Can I create a bootable DiskWarrior disk? I'm in trouble. My Mac won't boot (frozen on gray apple logo with spinning wheel), and it appears to be a disk problem. I ran disk utility from Lion's recovery disk, but it says it can't repair my disk and that I should erase it.

I want to try diskwarrior, but before buying it I want to know if I can create a bootable disk with the downloadable version. I can't wait for the DVD to ship -- it'd take at least two weeks if not more, and I need it right now.

I searched on alsoft's site and the web, but I don't understand if it's possible or not. I'm guessing it is, otherwise buying this program is useless in case of emergencies (I'd rather get a new Mac than wait for the DVD to ship). 

So the question: has anyone managed to create a bootable diskwarrior disk?
you could try DasBoot and create a bootable disk with a USB thumb drive and a running OS, obviously not yours, maybe someone who has a similar OS. DasBoot allows you to install custom apps, and then you can boot from it and repair your disk.

I hope you have a backup. It could be a mechanical problem, which no software in the world can fix.

Do you hear strange noises coming from the HD? Is it a recent model? Maybe you could bring it to a genius bar so they can make sure it is not a mechanical failure or some other problem...