Trying to re-install OSX on mac Mini with broken DVD drive.

I have a mac mini G4 and the DVD drive died a long time ago and i have been using a external USB DVD when necessary. Last week the machine was taking along time to boot so I got hold of a FireWire 400 cable and connected it to my Intel iMac and tried to repair it in target disk mode. Disk Utilities was unable to repair the drive so I had to erase it and re-format which was completed successfully. Now I have the problem that I cannot get OS X Leopard or Tiger back on the mac mini from the install DVDs. I cannot get the mac mini to recognize the USB drive or the iMac as a bootable drive. (N.B. the DVD drive has also died on the Intel iMac). When booting the mac mini whilst hold the alt key, the correct screen loads but nothing appears but for the reload key and the continue key.
Any help would be grateful as I want to keep the mac mini running for my daughter to use.
May

First off, you can't use an Intel Mac to boot a PowerPC Mac.
Secondly, 10.6 won't work on G4s.
Third, machines older than 4 years, may need a PRAM battery replaced for their optical drive to work again.
If the PRAM battery is not the problem, then you may need to find a safe cleaner for the drive.
USB DVD drives won't boot G4s either. Only Firewire will. See http://www.macsales.com/ for some drives that may help you.

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