Oh - yeah, great advice - so then he goes from this first big problem, to big problems every time he turns it on!
Now for some advice from a long-time mac user:
If this Mac doesn't already have OS X installed, you might want to be certain the firmware is up-to-date.
Next - Is your OS X install disc an original or a back-up copy?
It's been quite some time since my first install of OS X, so I'm running from memory, but I believe the original install of OSX should be started by being booted in OS 9, and double click the installer on the X CD. That will then restart your computer with the appropriate installer running.
FreepMail me for further info/help.