Graphics Processor Uninstalling On Its Own

HP has failed me again, this time with my GPU. I'll start with the specs:

HP Notebook
dv7 series
Windows 7 OS
intel processor
radeon 6000 series graphics
8 gb ram
1 tb hard drive

As you can see, this computer has two graphics processors: the powerful radeon and the not-so-powerful intel. About two weeks ago, while my computer was sleeping, it uninstalled the radeon graphics card. Without knowing this, I logged into steam and proceeded to play Team Fortress 2 on the intel card. After I realized it was trying to run the game on the intel graphics card, I checked my Device Manager to see if I could troubleshoot the radeon graphics processor. I was surprised to find it wasn't even there. At that point, I decided to do a system restore, and voila! My computer was back to normal.

Everything was fine until today, when, after waking my computer up from sleep and logging on to TF2, I experienced the exact problems I had two weeks ago. I quit the game and immediately checked my Device Manager to find, once again, my radeon processor was missing. This time, I decided to call HP...

Before I go any further, I would like to point out that HP's customer service might be the most caring in the nation. However, they suck at actually solving problems. I told the support specialist my problem and what happened last time. He had me do the following:

-Shut off my computer
-Remove the battery
-Unplug the AC adapter
-Hold the power button for 1 minute
-Put the battery back in
-Plug in, and turn on
-Do a system restore
-(Hold the phone for an obnoxiously long time)
-Check the Device Manager (radeon reappeared)
-Restart the computer
-Check Device Manager (radeon still there)

At this point, the support technician told me I need to reinstall the operating system, which, as you probably know, clears all of the files on my computer. Let's face it. HP's solution to everything is deleting the contents of my computer and reinstalling my software one program at a time (this was their solution to my audio issue, mouse issue, and other graphics issue; none of them actually worked, and all of them were solved using alternative methods suggested by members of the Steam User Forums.)

Update on my efforts to pinpoint the problem:
I've realized this seems to occur every time I close my computer, not necessarily when the screensaver comes up. I will confirm this in the next day or two, but I am guessing that closing the screen (i.e. every time I put it in my bag and walk to my next class) is directly causing the Radeon processor to disappear.

MajorGeeks: I've registered on this site because a member of the Steam User Forums pointed me in this direction. Please do your best to help; I am very thankful for your efforts!

-Shwheelz

 

A few things to look at...

* Did you install any new software or a major Windows update (such as a Service Pack) immediately prior to the first uninstall? If you have an old enough System Restore point, roll back to before the software or SP update and see if it solves the problem.

* "Sleep" and "Hibernate" modes can sometimes cause weird glitches. My preference is for a PC to be either on or off. When running on AC power, my notebook is set to "do nothing" (stay on) when the lid is closed. On battery power, I have the screen set to turn off after 5 minutes and shut down the hard drives at 20 minutes of inactivity. Other than this, be sure anything involving "sleep" or "hibernate" is turned off in Windows Control Panel (honestly, I'm not sure of the exact differences between shutting down the hard drive, sleep and hibernate - all I know is this solved system freeze-up issues on my Sony). When finished using it, I do a complete shutdown.

* If you're not already doing so, this is a good reason on why it's a good idea to back up all your data on a daily basis and keep your discs and license codes for software that did not come pre-loaded in case you have to do a complete wipe and reformat of Windows.

Hope these tips help.