Noisy PC? (hard drive)

If your hard drive is making an obnoxious noise every time you run a program or open a large file or if your hard drive is simply getting too full to hold all of your data, it could be time to invest in a new hard drive.

If you’re wondering whether your hard drive is wearing out, you can check it using an online program such as Western Digital’s free Data Lifeguard Online Diagnostics (support.wdc.com/dlg) or a Windows hard drive scanning utility. In Windows 95/98/Me click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and ScanDisk to check your hard drive for errors; in Windows XP/2000 click Start, All Programs, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter, and the Analyze button.