Thread: Laptop fan going out...

So, last night my laptop started making a somewhat quiet grinding sound (contradiction in terms as it may seem), and I'm fairly certain it's coming from the fan. It's the sound some box fans make when they get hair or large particles stuck in them. I checked with a guy I work with here in the IT department and he thinks the motor on the fan might be going out and I'm inclined to agree. It's an HP dv6000 and was a gift and unfortunately the brother who gave it to me last year is over in Afghanistan so I can't exactly call him up.

Anyway, I'm considering buying a new fan if cleaning it out doesn't help. I've taken apart a few computers and a laptop (which was dead, so I could tear it apart without a problem), and I feel fairly *eep* secure cracking the case open. I was wondering if you think I should try to take it to an HP store where they'd charge me an arm and a leg but know what they're doing, or if I should just go ahead and try my hand at replacing the fan myself.

If it was someone else's computer I might have less reservations, but it'z muh baby and I really don't want to screw it up. Advice is much appreciated!