Macbook Pro Formatting Gone Wrong :(

Hey guys,

So here's what happened: I recently moved to a new Mac so I tried to format / restore (whatever the vernacular is) my old 15" Macbook Pro (2nd generation) so that my aunt could use it. However, after inserting the Mac OS X DVD (disc 1) that came with the box back then - it told me Mac OS X couldn't be installed and I only had a fairly limited options including "Utilities" at the menu bar.

I thought the reason why the DVD wouldn't install is because my Macintosh HD disk was full so I ended up erasing it completely under Disk Utility. That's okay because it was my intention to completely erase everything on the laptop anyway. However, then I realized there's some other reason why the DVD wouldn't work (after reading some articles on here - about how the disc is outdated). Then I read this (http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1600) and thought I should try the partitioning method first before installing. Still didn't work.

Then after a few clicks here and there, I ended up with the much dreaded "Question Mark Folder" on startup... I tried the solutions offered here (http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1440) but I guess my problem is complicated with the erasing of the Macintosh HD disk in the first place - so it wouldn't solve the issue.

Bottomline: I just want to reinstall Mac OS X and start with a clean slate so that my aunt could use the old MBP.

I've tried many different troubleshooting suggestions online to no avail. Please help 😟 THANK YOU SO MUCH!

P.S. Don't think there's a hardware problem, plus I'm not Mac-savvy enough to deal with Firewire / external hard drive / connecting two Macs together and stuff, so would really appreciate the simplest solutions.