So it looks like my hard drive is fine, but the system fan is suddenly incredibly noisy. Not sure what to do about that; it's noisy enough that it does seriously get on my nerves. It sounds distinctly like either the fan is loose or that it is scraping against something; it only makes that noise when the computer is in the appropriately flat position used for typing. Seriously obnoxious, either way! *grumble*

I could take it to CompUSA and have it swapped, except that would also mean surrendering Mordion for a few weeks again. Not appealing, especially if they fail to repair it. :-p I wonder how hard it would be to open my notebook and take a look, and whether it will leave signs that would void the warranty...