Not enough information........good help can only be gained from great information!

What sort of laptop?
What sort of soundcard?
etc, etc

Highly likely its a failing graphics card!

http://majorgeeks.com/Video_Card_Stability_Test_d5404.html

Try these.

http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/GRAPHICS-BOARD/OTHERS/Toshiba-Equium-100-Display-Drivers-for-S3-ViRGE-MX-Video-4-10.shtml

'For some reason' could be anything from a fall off the cars dashboard (taking a heavy knock)....to.....downloading and running 'Debbie does Dallas' complete with infection.

Can you think back to...

You have been offered several scenerio's to try however you have not told us of any tested outcomes??

Thats because the OS boot files are destroyed.

Use a PS2 keyboard and mouse to enter the bios on boot and configure it to boot from your DVD/CD drive and then use your install disc to boot from...

If your not getting any error beep codes on start up, then the system is reaching and passing POST.

Im guessing the keyboard and mouse are wireless or USB?

If possible try using a PS2 interface...

Overwriting unallocated drive space with the /w switch can be frought with danger if your unsure of exactly what your doing.

Remember that Cipher does not lock down the drive so its possible that...

mmmm.....ok!

If bumping seems to be an issue i would probably double check that the CPU is seated correctly and the heatsink is secure.

This area can be very sensitive especially after a good...

Its possible, but less likely in the event that you have already swapped it out......what makes you think its a hardware issue?

99.9% of random reboots are related to buggy software installs or...

if you have no luck with sittas87's suggestion i guess you have little choice but to boot from the install disc and access the recovery console!

I dont recommend pulling the cover off your lappy...

Try turning off the laptop. remove the battery and all other power sources to it.
Then hold down the start button for around 10 seconds or so.
Replace the power source and reboot.

This is called...

Not sure if i understand this?

Is it both the touchpad and all keyboard keys that cease to function, or only certain keys?

Have you tried a hard reset by removing the battery, the AC cord, or...

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5449/?o=1240

A few tips you could try to see if they help, but i dont like your chances.....

http://www.uofr.net/~greg/hardware/laptop_power_troubleshooting/

You found a thinkpad?? ....mmm ok!

You could also use a live CD of a linux distro that you can boot too, and then delete the 'SAM' file in windows system folders that holds the password hashes!

iTunes will rob you of the codecs you need for the app your trying to view them through?

Its your PSU.....350W is not enough to run any new card effectively!

With those graphics, you should be aiming at 500W plus ;)

Yeh....see your point! Its shaping up as a real tough nut to crack.

mmmmm...maybe suggest entering the bios and setting the boot order to CD drive manually, placing the disc in the drive before...

Have you done all your scans and ruled out Malware as a possible cause?

Can you give any clues as to what caused these strange events to happen last Wednesday? Install any new software or add any...

OptoRite is an optical drive manufacturer that are fairly new on the market....since 2001/2002 i believe. Some say good, some say crap, who to believe?

Anyhow, one possible solution may be to...

For complete system device information, download and install Everest! Its freeware!
http://www.majorgeeks.com/EVEREST_Free_Edition_d4181.html
However, I dont think we shall need it on this...

Yes, given the description of your symptoms, i would say that its definately mechanical failure within the hard drive itself!

(What was the unorthodox method?, i have read some posts involving...

It might be possible that your hard drive has suffered some sort of mechanical failure...
Do you mean that the drive is no longer recognizable by the BIOS?
Were there any strange or unusual noises...

Do you mean that you re-configured the jumper settings on the back of your CD drives or have you interchanged IDE channels with your hard drive(s)?

I am assuming the internal drives you are...