I don't *think* it's the hard drive. I hope to God it's not the hard drive. I've heard a hard drive do the "Click of Death" in the past, when my cat knocked my laptop off the table. Lost all my data then too. I seem to have a two-year cycle with my computers before they crap out on me in some way.

I lets me boot up, then the screen goes wonky and does the Plaid Stripes of Doom thing and won't let me do anything except do a hard shut down.