Thanks, that was what I suspected. The laptop is a few months out of warranty.
The model is DV7-7240US
The product number is C2H70UA#ABA
Please can you advise about type of hard drive to get? I don't know what the capacity of the failed drive is.
Also, do you know where I can find instructions on how to do this? All my files and documents are backed up (and I can still access them but just for a few minutes at a time until the laptop freezes) but is there a way to transfer them directly from the failing drive to the new one? How will I get Windows 8 or all the pre-loaded apps and software on the new HDD?
Thanks for your help.