IMac late 2006 intel based system hdd fatial error

Mac OS X 10.7.5 Lion can still be ordered direct from Apple ($20) at this link:

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion

You will receive an email with a download code that you will use to download the installer from the Mac App Store.

If you have questions you can click the "Contact us" link on that page and call an Apple agent.

Once you have the installer, you can follow the instructions from the link below to create a bootable installer that you can use to install the OS on your old iMac.

How to make a bootable Lion install disc... - Macworld:

https://www.macworld.com/article/213279/make-a-bootable-lion-installer.html

🤞🏽

if your hardrive which is a mechanical rotating disc at min 5400rpm does not work any more after 15 years of service only thing

one can do is to change the hardrive to a new one

it use a SATA harddisk OWC SSD (macfixit.com.au)

to me spending any money on repairing a 15-year-old computer would be crazy unless to display working in some mac museum or shine

Hello, ShaneE23.

My friend, you are correct; that is an old iMac. You really are best advised to retire it and find a replacement. If money is tight, then don't waste what you have on trying to repair that iMac. Pinch your pennies for a short while and buy something at least a few years newer. Ever hear the term "money pit"?

OK... stepping down from the soap box, now.

The hdd doesn't work so are you using an external USB drive?

What .dmg files have you downloaded? Which OS are you trying to install?

You should be trying to install Mac OS 10.7 Lion, but you can also use 10.4, 10.5 or 10.6 on that iMac.

If you have the install discs that came with the iMac, maybe you can borrow an external USB dvd drive and try to install the OS from that. You did say the DVD drive isn't working? I'm unsure if you can actually boot that machine this way, though.

This is definitely a challenging situation to be in.