Diagnostic tool question

[slick1]

Is There a diagnostic Tools in xp that I can run checks on my laptops
hardware to see if they are performing as they should. For the last two
days my laptop has been making a grinding noise when it has to process
information.
System: Acer TravelMate 2450
Windows XP Home-SP3
Thank-you!

 

[JS]

HD Tune is free for personal use.
A fully functional 15-day trial version of HD Tune Pro can be downloaded
http://www.hdtune.com/

 

[Andrew E.]

The only moving parts are the fan(s),& the hard drive..If the fan(s) are ok,
then chk the hd by downloading the MS-DOS hd chk utility from youre hd
mfg web site..Usually it runs on a MS-DOS formatted floppy,then boot pc
to floppy,run the tests.

 

[slick1]

Thanks Andrew.
I removed laptop backplate and carefully removed fan. Whoa!, what mess!
Dust bunnies galore with #*@% cat hair & other nasty things in there.
Cleaned fan and vents and laptop runs great. Thanks for the advice!