OK lads - - here is MY fix.
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I've been all over the net in the past days trying to figure this one out. Of course - the HP reps in India had no clue - best they could suggest was the INSANE remedy of restoring the computer to day zero (using the restore partition), then if I still had a problem they would take it back for diagnostics.
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Well - - HP HAS to know what the REAL problem is - - and they do. For MY circumstance - the actual problem was the Intel chip set on the motherboard! This apparently was an industry-wide problem and HP will fix any affected computer until 15 May. So - - if you think you have this problem, better contact HP tech support and get an RMA or repair ticket!! 800-474-6836
Merlin