Umm... i have an Evo N1020v Compaq laptop and recently, it's making a really strange noise. It appears to originate from the left side of mi lappi and its a hissing/scraping noise. I'm aware of the fact it's really hard to pinpoint just by that, but does anyone have any idea of how i could tell what the problem is? Or is it perfectli normal? Hmm...

Any noise can be a warning sign of things to come. Allow me to start with a few questions though.

Are you running XP?
From the reasearch that I have done for this model number, it would seem like you are, but I just wanted to make sure.

I could not find a decent picture of the laptop to answer this, but if Im not mistaken, isnt the HD located in the area that you are hearing the noise? If so, then you may want to back-up your data as soon as possible.

Do you hear the sound when there is a disc in the DVD drive, but not hear it when there is not one in there? Or vise virsa?

To pinpoint where the sound is coming from a little better, you could try to touch the case close to where it is. When you have found exactly where it is, post back what panel you are actually touching, weather it be an expansion slot, RAM slot (very unlikely), DVD drive, ect. If you are not touching a panel, then post back the closest one.