My Compaq 2500 (2538CL) laptop will not boot. The first error message that appears says a hard drive failure is imminent, press F1 to continue. I press F1 and then a message appears saying media test failure, then operating system not found. I have tried wiping the hard drive using the recovery CDs. However, I can't even get through the first CD...it throws some sort of error and ejects the CD. I have tried to run a hard drive test. HP's site says to turn on the laptop and hold down the F10 key to enter BIOS, but this doen't work. I have tried removing the battery and the AC cord but this hasn't made a difference. Also, sometimes it makes a horrific sound like a woman screaming if this helps the description at all. I'm about to take a sledgehammer to it. Any advice?

Wear saftey goggles

If you decide not to kill it, try this....

You will PROBABLY need to replace the CPU...the squealing you heard was the cpu fans' last gasp of life...when the fans go, the cooling for the cpu goes...cpu burns up and usually toasts the motherboard with it....Start by tossing a compatible cpu in it...turn it on for only a minute to see if is worth fixing....don't keep it on without proper cooling!

Next ...find a replacement heatsink/fan combo on ebay...

here's the manual to get you started!

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00246219.pdf

Good luck! :eek: