Are you sure it is the hard drive?It may just be preferals kicking in.However to be on the safe side any data you download or store on PC back up to disk just incase.

On Windows XP, you can check your hard drive for errors by running the </B>CHKDSK</B> utility. Restart your computer and hold down the Ctrl key while it's booting up. When you see the option to start your system in Safe Mode, select it and continue. Click the Start button, then click Run, then type CHKDSK C: /F /R then press Enter. The /R option tells CHKDSK to scan for bad disk sectors, and the /F option means to fix any errors found.

Have you reset first boot to HDD?

It could also indicate that your system is trying to do a network boot, and it's doing that because it doesn't see valid local boot drive. Given the clicking noises you're hearing, combined with the network boot attempts, there's a good chance that your drive is going South. The loud clicking sounds are usually caused by the head actuator mechanism as it repeatedly tries to engage, but keeps failing to do so.

do yourself a favor, when you buy that new drive pick up a UPS, you can buy one for under $60.
Power surges and outages while drives are running is like hitting it with a sledge hammer.
Mine have saved me a lot of headaches, I even bought one for my home theater system.

Power surge protectors 8 socket and either net and dialup sockets included are £10-00 in UK.

So i was installing my drivers last night for various hardware and then i installed my Nforce drivers.

After installing them and rebooting the reboot took longer than expected and several times after that. Along with the longer boot times my audio seems to crack and skip and cause my programs and games to skip and chop. Also i dont need to hear sound in order to experience the choppyness, as im typing this now it's skipping and glitching (If thats the right word)

Not sure what the problem is. I tried reinstalling the drivers but to no avail.

Anyone have any ideas.

Ok I had same problems with nforce drivers on xp pro,yet they were fine for home.
Try a roll back the drivers under device manger.

Yea ill give that a try when i get home.

I also tried the CHKDSK /F /R and it gets the stage 4 of 5 in the process and just stops at 54%.

I dunno i think it's safe the say the Hard Drive is buggered.

To be honest i think the HDD is.