Noise From Wd1600beve

you need to back up your files--sound from hard drive normally means its going bad.Getting ready to fail

What kind of noise?  Do you hear a clicking sound? That could mean the head is stuck to the platter on the drive when doing read/write operations.  Is it a slow motor sound that gradually gets louder (almost sounds like a fan)?  This is due to a low spindle motor.  Both sounds point to a failing drive and generally irregular sounds  on a consistent basis mean the drive is failing.  Does the PC lock up on occassion?  dkbionic is correct, you should immediately backup your files.  There is one thing you can try before you replace the drive:  Scan Your Drive

On Windows XP, you can check your hard drive for errors by running the CHKDSK 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.