So the big move is tomorrow. As soon as I finish posting this I’m tearing down the new Dell and packing it up. I should have Internet access again on the 3rd or 4th.
HP has diagnosed my motherboard problem, and given me a date for the return of the repaired laptop – November 4. It will be interesting to see if they pull it off. If they do, I will be happy to change the name of these posts to "Update: HP Sucks Sometimes."