Phreak and someone else schooled me on laptop batteries(sorry, I forget who it was....and since the board switch, I can't go back and see who it was) . I ultimately got one through Amazon from some company called SIBcorp. 16 bucks, plus shipping. I think it was $21 and change all told...

Anyway, the cheapest I could get the battery direct from HP or a generic one from OfficeMax was a little north of 80 bucks...

Its a new battery, it fits, and it certainly is working as intended...

Kudos for the advice, and major props to SIBcorp/Amazon. If you need laptop batteries, look them up....grate product, price, and service...