Failing hard drive?

[jacks]

Mt PC has been making a grinding noise on startup recently which I thought must be the fan. Now I am getting out of memory errors. I have uninstalled loads of stuff but it still shows low memory. Is this a sign of a failing hard drive? Any help would be appreciated.

[bigbaldbloke]

The memory referred to is almost certainly your RAM. I'd go with your initial instinct. Fan not operating properly, memory disfunctioning due to high temperature

[mattie]

If you feel confident, remove the case and switch the PC on. You will then see if the fan is making the noise or something else. If it is your hard drive, then seek help immediately, especially if you have data you can't afford to lose, or burn it onto a cd if you can.

[stevie21]

My hard drive started making strange noises when I turned it on. My very technical fix was to whack the side of my PC case and it stopped :-) Not something I'd recommend others to do - I don't want to be responsible for you killing your PC altogether! If you are short of RAM then you could buy more. There are different types and some motherboards only accept up to a maximum amount of RAM so either take one of the memory sticks with you to a PC store (to make sure you buy the right type) or download software like "Sandra" which will tell you which type of RAM you have. It will also tell you which type of m/board you have - you could then google to see if there are any restrictions on how much RAM it can handle.

[smithy]

Easy check fo fan noise. switch off but leave plugged in, then 1. Look. Is there anything in the fan like a wire, piece of paper? does it rotate freely? 2. disconnect fan (hold plug not wires) 3. start up when hands are out of machine

[Raydude]

yes - backup all your data and buy a new drive www.dabs.com