Safari wont open; disc utility says errors on the drive but cant fix them

Question

Hi, Safari isnt opening despite my installing it again from the CD as well as trying to install it from the latest version available online (I saved it onto my thumbdrive from another computer). So I ran disc utility and it says there are errors but that its not allowed to fix them since its mac HD that has the errors.
I couldnt copy and paste the log as it says 'not enough memory to complete the operation' but this is what the last bit said:
Volume bitmap needs minor repair check volume information. The volume MacintoshHD needs to be repaired.
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit.
Additionally a lot of other applications: tech tool deluxe (from the apple protection plan CD), word etc. have been quitting for no reason. Is this a virus? Is there anything I can download to fix this?
Please help, I'm desperately trying to fnish my thesis on time...any suggestions would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Welcome to Apple Discussions
I ran disc utility and it says there are errors but that its not allowed to fix them since its mac HD that has the errors.
There are no viruses on your machine. Macs to date have not been affected by the typical viruses seen on PC's.
It seems you have directory errors on your Hard Drive. These can be caused by the machine shutting off unexpectedly (power failure), corrupted application code, or even lack of routine system maintenance.
You cannot correct directory errors on the same drive you are operating from - in this case your Hard Drive. In order to correct the errors, you need to start-up from your Installer DVD. Insert the disc. Once loaded, restart the computer. When the screen turns momentarily dark, hold down the C key. This tells the machine to start up from the DVD rather than the Hard Drive.
You can release the C key once you hear the CD engaged and the grey Apple screen appears. When fully installed, go to the Installer Menu and select "Disk Utility". When the Disk Utility panel appears, single-click on your Hard Drive on the left side. This will open the First Aid Panel. On the right you'll see "repair disk". Select it. Errors will appear during the process. Once done, continue to rerun until you get a clean pass.
Once finished, quit DU and quit the Installer. This will automatically restart the computer. From here, the log-in screen ought to appear and ultimately your Desktop.
When complete, go to the Utilities folder and select "disk utility". Again, highlight your hard drive. In the first-aid panel on the left select "repair permissions." This will not take very long. Refrain from using the computer while it is running.
Post back with results - there is more to do.