commands like:
command + D
Command + C
Command + option + r + p
option key
and a few others that I can't think of right now
I either get a white screen, a flashing folder with a "?" or a grey screen with the mouse cursor which I can move but theres nothing at all to click....
I'm sorry I can't give any more info about the Mac itself, it was bought second hand and I've always been a PC user...

The owner need the original install discs that came with the machine. The discs you borrowed will never work because the original discs are machine specific. One of you will need to call AppleCare (in the US 800-275-2273) and order a replacement set for a nominal charge.
I suspect the HD has crashed and will need to be replaced but there are some diagnostics you can do. One is attempting a restart in Safe Mode, this will clear some caches. The next thing you can try is following the instructions in Flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac but as you will see you will need the original install discs.
After you have gotten the discs you should run Apple Hardware Test in Extended Mode. If no errors appear the first time run the test 2-3 times more to be sure.
However as I originally mentioned I suspect the HD has crashed therefore making an appointment at the local Apple Store or AASP would be in order.

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