BOAC, your last sentence is the kicker. As I mentioned, without an external HD I'm not sure what should be backed up where. *Edited to add your link about the bootcfg/rebuild doesn't work.)
frostbite, well, it was new when I bought it! And no, I haven't checked the BIOS sequence because (a) I don't know how, and (b) I wouldn't know what to look for if I did. I assume it's that bit about pressing something to enter Setup during the boot phase, but if you'd like to elucidate, I'll give anything a try.