hd help in buffalo, ny

my friend has an ibook and when he starts up the comp, the infamous flashing question mark comes up. he also gets an error msg saying something about his startup disk memory is running low.

from wut i've researched, it seems his hd is failing. i feel obligated to help him cuz i bought him the ibook thru ebay.

can someone tell me whats wrong??
if it is a hd problem and i hafta install a new one,
anyone know where i can get it installed cheaper than going to the apple store or a comp tech shop??
i know its a very delicate process and i dont wanna take my chances with it myself.

if theres anybody out there from buffalo, ny that is handy with macs, please let me know asap!!

so theres no one from buffalo here??

so... why does the person who helps you have to be from buffalo?

behold the wonder of the interwebz!!!

well at least behold the wonder of this really nice mac repair site:

http://www.ifixit.com/

you can find parts and really detailed instructions on how to replace most user serviceable parts.

they dont hafta be from buffalo, i was just hoping to find someone from buffalo who i can bring the comp to myself and see it get fixed, rather than take a chance and do it myself (because i dont really trust myself with this)

best way to learn how to fix this stuff is to do it. better this machine than something that cost you a couple grand...