slightly OT: hp laptop broken

Also before I determine once and for all that this is a hdd failure : Does any laptop show any activity if the harddrive is broken? If you remove the harddrive entirely, does it still do the POST and beep?

thanks....ok, the laptop beeps and i can see the "hp" screen but the screen has a bunch of 00s and 111s to it and its very distorted.... I used to think this was a HDD failure problem but i'm thinking maybe its a graphics issue??

thanks! I already have a laptop. I'm trying to save this one for my dad. He has a computer already but a laptop would give him more freedom. Plus, i could use this laptop live for gigs, if given the oppurtunity. I can't do that with my current expensive laptop. I really do appreciate all your help though. You've pointed me in the right direction. What i'll do now is to troubleshoot the damn thing step by step. First off, it doesn't beep. I thought it did, but it doesnt. here's what i'll do: 1).reset BIOS password by clearing CMOS battery. 2).Enter BIOS and do a harddrive test 3).See if graphics card problem 4).Replace graphics card and hdd I think that should do it.