Missing info: version of OS. OK, maybe you don't know yet, but it should be the same reference release as the other Mac (such as OS 10.6.something).

What happened when you tried? If it gave an error message about unable to install, then you can't. If it didn't give any error message, then you just need to keep on keeping on with the obvious places to click, such as "Agree" or "Continue".

If you don't know how to start from a DVD, here is how....

-- Restart while holding the option key for 30 seconds.

-- Insert the DVD.

-- Wait until the DVD icon appears.

-- Select it, and press Return.

Keep these things in mind about the drastic step of erasing:

-- Two DVDs are needed to reinstall everything that came from Apple: "Mac OS X Install DVD" and "Applications Install DVD". Without the "Applications" disc, you will lose all iLife apps that are not available for free download, such as iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie, and GarageBand.

-- All documents saved, music, photos, movies, settings, and downloads are in the user account, not elsewhere in the system.

LITTLE-KNOWN FACT:

There are only two reasons why you should erase the HDD:

1 -- OS X has serious issues, the available space is too little for an archive install, and you don't know any other way to erase enough files to make room, or don't want to trouble yourself with erasing selected files.

2 -- The HDD has file system corruption that cannot be repaired using Disk Utility or other disk repair software.

The most common reason for users to erase a HDD is to get rid of gremlins. In other words, they fear some evil thing is hiding on the HDD outside of the system directories, and they will not be able to get rid of it any less drastic way. Since OS X has no cirus threat as yet known, that fear is unfounded for you.

With that in mind, you would surely want to try just creating a new one for your self first, and then remove the old user account. The result should be just like erasing, installing OS X, and installing iLife, except without nearly as much time spent doing that, and without the risk of something unexpected happening to get you all messed up. For that, you need nothing except careful typing. Do this...

-- Open System Preferences > Accounts.

-- Click the + sign and create a new account, taking care to make it able to administer the computer.

-- WRITE DOWN THE PASSWORD YOU CHOOSE.

-- It will ask you if you want to turn off auto-login. Yes, you do.

-- Quit System Preferences.

-- Log out or restart.

-- Log in as the new user.

-- Open System Preferences > Accounts.

-- Select the old account.

-- Click the - sign to remove it. You will get a choice of saving it as a disk image or deleting it immediately. Saving it as a disk image would allow your rummaging through it later to find anything you might want to keep, such as songs or movies.

Either way, here is a bit of advice about surviving without your own system DVD: After you complete the steps above (either by the erase-install method or the new user method), use Disk Utility to restore the internal HDD files to an external HDD. That will give you a full backup of everything that you have at the moment. Should you have serious file system problems, or serious OS problems later, you can do a restore in the opposite direction to replace all the messed up files with what is on the external HDD, and that gets you back to work in only a couple of hours without any DVDs. You can even keep that external system up-to-date every month or so with a new restore, or if no new apps were installed, simply with replacing your previous user folder with the newer one.

1

Plug the MacBook Pro into a power source and shut down the laptop.

2

Press and hold "Shift," "Control," "Option" and the power button simultaneously. Release all buttons simultaneously.

3

Press power to turn on the computer