So, nothing wrong with it. Probably a fan making the noise. 8)
Good point and well worth checking any/all internal fans before going much further.
However.
Did you have any success in locating the panel that is covering the HDD?
What if any sort of external media "IE, USB drive" do you have that you can store the "Image File/s" onto?
How much of the current C: drive is actually programs and operating system files?
Do you have a Windows XP install disc?
And do you feel competent in replacing the HDD?
Changing the actual HDD should not be a problem, the problem I see you having is transferring the original data back to the new HDD.
Although places such as Maplin Electronics sell the cables and connectors that will allow you to do that, but again it's another cost.
However.
This is the way that I would go about changing and re-installing the data.
1. Create a "Image File" of each separate partition onto external media.
(Really speaking you only need the C: drive Image file which will be quicker and smaller than creating a Disc Clone Image)
The files from the D: drive you can transfer at a later date if you can connect the old drive to the laptop via a USB cable.
As for the files from the hidden recovery partition, you need to decide if you want to keep them.
2. Install the new HDD.
3. Decide on what size partitions you want to have on the new HDD, then create the new partitions and format them using either the Windows disc or even a DOS boot-disc.
(Although the Windows disc would be my first choice as I feel comfortable using it)
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