fcuking frustrated

Ok, the fan on my laptop is making some pretty horrible noises, when it's actually working.  I want to replace it.  I looked on the Gateway website, couldn't find anything, nothing in the owner's manual.  So I email technical support and ask what model of fan I need for my specific laptop.  I get an email back telling me that they don't make replacement fans for laptops, and if I want to fix the problem I should send my computer in to them for service (out of warranty, mind you) and they may need to reconfigure the hard drive.  I don't think so.

So now I don't know if it would be possible to just go to Fry's or something and buy a generic fan for a laptop and use that, or if I should just consider it a lost cause.  Otherwise, I need a new computer, something on the list of things I can no where near afford right now.  I wonder if I could get a student loan to pay for a new computer...