i got the same lap top HP 250 g3 from one of the retail store. yes the hard drive does make some noise but the lap top freezes to much. i only use the lap top for word and other office application, watch movies and it freezes. the hard drive light on the device doesnt blink its just lights up when it freezes. happens alot when using the internet.

i got the HP G3 with pentium n3530, it's quite nice for basic use, there is no fan and it's fantastic for the absence of noise.... but i admit the HDD is quite loud during heavy operations, battery life is not sensational, good keyboard, DVD burner OK, decent screen, and it never goes hot even after playing (on low details) some videogames for a couple of hours... well don't buy this notebook for gaming, i play softly and only few videogames at least 6 years old run fluently on low details, this is an intelligent machine for home office and watching HD videos, bye