Unable to install Snow Leopard on my MacBook

Question

Hi all, new Mac user here.
I had a Macbook 1.83Ghz given to me recently that still has Tiger installed. I upped the RAM to 2GB so I thought I was ready for SL. Everything I've been told and read said it works to go from Tiger to SL if you do it as a clean install but I can't get there. Here's what I've tried:
I'm pretty sure the optical drive is shot so I've been using an external one. With the MB running I install the SL disc. I click on "Install Mac OS X" and get the next window on which the only option is restart. I click on that and the MB restarts. Unfortunately that's all it does. All I get on restart is a gray screen, then the same gray screen with a folder/question mark, then the gray screen again. That's all it does until it eventually starts up on Tiger.
I then tried booting from the disc by holding down the Option key while starting but the OS X disc never comes up as an option. The only thing that comes up as an option that way is the HD.
Does this sound like a hardware problem or is it possible the install disc is bad? I'm completely stumped. I browsed through the forums here and it seems others have had the same issue but I couldn't find any resolutions. One of the threads suggested a Smart utility to check the disk, I ran that and it checks out fine.
Anyone have any ideas?
Message was edited by: mikhu

Answer 1

covey.john wrote:
We are not breaking any laws by discussing issues online, and I'm reasonably certain Apple attorneys have better things to do than censorship circa 1984. While I appreciate your legal opinion, you seem to have missed the entire point of the question. Issue spotting, Rule, analysis and conclusion are first year law students tools, but they must read the question carefully. Is there a way to install the disk, assuming the disk is hypothetical. Again, why are you attempting censor my question and digress into a legal argument...that is a rhetorical question, not posting a rehash of your speculative factual assertion will will be **** decent of you. Some of us just love knowledge, and would never consider actually crossing over to the dark side, more like turning a light on to look around. Good day sir.
You're right, we're not breaking any law discussing it online. But even if you could use your iMac disc to install SL on your MacBook (which, like stedman1 said, cannot be done) it would technically be breaking the law, and for someone who loves knowledge, you should be open to hearing that, even if you did already know.
I didn't come here for an argument. I gave you the answer and you chose to deny it for whatever reason. Heck, go download Snow Leopard from somewhere for all I care, it's your choice, and I'm not going to judge you on it, but your iMac disc simply will not work. That's what I was trying to get across in my very first post. You'll need a copy that is designed to work with your MacBook.