Safe Boot OK -- but can't get past grey/blue screen

Hello,
Macbook Pro - early 2010.  HAs been working flawlessly but today, screen turned "static" and then on re-start Macbook hangs on a gray or blue screen after the spinning startup wheel.  I can boot int safe mode fine.  I get the same results trying to boot from two different external bootable backups (hangs at blue screen in full mode - boots fine in safe mode).
Have tried: SMC reset, NVRAM reset, permission repair, disk repair (via disk utility in safe mode).  No joy.  I have a commercial version of Snow Leopard which lets me perform a hardware test on the Macbook: "no apparent hardware problems found".
Unfortunately, I cannot locate the original OS disks, so I have not been able to test whether it would boot from those.
Any suggestions as to what I could try next?  I could do an erase and re-install from one of the backup disks (but not the original system disk).  Is that likely to succeed if those backups don't work externally?
Any help appreciated!

Clinton,
you say:
"You can call Apple and, with your serial number handy, order a set of the machine-specific discs that shipped with your model. Cost is about $20 + shipping & taxes."
Do you know a phone number for this?  I have called Apple tech support and the first tech claimed that Apple does not sell disks - his supervisor told me that he will sell me a disk but I have to pay $150 charge for consierge service first becasue the Macbook is out of warranty!  Seems ridiculous to pay $170+ for a disk when I don;t even know it will solve my problem!
Is there any other way to get my hands on a disk? 

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