Laptop runs insanely hot

[Dickstar]

I got this HP Compaq 6820s. This are the specs:

Intel core 2 duo T7250 running at 2.00 GHz
2GB DDR2 memory
ATi Mobility Radeon X1350

It used to run fine until I replaced the HD. There was a WD scorpio in there, and I replaced it with a Seagate Memento 7200.2. This is a 7200 rpm disk, and I was told it didn't run much hotter then the 5400 rpm one. I instantly noticed that it booted faster, but after a while, the fan started to spin to the max. It's driving me crazy, and the heat coming from the laptop is alarming. I can barely touch it near the fan hole.

So, I of course thought it was the new drive's fault. But I found out that the source of the heat came from somewhere else. The drive is all the way to the right, and the heat is coming from the left side, right where the fan is at. That's where the CPU and gpu are, right?

I did a clean install of Vista after replacing the drive, and I tried the Windows 7 beta also, but it didn't made a difference. Could this be driver-related? I'm suspicious for the ATi chip, as I have had heat problems from ATi cards in the past.

What is most likely the cause of this? It really started after I replaced the drive, but that doesn't seem to be the source where the heat is coming from. It's strange.

 

[Dickstar]

This is what Everest reports, average temps:

Motherboard: 62 C
CPU: 65 C
CPU core 1: 65 C
CPU core 2: 64 C
HD: 38 C

That's pretty damn hot if you ask me!

 

[overclockingrocks]

it could possibly be a cooling fan starting to go. I'd take it and have it checked out it's not hard to repair yourself but if you get it done by a shop then you get a warranty on the work and parts. I do build all my own pc's and have built a few barebones laptops but unless I'm the one that built it I would take a laptop to a shop with all the proper tools and service manuals to disassemble and reassemble it properly. Not that I don't trust myself but I figure if I'm going to pay a pretty penny for the parts might as well throw in a few more bucks and have it installed too.

 

[frozenlead]

Your temperatures are high, but within range.

Have you cleaned your heatsinks out in a while? That can drop your temps by 10C or more, usually.
Since you reinstalled Windows yourself, are you sure you installed the correct chipset drivers and such? Are you sure you're not leaving your computer on the High Performance power profile 24/7?