Mac wont start: Folder with ? and no HD found via disc utility - help

Hi there,
Am using OS X on a 4 year old Imac. Suddenly when I started up I get a grey screen with a folder icon and question mark in it. These flash.
I tried to follow online help and installing the OSX disc to open the disc utility. This opens fine, but then I cannot see the HD anywhere.
At this stage not sure what it could be. There are no strange noises so I wonder if the HD is dead or not.
Any ideas or solutions would be great.
Cheers

Sounds dead, but try a Safe Boot by holding down the Shift key at the startup chime. Give it much longer than a regular boot. It will be trying to repair the drive directory if that's what is needed, and if possible. Try Startup Manager and some other ideas here,
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440

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