I restarted my laptop...went into F2 and I don't understand what you mean about selecting the first option. Could you help me a little more with specifics so I know what to look for? Thanks!

hello, 3 images in the link below ,2 are of common bioses what one looks like yours .the first one or the third one .or none of the above
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&cl...images&spell=1

Does your computer "grind" the whole time you have it on? Do you happen to know what type of harddrive you have?

caperjack, my BIOS is a similar setup to the third option you showed me...but it doesn't have as many options in the Main selection.

No...I haven't heard anymore grinding since it shut down. The grinding I heard didn't last for long either. It was only for maybe 10 secs.
I don't know what harddrive i have...whatever originally came with the model.

It sounds like your hard drive is failing. Try starting it up and pressing F12. You should get a menu for Hard Drive diagnostics. If you dont have that feature you may try downloading hard drive diagnostic software to test your drive

ohk I think the image in caperjack's link has changed.but by going into your BIOS and scrolling in and out of the options you should see an option that will display the name of oyur cd/dvd drive.together with that should be your Hard Drive if you cant see that than you should consult your IT techy for a closer technical look at your hard drive