I am having trouble with the hard drive I think

its broken, it needs service, just like any thing complex.
cars, computers, etc.
I can not see your screens or do tests.
it has CRUSH damage, so i my opinion that is not good.
this old computer may have hard drive damage .
from shock if it was running at he collision shock this is easy to damage the HDD.
Id try to reload the operating system.
per the HP.com web site.

why not ask at the real HP site.
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/

If you computer is a desktop meaning it has a computer tower and a separate monitor on it its called a desktop computer and you really need a mouse for it, but if its a laptop/notebook those that are slim and without any tower for it you can use it without any mouse since it has a touch pad that you can use as a replacement for your mouse.

let ur comp model be that what is ur mother board model number? and brand company name?

sure will help out

Replace you RAM memory module. if it does not solve the problem, reformat your laptop and reinstall OS.

Most HP and Compaq desktop PCs that ship with Windows Vista and XP do not come with recovery discs. Instead, they use a partition on the hard drive. To access a hard drive recovery, turn on the computer and repeatedly press F10 (XP) or F11 (Vista) until a Recovery window opens.

hi,

Can you please describe the model number as well ?

please check http://www.fonerbooks.com/laptop_9.htm if it can help you out.

thanks.

If your old monitor was a Compaq, it had slots for the speakers to hang on and provided the power for the speakers. The speakers still got their input from a cable that plugged into the computer sound output jack. If those speakers are the style Compaq supplied when I worked at a Compaq service shop, they originally came with metal stands that fit into slots on the back so you could stand them up on their own, and a 12-volt power adapter so you could use them without the monitor. If you don't have those pieces, you can buy a suitable power adapter (12 volts DC at 1 amp) at Radio Shack but the speaker stands are hard to find. You could try eBay, or just make a holder of some kind. (A friend of mine used those little wooden stands you can buy to display plates to hold her speakers when she got a new monitor. They worked out pretty well.)

Or you can replace the speakers. A new set would have everything you need. But those Compaq speakers sounded pretty good, so if they're still working you might want to keep them.

Sorry it took me a while to track down your computer.  Basically you can hold two 1GB chips in your computer.
This website has them cheap, and these will work in your computer. http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT12864AC667

You can also upgrade the HDD as large as you would like, but that is not going to be cheap, and you have a large enough hard drive.  

down load the latest from the manufacture website

see if you want the data from this harddrive what you can do is bue external harddrive casing and remove the harddisk from laptop and install in the casing and take the backup.