I'm going thru this problem on my Hp pavilion 9895 RIGHT NOW.....I have advanced degrees in computer engineering and I'm having all sorts of problems even though I am very computer savy. Be ashamed ;-) With your background you should be building your own boxes, not buying 'em off the shelf. It ain't rocket science and eliminates all the proprietary sh*t that you get from the HP's and Compaqs of the world.
Actually .... you're right BUT I'm getting lazy in my old age