OS X Panther "Prepares for installation" but nothing happens afterwards.

Question

Hi,
Long story short, I tried updating my computer without checking My computer would actually allow it. Couldn't find my Panther discs so my brother leant me his 10.1 discs and it booted and the installation went fine but now I have the Panther discs i'm having a problem starting up.
It opens in the desktop and tells me to restart my computer, which i do... I hold down C and after a few minutes it shows the loading screen which says it's preparing for installation. Unfortunately that's all it does, the screen goes blue and I am left with the symbol which says it's doing something. I left it for a few hours and came back to find it was still doing the exact same thing as when I left it.
I've also tried starting using the option key and selecting the disc but it goes through the same procedure and doesn't progress.
I know the disc drive works because I checked by playing CDs DVDs (not to mention starting from the 10.1 disc)
It wouldn't be so bad but trying to find all the updates for 10.1.5 is a nuisance and it's strange going backwards from 10.3 to 10.1.
(It's an old grape coloured iMac but it has had memory added and as I stated had previously had panther running)
Help!

Answer 1

Leah:
The black ones say Version 10.3
That's great. I will give you step-by-step directions to reformat and erase the HDD, and then install Panther (10.3), then update Panther to 10.3.9. This process will destroy everything on your HDD, so if you don't have an up-do-date backup, post back and let me know. (Question: Do you have an external firewire HDD for backing up?) Otherwise you can just go ahead. It looks difficult because laying it out step-by-step makes it look long and complicated. However, I suggest you first read the procedure through a couple of times, then post back with any questions.
Formatting, Partitioning Zeroing a Hard Disk Drive
Warning! This procedure will destroy all data on your Hard Disk Drive. Be sure you have an up-to-date, tested backup of at least your Users folder and any third party applications you do not want to re-install before attempting this procedure.
Boot from the install CD holding down the "C" key.
Select language
Go to the Utilities menu (Tiger) Installer menu (Panther & earlier) and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
Select Partition tab in main panel. (You are about to create a single partition volume.)
Select number of partition in pull-down menu above Volume diagram.
(Note: 1 partition is normally better for an internal HDD. External HDDs usually have more than one. See Dr. Smoke’s FAQ Backup and Recovery for tips on partitioning external HDD.)
Type in name in Name field (usually Macintosh HD)
Select Volume Format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Click Partition button at bottom of panel.
Select Erase tab
Optional: (Select the sub-volume under Manufacturer ID (usually Macintosh HD).
Check to be sure your Volume Name and Volume Format are correct.
Select on Security Options button (Tiger) Options button (Panther & earlier).
Select Zero all data. (This process will map out bad blocks on your HDD. However, it could take several hours. If you want a quicker method, don't go to Security Options and just click the Erase button.)
Click OK.
Click Erase button
Quit Disk Utility.
Choose to Customize and deselect Foreign Language Translations and Additional Printer drivers.
Check box to install X11 (Tiger) BSD Subsystems (Panther & earlier).
Proceed with installation.
After installation computer will restart for setup.
After setup, reboot computer.
Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
Select First Aid in main panel.
Click Repair Disk Permissions.
Connect to Internet.
Download and install 10.3.9 Combo Update.
Computer will restart after updates.
Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
Select First Aid in main panel.
Click Repair Disk Permissions.
Good luck.
cornelius