White 2008 MacBook will not boot completely (hangs up)

For Christmas 2008 I bought a New 2008 Apple MacBook (White) for my 13 year old Grandson. He gave it back to me to "fix" .
He said the following problem ----will not boot/Hangs UP during boot---- *first appeared immediately after he downloaded and installed an "APPLE/MACBOOK" update of some kind last week.*
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO ANYONE OUT THERE? IF SO I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR SUGGESTIONS.
More info:
It will not boot completely. when powered on it-- chimes once with the normal Mac sounds (Not a POST Beep error)---- and a white screen---- with apple logo in center appears--- after several seconds a small spinning "activity/busy" circle appears below the logo. This circle appears and spins for about 3 to 4 minutes with no other activity happening. Then the screen goes blank and power goes off.
Oh yes I am not certain as to the Exact OS designation that is installed (sorry)
I am new to Mac but have checked:
The power (A/C, and supply are on, Mag power cord attached and battery charge light on battery is blinking green with 4 steady green lEDs on--- (So I assume I'm OK with NO power or battery issues)
I then tried to boot into "safe" mode. (shift key when power on) (No change)
Then I tried Cmd, Option, P, R keys as suggested in manual during power on to reset nv(p)Ram (No change)
Grandson is searching for manuals, OS Apple Hardware troubleshooting disk etc. While I wait to receive those items from him --------
Does anyone have any Ideas /suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
Joe

HI Joe and Welcome to Apple Discussions...
Since you can't boot in Safe Mode that's not a good sign. You really need those install disc(s) to repair the drive if necessary.
When you get the install disc...
Insert the installer disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu (Panther and earlier) or Utilities menu (Tiger and later) and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel. It should say: Verified)
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
When you are finished with DU, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Manager.
Select your start up disk and click Restart
While you have the Disk Utility window open look at the bottom of the window. You will see Capacity and Available. Make sure you always have a minimum of 10% free disk space.
You can try something that doesn't require the install disk and that's Reset the SMC
If you can get the MacBook to boot up to the Desktop, click the Apple Menu then click About This Mac. The Mac OS X version number will be displayed there. 10.x.x
Carolyn

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